2010

I'd say 2009 was the year that catapulted me into adulthood. It was during that year that I made one of the biggest transitions of my life, and certainly the biggest one of my life thus far.

2010, then, was the year that I embraced who I am becoming. I'm so different than I ever thought I might be, and I think I've surprised others, too. I didn't know that this is who I would become, but I wholeheartedly embrace the identity God gave me. This was the year that I really felt like an adult, at least as far as decision-making goes. When I have a job, things will be different. A husband, a baby, a retirement funds- all of those things scream "responsibility," and I'm not ready for any of that, but what I was ready for was driving in Atlanta traffic. I was ready to commit to earning an education. I was ready to do my own laundry and buy my own groceries and cook them on my own stove.

I was ready to become a part of a church that God had picked out for me, and to find my way into a group of people there. I was ready to understand how important sleeping and sweating and putting good fuel into my body really is, and to decide to make good decisions regarding that. Yes, 2010 taught me a lot.

Things About 2010 That Make Me Proud

• Since May 14, I've worked out 5-6 times a week. My body is more toned and stronger and more capable. Sure, it's smaller, too. But I fuel it well and it responds. This adventure opened my eyes to a healthier lifestyle that punches heart disease and diabetes in their faces. And it has taught me that I can also punched the stereotypes that I've concocted for myself in the face, too. Uncoordinated? Always. Unathletic? Weak? Afraid? Not hardly. 

• My grades showed my professors, my scholarship providers, my parents, and me that I wasn't joking around about this college thing. I'm there to learn. I learned. And I did a darn good job of it. I'm entering Spring 2011 with a 4.0.
• I crossed several things off my Happy List (which is really just a bucket list): 

• Make a Real Snowman 
• Paint a Canvas 
• Eat a  peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Take a Yoga class
• Own a fantastic little black dress
• Take a spontaneous road trip

 

• I read more books, including, but not limited to The Harry Potter series, Catcher in the Rye, The Joy Luck Club, and The Hobbit.
• I relearned how to appreciate my own company. I had lots of drives and lots of nights and lots of classes when my comrades were lacking. I learned how to pray with my eyes on the road, how to appreciate a blanket and a movie and a cup of tea, how to wander around a neighborhood and be perfectly content in the world God created- for me.
• All too often, I withdrew from people instead of stating my feelings, and I'm not proud of that. But I learned the importance of saying "We need to talk," "It hurt my feelings when you...," "I've had a bad day and I need some time," and, most importantly, "I'm sorry."
• I challenged myself spiritually and God showed up. I Bible studied in groups, and I discipled with a mentor and I had quiet time with coffee and I prayed and I did all of this with faith and my God took my hand. He confirmed again and again this truth: 
• "Come near to God and He will come near to you." -James 4:8