Thirty-one was probably the best year of my life (I know I say this almost every year) but I truly mean it this time. It started off with a decision to take time off from working full time to heal from the loss of my father, road trip around California with Juno, train for the Grand Canyon, and dive back into my creative endeavors.
After the Grand Canyon, I became a lucky recipient of a breakthrough Covid infection. I was grateful to have time to rest and recover due to being (f)unemployed but that was when I started applying to new job opportunities.
I started my new role by the end of 2021 and was sailing smoothly into 2022 - or so I thought. I was still running, working full time, and anticipating the one year anniversary of my father's passing. I went to trial against my stalker (a blog I promise to write at a later time) and spent 3 days testifying in front of a jury. When I finally thought I could breathe again, I found out my childhood best friend of 22 years passed away tragically. I was pulled back into a dark place but this time I knew how to navigate the grief.
My 31st year of life ended with me DNFing my first 50 mile race and feeling empowered knowing I did the best I could given what I was going through. I still ran 36 miles - the longest distance I've ever raced and the second longest distance I completed in a day.
I decided to reward myself with a spa day at Den Mother, which was a relaxing way to celebrate my birthday while also pampering myself with a massage.
On the eve of my thirty-second birthday, I thought about what I learned at 31 that I will take with me into 32. Here is what stood out to me the most:
▪️Feel the fear and do it anyway because it always works out.
▪️Be relentless in pursuit of what you deserve & you will get it.
▪️There is no such thing as failure. Just lessons learned.
▪️Those that get mad at you for setting boundaries are those that benefitted from you not having any. Ditch them.
▪️Standing up for yourself is a sign of strength and empathy is a superpower.
▪️Some friendships have expiration dates and that’s okay.
▪️Follow your intuition. Always.
▪️It’s better to be good at many things than an expert on just one thing.
▪️Wake up early. Meditate. Don’t check your phone.
▪️Not everyone will understand or support your journey. Keep moving forward regardless.
▪️Like the universe, you are not obligated to make sense to anyone.
▪️ If it makes you happy then that is all that matters.
I was born on May 4 - also known as #StarWarsDay 🪐. I was really excited to make a spacey video to post as a Reel to the song "Skywalker" by Miguel feat. Travis Scott. See above 😊
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