New Year, New Me?

Well, we are well underway into the new year (if you count three days as "well under way") and I hope all of you had a great holiday season and a safe New Year's.

I've never really been the type of person to make a resolution. Actually, I had to make on in the fourth grade and then write a report on why it was important to me. Since I knew I had no actual intentions of keeping that resolution and it was only made so I could write my little report, I don't think that one counts. So I think I can still honestly say I've never made a New Year's resolution. They never seemed like an important thing to do.

Why would I feel the need to make a resolution just because it's a new year? If I want to lose weight, I do. If I want to get in shape, I do. Last year I knew I needed to make a conscious decision to pay attention to my weight and my eating habits. I've struggled with an eating disorder for many, many years and I was finally able to come to terms with it. I didn't need a new year to prompt me to make this decision, I started working on this in February/March. Three years ago I realized that since I have the time and money, I'm going to start dancing. I didn't do it with the conscious decision to get into shape, I did it because it was something I wanted to do. I've made the decision to start drinking less, not because of the new year, but because I need to. I can't dance five days a week and drink. It's just not feasible. Or healthy.

But, instead of resolutions, I like to reflect on the past year and try and make sure I'm on the right path for the upcoming year. Last year was all about change. I changed my diet, I changed my job, I changed my living arrangement, I changed a lot in myself. I bought a house, I got a job, I got pointe shoes. A lot of things changed for the better. Not to say it was an easy year. Anyone close to me knows there were a lot of major challenges to deal with. There was also a lot of drama (something I'm really hoping to avoid this year). But I made it through it. And I think all of the struggles I went through have helped to make me a better person.

This year, I think, is going to be about moving forward. I'm going to be graduating with my Associates degree in May. I'm going to be starting at UTD in the fall to start working on getting my Bachelors. I'm going to be in 9 (that's right nine) dances in the Spring concert with Arabesque. I'm going to be focusing more on art classes and taking more marketing classes to hone in on what I really want to do. Sam is going to be going to actual training in a couple weeks and I'm looking forward to working more with him and taking that knowledge and helping other dogs with Paws in the City. This is going to be a year about growing and making more out of my life.

I know that there will be many challenges ahead, but I think I can handle it. I've got great family (despite the fact that they are not by blood), great friends, and some really fucking awesome coworkers. I feel like I'm finally on the right path and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Best of luck to you all!