It’s a few days into the new year and I’m still trying to get into the normal routine. Between my long weekend in Ohio and the Florida road trip, my life has definitely veered from the ordinary for the last couple of weeks. We had a great time in Florida: hanging out in Orlando at a very nice resort (discounted heavily as it was right before all the families converge for winter break); meeting up with our friends in Miami, who took us over to Bimini for a few days on their boat and then spending Christmas Eve with their family; introducing my hubby to the Naples area; relaxing in Sarasota; and then capping off the trip in Tampa that culminated in a very enjoyable New Year’s Eve. The long drive home was not as enjoyable. The falling temps in Florida and the rest of the Deep South as a winter storm approached made getting out of the car to get gas or food an exercise in hypothermia. We got a late start on driving on New Year’s Day due to us being up until 4am (was not part of the plan, but…) and then a huge wreck on I-75 caused us to use up nearly an hour of idling in traffic. We stopped and spent the night right outside of Biloxi and then continued onto Austin the next day. I drove a significant part of the way – which I guess makes up for me flying into Orlando and making my hubby drive solo from Austin to Orlando.
Anyway, as I reflect on 2017, I can honestly say that last year was one of the best ones of my life. I did a lot of traveling (which is my absolute favorite thing in the world to do). I’m reconnecting with people that I am very fond of but haven’t always been good about keeping in touch with. I made moves on the career-front to make me happier and more fulfilled. I’m starting to get serious about saving for retirement, and actually believe that there’s a shot that I’ll make it to retirement age. I’m exercising more consistently. Do I still have bad habits? Yeah. Do I accomplish everything I want to do? Nope. But I’ve done a significant amount towards making myself a happier person.
And isn’t that the point of New Year’s resolutions? So I’d like to carry forward all of the stuff that makes me happier and cut out the parts that don’t. It’s a simple concept but not so easy in practice. But I think I did quite a bit in 2017 to start the process.
I’m looking forward to 2018 and hoping that it’s the best year of my life, the best year of your life too. Melanoma is a scary thing to face and even after you’re “healed”, it’s still a part of you. But the diagnosis can also kickstart you into doing all of the things you put off until someday, and make you appreciate all of the experiences you have to still look forward to. May your 2018 be healthy and happy…