Life Lesson #16: NEW YEAR, NEW EXPERIENCES!

So I'm told it’s a new year, out with the old and in with the new right? It’s the end of one year and the beginning of another, the closing of 2014 and the onward march into 2015. The promise of new opportunities, new experiences and more life lessons as the New Year begins. I don't know about you but I'm ready for whatever 2015 has to throw at me. Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m willing to throw myself to the front line of difficulty but if that is where I land, I'll batter up. 

My outlook is simple; life is not meant to be lived on the sidelines. Grudges have to be let go off, wrongs forgiven, hurts completely forgotten if peace is to set sail in any new year. Life lesson # 16; The New Year brings both positive and negative experiences and opportunities. If you pay close enough attention, the opportunities to reinvent yourself are endless; the choice in who you become is yours. 

This year our family rang in the New Year with a family style party. Its origins began toward the end of the summer, knowing we would have family here to celebrate with us. This New Year was meant to include a special guest. Our goal was simple enough, to host a warm, cozy, intimate fun party enjoying an evening with our friends and family. Together we would welcome 2015 with all her many adventures. Down South, we are nothing if not for our traditions so with that same spirit, despite a few pitfalls, plans were made. Black- eyed peas and cabbage with cornbread was served, old fashioned Coca-Cola cake was prepared and life as we have both grieved through and celebrated in 2014 was behind us. Certainly things didn’t exactly go as planned, and our special guest didn’t make the journey but despite it all, our family doors opened on December 31, 2014 at 7 pm. I’m happy to say our party was a success, we ate, we drank, we laughed, reminisced, fireworks went up into the night sky, the balloons dropped at midnight and we all raised a toast celebrating the New Year at the stroke of midnight. 

Looking back, I’m thankful for the lessons of 2014, even if many were painful. My character was definitely and yes defiantly developed I might add. My strength tested, my faith grown and my flaws embraced. Looking forward, honestly I’m excited most about the many adventures and lessons 2015 has yet to offer up. Yep all this brings me to those pesky new year’s resolutions and what direction I see 2015 going. Truthfully, I have no clue. Life is not something we can plan out and expect to turn out the same way. Life is about exploring and reinventing yourself, besides I’m an adventurous soul, not always predictable, simply put I'm pretty much a spontaneous spirit. I like life just a wee bit on the wild side I guess. I'm about details, but I'm enough of a free spirit to know when to let go. 

So are you wondering about my midnight resolution? OK, well, it’s not just one particular thing. No, it wasn’t for money, personal gains, or even to stay thin, lose more weight or find my place in this world. The reality is I know my place, right here, with those I love, I’ve already been there, done that as far as the weight thing goes with no desire to re-live any of that nonsense again. Money can’t buy happiness; personal gains are never concrete BUT the truth is this: unconditional love is priceless. My resolution for 2015 is a collage of attainable aspirations: to love and be loved, to hope, to dream and to be content in three areas of my life. One with who I have become, two in the woman who is still emerging, re-inventing herself along the way and three, in knowing myself completely, un-apologetically!

Yep, here’s to 2015, may you know love, may you give love, accept and give forgiveness, let go of what’s holding you back and be yourself!

~Christina