As always, I can hardly believe it when another year ends. This time around, though, I have to admit that I’m mostly grateful for the fact that I get to have a new year, a new start. My reasons for this are simple–it feels like the time has come to really start over. And in many ways, I am.
2011 began beautifully. I had my then boyfriend over, and I spent the night hanging out with a bunch of friends and celebrating. I had someone to kiss at midnight (for the first time, I might add.) It was all very wonderful, and it fooled me into thinking that everything would stay that way.
If you’ve kept up with this blog at all in the past year, you’d know that wonderful was not how my world remained. I saw a relationship with my first love fall apart. I had family issues to deal with. I’ve fought with friends, with loved ones, with people I care about very much. I’m still not agented. On paper–if all you do is look at the big things–it wasn’t a very good year.
But I’m not one for looking at just the big things. The little things have always been what defined my view of myself and my surroundings and my day to day life, and it’s those I choose to focus on as the year winds to a close. I began querying. More importantly, there were people out there who liked my work. I may not have landed an agent yet, but I really do feel that I’m close. I’ve accomplished a ton with my writing, completed the first draft of my honors thesis, befriended a ton of amazing people, explored different sides of my personality only to find that I quite like them, gotten closer to most of my friends, watched people I love succeed, spent time with my family, traveled, and had a plethora of new experiences.
What am I hoping for in 2012? Here’s a short list.
I want to find a job that I like, that can be a stepping stone to bigger and better things professionally-speaking.
I want to see my family succeed.
I want to find an agent and really get going on getting The Recruited published.
I want to complete many more books this time around, and find new and exciting stories to tell.
I want to graduate college with an honors designation for my major.
I want to see my friends find jobs that they love or continue to excel in their educations.
I want to enjoy new artistic mediums–from books, to art, to movies, to music.
I want to find someone worth my while and fall in love again.
Most importantly, I want to be happy. And I’m getting there more and more every day.
I don’t know who to attribute this quote to, but I saw it on Twitter and quite like it. May the best of 2011 be the worst of 2012.
Happy New Year!