Hello, hello. Welcome to the year 2018. It sure does feel a lot like 2017, except it’s suddenly colder than it was last week. I hope it’s not foreshadowing the year ahead.
I dedicated 2017 to stepping up and out, and no longer being complacent with my life. I left a lot of toxic relationships, organizations, and groups. I tried new things. I opened my DotDotSmile boutique. We bought a house. I tackled our credit cards. I realized through personal reflection, that sometimes leaving the things that drain you of energy still leave you feeling sad. I was miserable, but now I miss being involved. I am compensating for achieving my goals, and that is a struggle.
One of the hardest parts of 2017 was watching Hurricane Harvey flood my town. We evacuated for two weeks as the water levels continued rise even after the rains had stopped. The flooding destroyed the homes of so many friends, some of them sleeping under their roof for the first time on New Year’s Eve. Yet somehow, Harvey left our house practically untouched. A cracked windshield, waterlogged washing machine, and wind damaged fence seem trivial compared to those who lost their homes entirely. A blessing, but also a curse; survivors guilt is unbelievable.
Moving into 2018, finances are at the forefront of my goals. We must reduce the credit card debt in order to attack these demon student loans. It is imperative that our savings can account for emergencies. And, we need to be able to pay for our vacations! We’re going on a Disney Cruise in April, Italy in the summer, Upstate New York in September. No day like today!