Oh, the places you'll go

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

 

Today's prompt: Travel.  How did you travel in 2010?  How and/or where would you like to travel next year?}}

 

{photos taken in Pittsburgh, PA; Seattle, WA; Washington, D.C.; Honeoye Lake, NY; Savannah, GA; Philadelphia, PA}

I made a New Year's resolution three years ago to travel more.  It's the only resolution I've been able to keep.  I want to hit all 48 states by my 30th birthday.  I dream big, what can I say.  This year I crossed the State of Washington off my list, and soon-to-be Texas.  At the end of 2010, I will have visited 21 out of 50 states. 

In 2011, I'll be traveling internationally for at least three months.  On my list to visit are Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Poland.  I'm dying to see Paris, return to Italy, and visit my friend in London while I'm over there, but I'm not sure if I'll have enough time (or money!), since I will only be able to stay in the Schengen Area for a max of 90 days on a passport, and most likely won't have a working visa by the time I get kicked out of Europe. 

I'm excited for my traveling plans next year.  I really want to immerse myself in the different cultures and history while I'm abroad.  The first time I went to Europe, in 2004, I didn't really appreciate international traveling (mainly because I got sick the moment I landed in Austria), the cultures, and the food, but now that I've grown and developed my traveling (and food) palate, I'm really looking forward to this.

And if all goes well, hopefully I'll find myself back in my homeland in 2011, too.

a letter of advice

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

Today's prompt:  Future self.  Imagine yourself five years from now.  What advice would you give your current self for the years ahead?}}

{via}

Dear KH,

You're amazing.  The things you've done with your life and the way you continue to carry yourself - every day, through good and bad - is something you should be very proud of.  Very few people in life will be able to conquer half of the things that you have.  But while I can't tell you what's going to happen in your future, I can tell you this:

• You're stronger than you think you are.  I know you've been through hell and back.  I know it was painful.  But the reality is, it won't get any easier.  What doesn't kill you, really does make you stronger.  You have to push through everything, one moment at a time, because what's waiting for you at the other end is going to be amazing.  And you're going to deserve it.
• Take care of yourself first.  You're the most important person in your life.  You have such a warm, genuine heart and I know you want to help others before yourself, but not everyone is like you, in the fact that they'll help you as much as you help them.  
• Don't be afraid to take a chance.  Whether it's on a guy, for a job, or for personal development - whatever it is, don't be afraid to do it.  I know you like routine, being organized, and knowing what's next, but sometimes life is about not knowing.  Because often times, it's the unknown that changes your life.
• Don't forget your roots.  Remember those people - and the city - that helped you become the sports-loving woman you are today.  Don't let people knock you down for being from a small, Steel city.  They're just mad because their sports teams can't win Championships.  Be proud of where you're from.  We don't call it the City of Champions for nothing.
• Don't let your failures stop you from trying or continuing.  Your failures will help you develop and improve as a business woman and a person.  You have to fail (and sometimes miserably) in order to succeed.  Learn from your failures and you'll soon become unstoppable.
• Live life on your own terms.  Do what you love, every day.  Stop feeling guilty about being lazy or procrastinating or not finishing something.  It's okay to be lazy, procrastinate and not finish.  Life is now about you - doing what you love, surrounding yourself with amazing friends, and finding your own happiness.  Do it.  Love it.  Live it up.
• Chase your dreams.  Every day.  People are going to tell you you can't do something.  Do it anyway.  People are going to stand in your way.  Knock 'em down.  You're going to feel like you want to quit.  Keep going.  You've already conquered half the world.  You still have the other half left.  
• Let it go.  Let go of the friends who have hurt you, the relationships that have shattered your heart, and the ones who gossip behind your back.  You're amazing, beautiful, and ridiculously talented and those three qualities will take you further in life than any piece of gossip, relationship or friendship could.
• Be proud of how far you've come in life.  Don't let your mistakes and failures fault you.  Your talents and abilities will take you very far in life.  Appreciate how hard you have worked and celebrate your accomplishments every chance you get.

Now, go continue chasing your dreams.

XOXO,
Me

5 minutes

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

Today's prompt:  5 minutes.  Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes.  Capture the things you want to remember most about 2010.}}

• the decision to see a therapist and acting on that decision.
• my entrance into an Ivy League graduate school.
• a night of celebration with my girl friends at a pot luck Sunday with a bottle of champagne.  Because everything is better with champagne.  Well, as soon as you figure out how to open it.
• ending a 15-year friendship and realizing it was one of the best things I could have done for myself.
• winning a national street hockey championship in June.
• re-branding my nonprofit organization
• the day I lost a survivor sister.
• the day I found out my law firm is dissolving.
• the night my cousin and I thought making and consuming frozen wine would be the best thing ever (it wasn't).

2010 has been an interesting year.  Some highlights, some low lights and a ton of growth, changes, soul searching and self-reflection. This has definitely been one of the best years yet though.  Bring it on, 2011.

keep moving forward

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

Today's prompt:  Action.  When it comes to aspirations, it's not about ideas.  It's about making ideas happen.  What's your next step?}}

Move forward.  Wherever you go, whatever you do, whatever obstacles are placed in front of you, always work to move forward. 

I've been drowning over the last two weeks.  Mentally.  Physically.  Emotionally.  I fell off the radar from most of my friends, Facebook, and email because I needed (and still need) to find a way to get myself together.  I needed to find direction and figure out how to continue pushing forward through the obstacles that have been placed in front of me.

I don't really know what 2011 has in store for me, besides starting my Master's program and re-launching my nonprofit organization.  My plan of action?  Keep pushing forward.  I know it's only going to get harder from here, so I really want to stay focused, determined and motivated.  

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows.  It's a very mean, nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.  Nobody is going to hit as hard as life.  But it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."

- Rocky -

Less is More

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

 

Today's prompt:  11 things.  What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011?  How will you go about eliminating them?}}

In 2011, I want to make a big change.  I want to truly understand the difference between need and want.  Sure, I know what the difference is, but to truly understand it?  Is more complicated.  I need to eat, but I want Sunday brunches consisting of pancakes and girl talk.  But I don't need to spend the $10 or so every Sunday on said brunches, yet I do it because I want to invest more quality time in my friendships. 

I want to learn how to live more simply with less, on less, and doing less in 2011 and maybe that means eliminating some things in my life.

• Clutter.  I keep stuff.  Like, a lot of stuff.  And I know I don't need most of the stuff that I keep (like books I know I'll never read again), so I want to make a concerted effort next year to get rid of a lot of things that just take up space in my house that I know I don't need.
  
  
• Wasting time on the internet.  Yes, I waste a significant amount of time on Facebook, Twitter, reading blogs, and on the internet in general.  Don't we all?  We forget what our lives were like without those things and I really want spend my time being immersed in grad school work than on the internet (unless of course, it's school-related).
  
  
• Over-committing.  I commit myself to a lot.  Work.  Nonprofit.  Hockey.  Friendships.  Blogging.  Writing.  Meetings.  Pot luck Sundays.  Volunteering.  I already know I do more than I am able to, but it's hard to not commit myself to so much because I hate being bored.  I start graduate school on January 12th and I've already been slammed with homework and assignments from my professors and classes haven't even started yet, so I know I need to let go of a handful of commitments once school starts.
  
  
• Negativity.  It's easy to let someone get you down, but it's tough to bounce back from it.  Much of our negativity is driven from another source of negativity.  I don't have time for negativity, and I surely don't want to be surrounded by it.
  
  
• Careless spending.  I've done really well this past year with saving money and managing my finances, but I do [sometimes] spend my money unwisely.  Or on things I know I don't need.  I really want to work on being more mindful of how I'm spending my money next year.  Experiences, not things.
  
  
• Less junk.  I've eliminated/cut back a lot in my diet over the last five years.  No red meat.  Less alcohol.  Less foods containing HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).  For the most part, I eat really healthy.  Minus wine and cheese nights.  And pot luck Sundays.  I really want to try cutting out all meat from my diet next year.  For at least a month.
  
  
• High expectations.  This is a tough one to eliminate.  I hold high expectations of myself because I want to believe I'm Superwoman.  Except, I'm not, and I need to accept it when something doesn't always go/work as expected.
  
  
• Comparisons.  When I see someone's efforts succeed and mine fail, I can't help but compare myself to them.  She's so much smarter than I could ever be.  He's so much more dedicated to his work, and that's why he's so successful.  I compare myself to others.  It's just what I do.  And I know I need to stop doing it, but I don't know how. 
  
  
• Fear of failure.  I'm terrified of failing again with my nonprofit.  The first time basically punched me in the ovaries and made me understand what it means to be passionate about your work and work hard at it.  And failing the first time was the motivating factor to get me to grad school, but I'm afraid I'm going to fail again.  Over and over again. 
  
  
• Unsatisfying friendships.  Do you really talk to all 562 of your Facebook 'friends?'  Neither do I.  I want to eliminate those fake friendships and those who only make appearances in my life when it's a convenience.  I want to surround myself with authentic friends who can satisfy my soul.
  
  
• Fear of vulnerability, dating, and relationships.  I got back into the dating game this year, and as much as it sucks, I'm really glad I'm doing it.  Being open to possibilities.  Meeting new men.  Discovering passion and sharing a spark.  Yet, I still fear putting myself out there and being vulnerable.  Knowing that a man can take advantage of everything you give him.  
  
  

New Year, new start.  What do you want to eliminate in 2011?

rocks in my socks. i mean, rocking my socks off.

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

Today's Prompt:  Party.  What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010?}}

I'll admit, I don't go out much anymore.  Not because I don't want to, but because I'm too tired.  Or I don't want to spend the $150 on a bar tab, just to wake up the next morning with a massive hangover.  So when today's prompt was delivered in my inbox, I wasn't sure I wanted to participate.  Although, I haven't been keeping up with these prompts (I know, I'm SORRY) because I'm currently drowning in work, nonprofit and grad school.  I promise to get back into the swing of things. 

Funny how I used to be a big party girl when I first moved here.  I went out every night (often till 2AM) and I knew all of the VIP's and owners of nearly every bar and night club in the city.  I suppose I partied myself out in those two years, since now I am usually in bed by 10PM on a Friday night.  Be jealous.

So, what party rocked my socks off this year?  Well, it wasn't a party, so much as a weekend vacation to my cousin's lake house in Upstate NY with  these girls.

 

We spent four fabulous days unplugging from the big city and it was marvelous.  No responsibilities, no work, no deadlines.  Just relaxing on the deck, playing card games, failing at puzzles, attempting to be appropriate around my 62-year old cousin, and getting inebriated at two wine tastings.  I can't wait to go back next summer.

on making time

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

 

Today's prompt:  Make.  What was the last thing you made?  What materials did you use?  Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?}}

{via}

 

Working a full-time job and running a nonprofit organization doesn't leave me room for much else.  And once graduate school starts next month, I'll have room for even less.  My Google calendar is filled with meetings, appointments, hockey games, tasks and events because it's the only way I am able to stay organized and sane.

 

This past weekend I had a laundry list of things I wanted to accomplish, like get my car inspected, get my laundry done, get some writing done, and catch up on some grad school reading.  But instead, I made time.  For a hockey tournament.  For grocery shopping.  For having a Saturday Girls' Night.  For a Sunday pot luck.  I made time to have a social life, because I believe it's important to make time for the things that make you happy, even if you don't always have the time for them.  We all say we're too busy for people, events, or to do something, but perhaps it's because we just don't make the time to invest ourselves more.  In friendships.  In relationships.  In our careers.  In getting more sleep.  In anything.  We work on trying to find a balance in our lives, but more often than not, something gets sacrificed for another and the next thing we know, we don't have time for anything.  

 

It's not about having time, it's about making time. We all have the time, but seldom do we actually make the time to do something.

"Letting go of all I've held onto..."

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

Today's prompt:  Let go.  What (or whom) did you let go of this year?  Why?}}

After talking to a whore friend about today's prompt, I instantly thought of writing about letting go of my [former] best friend or letting go of a damaged relationship that I held onto for so long, but I realize that would be too easy because I've already blogged about that stuff.  You - and I - already know about that stuff.  

Letting go, of anything, is always the hardest part.  Because we don't realize just how difficult the process is until we're right in the thick of it.  But letting go is important in discovering what's important, who our true friends are, what we really deserve in a relationship, and how far we've come over the years.  If we held onto everything, we wouldn't get anywhere, right?

This year, I made a commitment to myself, to work through and let go of the raw, heart-wrenching pain of losing my parents.  Because at age 12 I didn't understand what losing a father really meant.  And at age 20, I was too busy trying to finish school to grieve properly for my mother.  This year was by far the hardest with Mother's Day, Father's Day, and the holidays.  While I believe that everything happens for a reason, I also believe that everything hurts for a reason.  The pain we feel is caused by someone or something.  The pain I felt earlier this year was by far the worst since losing both of my parents.

Letting go wasn't easy, and I'm still not completely 'there' yet.  I know I won't be 'there' for a very long time, if ever, but it took lots of tears, lots of reflection, lots of acceptance and lots of honesty for me to get to where I am today - and where I hope to be in the future.  It took spending most nights crying myself to sleep just so I could feel something other than numbness.  It took sitting in my room alone, consumed by sadness, just so I could acknowledge the pain.  

I've made some incredible strides in letting go of this pain.  I can finally tell a story about my parents and not well up.  I can finally talk about my father's suicide [somewhat] openly and not break down in tears.  It's not easy, but it's progress.  Big, big progress.  Monumental steps in letting go of all the raw, heart-wrenching pain I felt for the last seven years. 

Because once you hit rock bottom, there's only one way up.  And I know I'll get there.  Some day.

* title of this post can be heard in Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse

under the radar

{{This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

Today's prompt:  Writing.  What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing - and can you eliminate it?}}

I like living under the radar.  I like being a blogger that no one really knows.  I like hiding myself from the public spotlight, despite the fact that I've been published in Coping with Cancer Magazine, featured in Shape and Glamour magazines, and on the news. 

So, what stands in my way?  Not putting myself out there in the public spotlight in order to become a successful, established, well-known, published writer.

I fear my dream of publishing my memoir or a self-help book is hindered by the fact that I just don't like putting myself out there.  I don't like exposing the intimate details of my broken and damaged life to the public for fear of judgment and criticism.  Ironic, considering I run a nonprofit organization that empower young adults to live life with a purpose.

How can I eliminate this?  By exposing myself (metaphorically speaking).  By learning to be more comfortable on sharing my story of loss and triumph, because I do believe that I can inspire others with my story.

growth and passion

{{ This post is part of #reverb10, an annual event and month-long online initiative to reflect on this year and manifest what's next for 2011.

Today's prompt: One word.  Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word.  Explain why you're choosing that word.  Now, imagine it's one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? }}

 {via}

2010 has been a pivotal year for me.  Letting go of toxic friendships.  Investing more in healthier friendships.  Committing to therapy.  Getting back in the dating game.  Discovering my passion to make a difference in this world.  Learning what it means to live life on my own terms.  

How do I describe this year in one word?  GROWTH.

I was one of those people who thought I had all the answers.  I thought I could fix anything, do anything, and work through pain on my own.  But then I found myself sitting on my bathroom floor at 2AM on a Tuesday night in March, sobbing uncontrollably.  I knew why I was crying, but I didn't want to admit it.  Because when you admit something and put it out there, it becomes real.  Seven years of not grieving properly for my mother, and fifteen years of not grieving properly for my father, had finally caught up to me.  I knew it was time to seek professional help.  I knew it was finally time to work through my pain and grieve for my parents.  It takes courage to see a therapist, and I truly admire any person who has sought professional help.

It's been eight months of therapy and I didn't think I would get here.  To a point in my life where my heart doesn't constantly ache over losing my parents.  To accept the fact that, yes, this is my life, and be okay with it.  I still have bad days and bad moments.  My heart still aches, but the pain has subsided a bit.  I still miss them, and will always miss them. I've grown tremendously over this last year through acknowledgment and acceptance and it feels wonderful.


This time, next year...

I want to be passionate.  About my career.  About graduate school.  About my friendships.  About my life.  I want my passion to resonate in those around me and inspire others to make a change, conquer a fear, and live passionately.   

How would you encapsulate your year in one word?  And how do you hope to describe your 2011?