This year can basically suck it but here I am, keeping up the tradition because life needs to be documented through all the ups and downs and ins and outs. And even though the hard feels heaviest, there’s still a lot to celebrate:

1. Came to know myself in the most authentic way possible.
2. Survived 8 months of chronic headaches. There has been nothing fun about any of it but not giving up in the face of it is proud-making. Thought they were gone; they are not. But I am still here.
3. Gave up alcohol in April. Had one glass of wine in mid-December (when I thought I was feeling much better from the headaches) and it was terrible. Back to AF for me!
4. Went Gluten Free in July. Same story as previous point about trying it again in December and then backing off again. Not sure how long GF will be, but for the foreseeable now, it is.
5. Fell in love with two podcasts: On Eyre from Hot and Bothered and We Can Do Hard Things from Glennon Doyle, Sister (Amanda Doyle), and Abby Wambach. I adore(d) both so much and I can’t tell you how many times WCDHT made me cry/gasp/nod my head in emphatic agreement.
6. Read 100 books. I’m actually at 99.5, but I will make it happen. I actually hope to read less in 2022 as I spent a lot of reading time as numb out time and that doesn’t feel great.
7. Read Jane Eyre for the first time – obviously related to the above two points, but a feat unto itself given the state of life and the world.
8. Saw live music again. Rising Appalachia + LVDY in Denver and Guster at Red Rocks in late July were life affirming. I have missed live music so much and it was the perfect 15th anniversary trip for B and I.
9. Went away with B for more than one sleep for the first time in over four years. See #8.
10. Got a new job-ish. On top of my online teaching for BU, I am now also an online Writing Consultant for their Writing Center; I’ve learned a lot already in the first month of doing it.
11. Set up my very first Zoom meeting (in Dec. of 2021). I don’t know how many people can say they made it this far in the pandemic without doing that, but now I’m a pro at running them. (*Knocks on wood to prevent Zoom gremlins in very next WC session*).
12. Cultivated some deep and true connections with several friends, old and new/near and far.
13. Wrote 24 blog posts. That’s way less than normal but it’s hard to write when not feeling well.
14. Sent my first baby off to his first year of middle school; it feels weird and unknown but he’s navigating it well.
15. Sent my last baby off to her first official year of preschool. She loves it. I use up my “free time” in the mornings quickly to say the least.
16. Said goodbye to Grounded Sky. I don’t have it in me to keep teaching yoga anymore, so that all is officially shutting down with the year’s end.
17. Increased my own home practice for yoga. I started the year with 30 Days with Yoga with Adriene, and then once the headaches hit, switched to much more practice of yin yoga, ecstatic breathwork, and tapping. However, even with the headaches still going, I did 30 days in November and 20ish in December. Hoping to complete 30 again to start the new year.
18. Gave up coffee. It’s possible that my old tea kettle tried to kill me a bit but unfortunately switching it out was not the 100% fix for my head. I now drink Irish Breakfast Tea and Dirty Rasa (a coffee alternative that I adore).
19. Officially learned how to use a French Press. Fussy but necessary for the Rasa.
20. Navigated a five-week fall sports season for five kids (soccer and flag football) that included coaching (with B) two teams and trying to still watch the games of the other three kids, too.
21. Finally went for my Gloria-Steinem-meets-Steven-Tyler dyed streak in my hairs.
22. Painted our living room. Love it dearly. Ten years later in this house and we finally have the perfect wall color for this space!
23. Started wearing readers. Also bumped the font size waaaaay up on my Kindle. #ExcessiveReaderProblems #Almost40
24. Killed several house plants. That’s not a happy list item but true all the same.
25. Achieved #LifeGoals of matching Mommy & Me dresses AND Family Christmas Jammies this year.