Reflecting on 2010

There is something awesome about street bricks outside the US

(Florence, Italy)



Woah. How is it 2011 already? When did that happen? To all you readers out there, Happy New Year and here's to a year full of travel, running, and lots of joyful moments!

The funny thing about New Years is that we are all so eager to move on and celebrate the new year, that we so quickly abandon the year before. The music, movie, restaurant countdowns end and all we are left with is a new year and a lot of cold, dark winter nights ahead. I figured I would try to break the cycle of forgetfulness by waiting a couple days into the New Year before reflecting on 2010. So, here we go.

2010- A Year of Changes, Adjustments, and Being Okay with just being Okay
I've never been one for Holiday Letters. To me, they have always seemed a bit too forced and a bit too full of the fluffy, fun facts vs. the actual realities of the year. I suppose it is easier to sum up the end result vs. the messy, sometimes ugly facts that got us there. For most people, Holiday Letters are a way to get on paper a cliff notes version of your life in 12 months. I just question whether it really sums up the year at all, or just the things that you are okay with sharing publically. Maybe it is a combination of both, really.

So, here is my 2010 in summary...with some of the fluff and some of the reality built in there for fun.

The Pantheon. That's just smart. 

January through June
January through June was a great 6 months because it really introduced me to a new adult life. Here I was, recently single for the first time in a very long time, focusing entirely on me. At 27 years old it was a liberating feeling (I can do whatever I want, whenever I want), but scary at the same time (How do a create a new world for myself when I liked my old one?) In the end, though, I remember the great moments-- running in the dark alone and being okay with that, finally getting over my fear of competitive running groups and joining the BAA and their insanely hard track workouts, discovering my love of Core Fusion and Yoga (even hot Yoga), becoming much closer to some great new friends, and running the best Boston Marathon time ever. One of the other best things I did was started practicing Restorative and Meditative Yoga, which helped me center myself and finally teach me to leave work at work. I remember it being cold and snowy. I remember seeing two amazing bands-- Spoon and Atoms of Peace. I remember realizing that I really wanted to start writing a blog and I actually had something worthwhile to write about (here we are!) Mostly, I remember slowly starting to let go of the past without necesarily realizing I was. I think an unconscious release makes it easier.

Pre-Boston Marathon. Feeling and Looking Strong



The last half mile.

June to September
This summer was a busy one for me. It started with a fabulous trip by my Mom to Boston. It was the first time she hadn't come for a major reason except to see me. In June I started to adjust to my new life without the obsessive focus on running (in which kept me going through the winter). I visited Madison, WI in July and had a reunion with my study abroad friends in Riveria Maya, Mexico in July/August. The summer peaked in September during my 2 week trip to Mainland Italy and Sicily. Also, in September a necessary move happened and I felt an incredible amount of release come with that.

 Emily's Wedding. Proving that weddings can be fun, even when you sweat and smell bad

Madison, WI. Of course, they have meat raffles in WI.

Nantucket, MA. Cranberry Bog. Why not?

Fabulous friends in Mexico.

September to December
The Fall/Early Winter was an interesting one and probably the time that I learned the most about life. It was full of Marathons (Clarence De Mar Marathon in Keene, NH and Mt. Desert Island Marathon in Acadia National Park, Maine), an insanely busy work schedule, eating at fabulous restaurants with fabulous people, and officially signing up for the Comrades Marathon in South Africa. It also came with some betrayal and heartbreak. Yet, the lesson I finally learned was that that heartbreak is just life, playing out its random set of good and bad cards. There is something librating about relating what happens in your life to life itself verses blaming yourself/God/Others. Someone told me this month, "Life brings the Good and the Bad no matter how Good you are". It is probably the first thing anyone has told me in a long time that actually makes sense.

I had some amazing supporters out for my races. Here is just one of the Posters of the Year



Yes, I really do like the music of 1994 that much. 

2010 wasn't about others, it was about making me the best me I can be in the face of the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was about being ok with being me. It was about discovering my passions and finally writing about them. It was about working on myself, so I can be a better person. In the end, I think it has made me a better person for 2011. Bring it on.