Out with a bang

Today is the last day of 2012, and I find myself thinking about all of the things, good and bad, that this year brought.  In many ways, it felt like a long failure of a year I couldn’t wait to be over. Months of cover letters and job hunting and hopeful interviews that went nowhere.  Making the decision to leave an apartment and neighborhood that I loved, along with friends that kept me balanced and sane.  Working at jobs that didn’t pay enough, had crappy hours, and that at times I hated.

But in the end, all of these disappointments were leading to a new chapter in my life that I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to open otherwise.  Even if I had found a job in DC, I would have been a 9 to 5 office shuffler, counting the hours until I could go home and wishing I was doing something with more purpose.  Leaving our cozy apartment meant getting to spend more time with family, friends I haven’t gotten to see often enough, and ultimately taking a huge adventure to a part of the world I’ve never seen.

When I stop to think about it, I’ve accomplished so many things this year.  I finished my Master’s degree.  I lost 25 pounds.  I started riding my bike again, and love getting around under my own power.  We got MARRIED!  We finally did the cross country road trip I’d been dreading all these years, and while there’s not a lot to see in the middle of the country, it was cool to see what is there.  I started reading for pleasure again.  The fog of what I wanted to do with my life seems to be lifting a little, and I’m hoping to use next year to see all of the possibilities that lay ahead.

So while I’m not sad to see 2012 go, I’m grateful for the jumpstart it’s giving me into a new year, a new place, a new marriage, a new career… and more pad thai.