Reflections on 2017, and a Look Ahead at 2018

This was my year-end summary on Instagram:

"Bought a house, got married, traveled to a few beautiful places, hung out with Weston Bebe, showed up on the TV a few times, and celebrated the life of our sweet Spike Baby. I am grateful to 2017 for showing me all the depths of my self, and all that’s possible as long as I remember my truth."

2017 was a year of destruction for me. It was filled with the highest of highs (getting married, buying a home) and the lowest of lows (losing our Spike Baby, whatever 45 is currently tweeting.) I have not known the depths of what I’m capable of until this last year - and that includes crippling anxiety, overwhelm, and staving off depression. Most of the first half of the year was spent making sure I don’t lose it from the challenges of modern wedding planning; most of the second half was spent making sure I don’t lose it from the grief of losing Spike.

I went into 2018 with my life looking completely different from a year prior - and yet, I am ready. Last year, I gave myself the space to celebrate life and to grieve death. I’m ready now to reclaim my life (Maxine Waters voice), rebuild the healthy habits and hustle I know are in me, and most of all - just remember who the fuck I am.

I am addicted to my phone, to social media, to distractions, and I’m sick of it. I am ready to work on reclaiming my attention back from the internet. I’m more than ready to make healthy food and workouts a consistent part of my life, rather than “when I have time for it.” It’s easy to fall off the wagon and takes a lot of courage to start again.

I am also ready to refocus my vision and time on my blog. Year after year, this little space of mine has been the one thing I refuse to give up. I am so grateful to KING 5 Morning News for including me in bi-weekly events segments; they are honestly the reason I’ve continued to blog at least once a week! But I’m ready to write more and tell more stories about the people, places, and things that fire me up. Instagram is fun but I like telling stories here better. 😃

I’m grateful to Stratejoy’s Holiday Council for guiding me through the sometimes painful work of reflecting on the past year; letting go of what doesn’t serve me; surfacing my cravings and desires in all slices of life; and helping me set my “Reclaim” theme (plus my 5 ways of being, 3 big goals, and my list of things to do) for 2018.

In case you’re curious, here’s a few from my list of things to do - they’re probably the closest thing I’ve got to resolutions!