2012 In Retrospect

"I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me, but it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. Then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain, and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life." - American Beauty

I love those final lines in American Beauty- perhaps because I treasure those moments where I feel exactly as Lester Burnham describes. So much gratitude. Not because life is perfect, but because even in the midst of family strife, national tragedy, and international horrors, I am still blessed with wonderful moments and people in my life. Because even in the midst of the ugliness of American politics, I might still manage to hear about a moving story of people helping each other. I think I might be getting better at holding on to the good things and letting go of the bad. 

Blah blah blah.. anyway, a quick list for my 2012 highlights:

• Brought in 2012 on the beautiful beach of Samara, Costa Rica
• Became a first time homeowner
• Saw my friends in Colorado
• Planted my first vegetable garden
• Became an aunt
• Visited Asheville, NC
• Drove from California back to Ohio with my two best friends
• My best friend moved back to Cincinnati!
• Witnessed Cincinnati become even more beautiful and vibrant: Washington Park, Smale Park and the riverfront, OTR's many new restaurants and stores... 

I'm now 30 years old and it's 2013. I can't say I have any earth shattering wisdom, which I'm sure the me a decade ago would have expected, but I do think the past year has taught me to practice gratitude, to provide empathy without being drained or co-dependent, and to accept that each person in my life will make choices for themselves and the best thing I can do is to love but to set boundaries. That seems pretty great, actually.