Happy New Year

If I had to sum up 2013 in one word, it’d be ‘upheaval.’ I don’t necessarily mean that in a negative way (although this past year was a mixed bag–a couple of man-eating tigers, but a thousand adorable kittens). When I say upheaval, I mean I feel the soil of my life has been under the spade, and things have been thoroughly aerated and upturned.

After all, this year, we sold a house and bought a new one. Moved away from one city and moved into another. While my son made friends at a new school, my husband and I started work at new jobs. Oh, and I finished major revisions on my first someday-to-be-published book. (Turns out revision isn’t the hardest part; it’s the best part, the gateway to the dead dragon’s hoard.)

Most importantly, my father survived a terrible accident, and recovered. Ever since since the crash, he’s treated every day like a gift. He’s alive and up and walking and talking…so let me tell you, I’m so grateful it’s 2014 and he’s still here.

So yeah, a lot of stuff happened. I didn’t stop to let that sink in until today. This has been a great year, a turbulent year, one that’s taught me a lot. I’ve learned that change can be wonderful, and even when it’s not, there’s coffee. I’ve learned that the nurses in rehabilitation hospitals are saints, and that my dad cannot exist without Sonic drinks. I’ve learned that my husband is a miracle, and that his arms are strong enough to hold anything, whether it eight hundred pounds of stress or a metric ton of overblown angst.  I’ve learned that I can wait another year to see my book on shelves, and that setbacks are sometimes not setbacks at all, but blessings in disguise, and that either way, struggle makes all victories sweeter.

I’ve learned that I need to keep learning. Always. Every year. 2013, thank you for rooting out thorns and mucking around and getting under the topsoil. 2014, I’m ready. For seedlings and sleeping buds. No harvest, but plenty of growth. Welcome, new year; let’s get going, no time to waste.

Let’s plant something beautiful.