I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions for the primary reason that I’m not good at keeping them. Don’t get me wrong: I’m a goal-making, ambitious gal but I’ve never met a New Year’s resolution I liked, primarily because there seems to be a healthy dose of guilt associated with not keeping it.
Well, with the exception of the year I resolved (and learned how) to use chopsticks.
Lesson learned: Aim low.
As I’ve been reflecting back upon 2010, I’ve been amazed at how incredibly blessed my family has been professionally and personally. The year kicked off when I was chosen as Microsoft Office’s accredited blogger at the 2010 Vancouver games. Our whirlwind has not stopped as we’ve traveled the world and have learned invaluable lessons at home.
In fact, so extraordinary were our experiences that I’ve been dreading 2011, thinking, “I can’t possibly top the year we’ve had,” or, for the first time in my life, I’ve been filled with worry,”This must mean the bottom will be falling out soon.”
Both sentiments are an anomaly for a glass-half-full kinda gal.
Then, I saw the light. I was deeply moved as I read Oprah’s January 2011 editorial in O magazine. She talked candidly about the end of her show’s 25-year run and the fear she initially had about launching a network of shows on OWN (which debuted January 1):
In July I read a Vanity Fair article about the making of Michael Jackson’s album Thriller. The piece quoted some of Michael’s friends saying that one of the his biggest mistakes was never realizing that Thriller’s becoming the number-one-selling album in history was a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. And because he didn’t realize that, he spent the rest of his life chasing that success.
Reading that was a big aha for me. The reason I had wavered was fear: I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to duplicate what I’ve done. But as I thought about Michael Jackson, I began to see that not only can you not duplicate success, you’re not supposed to. Every new endeavor is created out of the quality of energy you bring to it and is meant to be its own thing.
I totally get it.
I spent my final semester of college on a study abroad in the Middle East. Our campus was on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and we traveled frequently around the region. We floated in the Dead Sea and slept in cabanas by the Sea of Galilee. We roamed through Petra’s ancient wonders in Jordan and we climbed Mount Sinai to witness the sunrise. We marveled at the Great Pyramids and sailed the Nile at sunset.
Upon the completion of my studies, I stopped over in Europe with a few of my friends. We backpacked five countries in two weeks and had the time of our lives. One of our final destinations was Switzerland. We stayed at a hostel in Interlaken, the country’s outdoor Mecca. After a day of rafting the mighty Lütschine, we talked late into the night with some fellow travelers.
One of them was named Ralph. He was charming, athletic and drop-dead gorgeous. He was a mail carrier from Australia who had saved up his money for a year-long adventure abroad. He was going home the next morning. Feeling remorseful about the end of my own travels, I asked him how he thought he would adjust back to his humdrum life after being given a glimpse of the world. His answer still resonates today:
“Before this trip, I was always planning my next great adventure. It has taken this trip to help me realize there is so much close to home I have yet to experience. My next great adventures will be in my own backyard for many years to come.”
Whether you’ve had one of the worst or best years of your life, here’s to a New Year that is not dedicated to topping the “old” but ushering in whatever “new” lies in your path. And for expressing gratitude for what you already have.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 