Goodbye, 2012

Workout for Sunday included digging out the Puffin (yes, that's actually what I call my car) and testing out my new yoga mat with an On-Demand yoga workout. Lots of room for improvement in the yoga department considering I'm the least flexible person ever.

In the past few days, like so many others, I've spent some time reflecting on the past year.

2012 was a year full of the unexpected. I've always thought that one of my greatest strengths is being able to see all sides of a situation - the good and the bad. This year tried that strength more times than I'd like to admit.

In May, I ran my third half marathon in Rye, NH in 2:11:58 and walked away with a shiny new PR - cutting nearly half an hour off my first half marathon time and 11 minutes off of my second half marathon time.

I said goodbye to living with two of my best friends, who have been my roommates for the last 5 years.

I moved in with my best friend, who I've known since we were sophomores in high school.

I said goodbye to my big sister, far too soon, who became an angel on July 6.

I decided on a whim to run my first full marathon, and signed up for Philadelphia in mid-August.

I went through some pretty significant changes at work.

I trained for four months and ran my first marathon on November 18 in Philadelphia, PA. I walked away with a finish time of 5:06:44, nearly forty minutes after my goal, but proud of myself nonetheless.

I survived the 2012 holiday season, which for me is a huge feat every year. I'm as big a Christmas fanatic as any, but always breathe a big sigh of relief once it's all over.

Looking back on these, and a handful of other 2012 happenings, if I've learned anything it's that I need to let go of my "Type-A" planner ways a bit and accept that I can't always plan for everything. Whether personal or public tragedies, it's easy to get caught up in the negative and forget to count your blessings.

If anything, let the bad stuff offer you some perspective. Life is too short, enjoy every minute and appreciate the beauty in your life. It may not always be apparent, but if you stop for a minute and look, it's everywhere.

Here's to saying goodbye to 2012 and welcoming 2013 with open arms!

"Sometimes it feels like there are so many things in this world we can't control; earthquakes, floods, reality shows. But it's important to remember the things that we can, like forgiveness, second chances, fresh starts, because the one thing that turns the world from a lonely place to a beautiful place is love. Love in any of it's forms. Love gives us hope. Hope for the New Year. That's New Year's Even to me. Hope and a great party." 

- New Year's Eve