Waving out last year, welcoming the new one

2008 was a banner year for me. I learned that sometimes, hard as it is, I have to stand up for myself and put ME first. I learned that as much as it hurts, sometimes a friendship has run its course, and ends, and that’s ok. I learned that as much as I want to, not only can I not save someone, I can’t make them want to save themselves either, and that’s ok I learned that sometimes the best way to be a friend is to say no. I discovered that I have more inner strength than I thought I did I discovered that the age of the friendship has little or nothing to do with the depth of the friendship. I discovered that while patience has never been one of my virtues, it is something I can learn. My world changed a lot in 2008, mostly through people who came in and/or out of it. Some was bad, some was good. Since I’m focusing on positives instead of negatives, we aren’t going into the bad, because, well, it happened, it can’t be changed, and I’ve put it behind me. Early in the year, I decided that I was going to just relax and enjoy the ride that is my life. As a result of that decision, I believe, several wonderful people either came into my life, or became a bigger part of my life. Each of them has made a wonderful, positive impact on me, and I am truly grateful for their presence. In the coming year, I am planning to continue on the path that I’m carving. My doctor tells me that my activities have to be limited until February 1st, when hopefully, my only unhealed incision will be healed. At that point, I can rejoin my bellydance classes and head back to the gym a couple of days each week. Since the surgery, aside from being sore and more easily tired, I honestly feel better than I have felt in years! Who knew that the removal of my uterus would be quite so life-changing. I mean, everyone I know who had already had one told me that I would feel better and never regret it, but WOW is all I can say about the change. I will admit that I’ve been moody, cranky, and downright bitchy, probably for YEARS longer than I was really conscious of, simply because, well, I didn’t know that the way I was feeling during my period and the days leading up to it was abnormal. It WAS normal to me, so I just tolerated it, and God bless all of you who just loved me through it! Now, I have no doubt that there is still some adjustment to happen, but I am confident that it will be fine. I am in a good place, and I hope you are in a good place as well. Have a blessed and successful year ya’ll!

A Weekend off

Yep, I finally had a weekend free from commitments. I did managed to get some things accomplished, though not nearly enough. A portion of the around 2000 photos I took at Scarborough are finally edited. Oh, there are plenty more to get done, and hopefully, I'll get a few done each night this week, and before I go to Cancun in a couple of weeks they'll all be done and up. I learned a few things about myself this week:

• I learned that I don't read some people nearly as well as I thought I did. To that end, I'm pulling back out my face reading book, and brushing up on that so that maybe next time, I won't be such a dunce.
• I realized that tapes that I thought were long gone from my head, while not nearly so prominent, are still there, and while they always will be, I know that they were placed there out of love, not malice, and that they are not actually true
• I realized, again, how blessed I am to have the people who are in my world, and how much I have enjoyed adding to my world this year.
• I learned that there is music in all of us, itching to get out, we just have to recognize that music, and let it out, whether it is actually music, or dance, or words, or watercolor, or oils...
• I learned that while, outwardly, I always embrace the person that I have become, I am not always honest with myself, and I don't always believe what I am projecting, though I do believe it is true.