I am fresh out of words for this post.

I am trying to piece together what I want to say but the thoughts aren’t exactly flowing, and the first draft felt more like mashed up sentences than like actual reflections.

But I have pictures to share. And I want to reflect on the year. And I want to spell out the things I’ve learned, so my future self can look back and nod and smile and think fondly on the 12 months that made up 2017, because it was a good 12 months, and I did learn a lot, and grew a lot and got better acquainted with the person I am becoming (and I quite like her!).

It was not all good, though. Some of it was bad, and some of it was really bad. There was loss and sadness, and there were struggles and confusion, but these are needed for growth. There is no sweet without the bitter.

As the years pass, the bitter becomes more tolerable, anticipated even. There have been times this year when I anxiously waited for bitter moments that never came, and that is one thing I’ve been trying to do less of lately and will continue to do less of next year: less worrying about tomorrow and more letting tomorrow worry about itself.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34 [NIV]

Last year I set three goals/resolutions, and here is how I fared:
  • Take a real vacation - DONE
  • Start using a planner regularly - DONE, and then stopped because I felt my type A tendencies unhealthily going into overdrive.
  • Fix up the backyard - DONE (kinda?), we got a patio set, a fire pit and some tiki lights, but the grounds still need some love and it seriously needs to be treated for mosquitoes.

This year, I only have one: to finally finish the Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt. I started this book last year, and it is a biggun. The story is moving slow, so I keep putting it down with every intention to finish it later. Later has come.

Other than that, I am taking each day for what it is, planning for tomorrow but not worrying (too much) about it. This will probably prove to be easier said/typed than done, but that is the goal.

#goals.

Photos from December are below.


Well, well, well, look what time of year it is.

THE END. It's the end of the year. We have made it. We are here.

Every now and then, I come across some really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share it here. When I share something, I want it to have real substance. Unfortunately there are so many vapid pieces out there, and it's becoming more and more difficult to filter the fluff. Whether it aligns with my viewpoint or not, the article should only be one thing: thought-provoking. The following (listed below) were just that. Instead of explaining them in my own words, I have pasted some excerpts.

It snowed this past weekend in Atlanta, and it brought back memories of me as a kid, in Michigan, getting ready for school in the morning when it had snowed the night before, continually checking the tv to see if my school's name scrolled across the bottom with the other local closings. 

It rarely did. Even when schools did close for a snow day in Michigan (and I'm talking only if there's like a three feet of snow or more on the ground), my school would always push the boundaries and stay open. I can only remember a handful of real, no-school snow days in my lifetime, and I'd beg my mom to let me stay home, but nope. I always had to go. 

Listen, Linda. HONEY.

I lost NaNoWriMo and here's why:
© the active spirit. +