2013 was just one of those years.
Those years that right from the bat decided to test me as a person, to throw
everything it could at me and then some, and was relentless till the very end.
It was one of those years for the books… where I was forced to reevaluate my
perspective, stay true to the values that I hold dearest, and most importantly,
I was forced to find strength within myself. Even the strength I didn’t know I
had, that I had to search for deep within.
Time and time again I found myself
saying, “I cant wait for this year to be over with.” And to be honest I’m thrilled to have a fresh
start that comes with ringing in a new year. But I also have come to realize
that through the struggles of this past year, through the trials &
tribulations, and through the days I just couldn’t see the light at the end of
the tunnel, I have learned more about myself as a person & about this world I live in than I probably have in the past twenty years.
I have also learned that this is a part of
life, there are going to be plenty of years where I will be a little extra
excited about their departure. And with that I say, “bring it.” Because at the
end of the day, or in this case the year, the hard times only make for better
lessons learned, a much stronger person, and a little more wisdom than the year
before.
And so to you, the year of 2013, I say
thank you. Thanks for the friendships that crumbled, the pain that comes with
hurting the ones you love, for small & big mistakes, and for dreams that
painfully came crashing down. Thank you for the lessons on standing up for myslef,
on making hard decisions for my own & no one else’s happiness, and thank
you for the lesson on following my dreams... and then for the lesson that followed on
letting go of things not meant for me. I am even thankful for those lessons
learned the hard way.
Maybe it was unlucky number 13, bad
karma, or God showing me some struggles. But looking back, despite feeling as
though the bad times overshadowed the good, this is far from the truth. In
fact, this year was marked by many many triumphs and wonderful times with a lot
to be thankful for. It was a blessing in disguise. It was also something that
many people don’t get; it was another year. And if that’s not the biggest
blessing of them all, then I don’t know what is.