Reverb 10 - A reflection of 2010, Part 4

December 16 – Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

This has been a change taking place when we moved in October 2009, but it has been more and more evident throughout 2010. By BFF and I are basically closer than ever even though we live 1,300 miles apart. I anticipated us growing apart, by no fault of anyone but distance, but it just didn't happen. We talk A LOT. We understand when the other is busy and can't talk. We email and call to talk about important stuff, and we email and call to talk about ridiculous stuff. We totally know where the other is coming from, and when we are able to be together, it's like we were never apart. It's really special and really nice to be able to count on no matter how much distance there is between us.

December 17 – Lesson Learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

I am constantly learning more and more about myself, but the biggest this year has to have been to be myself and not make excuses for it, but instead try to convey why I am the way I am. I know that sounds cryptic, but it's a lot easier to try to explain why you are the way you are than to change in order to make it easier for everyone else. Understanding breeds acceptance. And for those people who don't even try to understand, they are not worth the effort.

December 18 – Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

I want to run. A 5k, a 10k, and even more. I want to do it and stick to it and know what it's like. Jason does it and every single time I see him running in a race I think to myself "I so need to do this with him."

December 19 – Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?

Doing what makes me happy heals me. It helps me to know myself better and to be a better person. It's definitely a slower healing process overall, but it makes a world of difference. Also, hot cocoa helps too. :)

December 20 – Beyond Avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing?

We've been putting off an international trip for a while now. There is never enough time, or energy, or money to make it happen. We tend to take a lot of smaller trips, but I have my sights set on a longer Europe trip. Hoping it will happen this year so that we can stop putting it off.