What I Found In 2014

I know that no matter what age you are, we all get 365 turns around the sun every year.  For some reason, though, the older I get, the faster this world seems to turn.

2014, where did you go?  I feel like we were just getting started, like I was finally beginning to understand you.  And now, before I know it, you’re gone.  Like a ghost.

This year was something else.  I traveled the world.  To Greece for my 30th birthday.  To Haiti for serve others.  Across the country for work, friends and family.  I achieved “status” on American Airlines.  I saw new places.  I met new people.  I held new hands.

And in the midst of all of these journeys, what I really found was myself.

Reading that last sentence seems kind of crazy.  Sure, I’ve known for a long time what I stand for.  I’ve known for even longer what’s important to me.  For some reason, though, lost in the shuffle of things was me.  Who I am.  What I want.  What I need.  In the miles traveled, people seen and places visited, though, I came alive in 2014.  For the first time in a life lived for 30 years, I finally found me.

This year was the most adventurous of my life.  I truly lived without fear, and for that, I am proud.

I rode a motor bike around Mykonos–up hills and to dinners on the coast, down hills and to drinks on the beach and realized that adventure doesn’t fade even as time goes on.

I said what I needed to say–face-to-face, eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart, and in those words uttered, opened up a world of new possibilities with the belief that what will be, will be.

I got off of a plane in a foreign country I’ve never been to all by myself–and met new friends, held hands, soothed babies and reached depths of my heart and faith that I never knew existed.

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions.  Truth be told, we all could probably stand to be more fit, further along in our careers or better with our finances.  When I think of resolutions, I think of the word “resolve.”  What things do I need to figure out before the clock strikes Midnight and a new year–and new chance to get it all right–begins?

For me, 2015 is about resolving to be authentic.  I want to be true myself, honest with my heart and loyal to those around me.

Happy New Year, everyone!  May this year bring you the peace and happiness that we all deserve and may tonight bring you the fun and excitement that we all want.  Cheers!