Oi... it's been a while. Over a year, actually. That's a little disappointing! Oh well, shows how busy I've been. Lots of changes have happened. Let's rehash out the last year, in a nutshell... Took "me" time. Made lots of strides! Learned to meditate, did yoga, worked on a farm and managed a farmers market, got happy again! Moved five times (man, that was exhausting). Dated like a fiend. Stopped dating at all. Started dating again and found a boyfriend. Got a job in New Orleans. Moved for said job. Said relationship failed as a result... And now, I've been in NOLA for about a month and a half, working my job, hanging out with my BFF, trying to get healthy and find a new balance in life. Whew.
Since it's been a while, I think I'll first take a moment to reflect upon the 2011 goals I made for myself (remember those?) and see what I accomplished:
Leah's 2011 Goals:
1. BE SELFISH- I know this sounds bad, but I don't want you to misunderstand. I am a compassionate and understanding person, in general... but almost to a fault. A lot of the time I do things just to please others, no matter the pain, anguish or inconvenience it causes me. And that's a lot of what caused me end up where I am now. Screw that. I am done. Time to put Leah first for once. At least for a while. Yep, I think I did a pretty good job of this. I found happiness, so I think that is a pretty good indicator!
2. SIMPLIFY- Get rid of clutter and things I don't need. Get down to the bare minimum. Spend less. Pay off debt. Save more. This refers to things, people, situations... anything to unclutter my life and ultimately, my mind. I was doing great! Then the end of the year, job instability and moving occurred... Hello, more debt. :/
3. PRACTICE MINDFULNESS- Be okay with and accepting of the now, however it is. Meditate and do yoga regularly. WAS doing great. Now, not so much... Fell off the bandwagon last fall. Haven't found a yoga studio I really like here, although I have gone on multiple occassions. Working on the meditation piece. It was a good addition to my life.
4. APPRECIATE WHO AND WHAT I HAVE- Especially all the awesome people in my life- my amazing friends and family. Remind them how much I love them through actions and words. Although this may seem contradicting to my selfishness, it's really not... these people are understanding of the things I need to do to better myself and will probably only encourage me to do them. Those who have and will be there for me, I will always do the same for them! I hope I did a good job of this... I really do love and miss my friends and family!
5. SET HEALTHY BOUNDARIES FOR MYSELF- and honor them. These are things I need to do, no matter how difficult, because I know they will be healthier for myself in the end. I definitely got rid of a lot of baggage by doing this... so even though this is a constant struggle, I think I have been quite successful! I will continue this; it's a good reminder.
6. BELIEVE IN MYSELF- Focus on my positive qualities, work to improve the less-than-desirable, and know that I have the strength to accomplish anything I put my mind to. My self-confidence really improved this last year as a result of all my hard work. I think I've done a lot, but self-improvement is always at the forefront of my mind.
7. PICK UP A RANDOM HOBBY- Something really fun I can do on a weekly basis to let loose and periodically give my mind a break. Some ideas include swing dancing lessons or picking up playing the viola again. Not too successful here... Although swing lessons are looking like more of a reality here in NOLA! I did go once!
8. READ MORE- I like reading. I learn stuff. Or laugh. Or heal. It's good, and I will do it more. I was... and fell off the bandwagon. Need to pick that back up. Oi.
9. WORK RANDOM JOBS- I've been in career mode for 5 years, and probably will be for the majority of the rest of my life. Instead of making big career moves, I am going to use this year as a transitional period to do random jobs I've wanted to do, and may or may not have the chance to do again. Some things I'm looking into- working on a farm this summer or briefly stepping back into the restaurant scene. I've got other ideas too. ;) Did it! Worked on a farm!! And so happy I did. Now onto my career!!
10. BE LESS JUDGMENTAL- I think a lot of us are guilty of this, and I am no exception. I want to approach people and situations with the least amount of bias as possible. Who am I to judge, when I could so easily be judged myself? It's just not fair. Still a work in progress...
Overall, how did I do? Pretty good, I suppose... I met a lot of my goals, a lot are ongoing and a lot I fell off the bandwagon. This is a good reminder for me, though.
Now an update on my life, in general. Well, moving to New Orleans has definitely been a huge adjustment. The job, lifestyle, the lack of familiar faces (with the exception of my now-reunited BFF and her fiance), new climate, living alone FOR MY FIRST TIME EVER, new car-- all really big changes! All-in-all, things are good. Just different. I do miss my friends and RI a lot. I feel lonely sometimes (today is one of those days). Lonely in the sense of missing my friends, and lonely in the sense that I wouldn't mind having someone to share my life with. I mean, I'm almost 30 and single. I know a lot of us are in that boat, but I just can't help but reflect. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever find the right person, at the right time... I really would like to. The prospect of another long term (hopefully life-long) relationship is something I'm into more and more these days, I won't lie...
In the meantime, though, I am still working on me, enjoying my life whether it be alone or not. Let's be honest- there's a possibility that all of us will die alone. That could be me. Not to sound morbid, because that's really not my point. My point is that all that I can control is MY life, so I need to continue to concentrate on that instead of the what and when-ifs.
Okay, enough on the relationship front. In other news, I still have a constant struggle finding balance in life. There is just not enough time in the day to accomplish all of the things I want to! I am, however, putting in a LOT more time on physically taking care of myself. I'm exercising fairly regularly and have lost over 5 pounds! It feels really great. Hoping to keep this trend going!
New Orleans is fun and I'm slowly starting to meet more people and expand my circle of friends, but it is going to take a while. Work is good, also. I am still really happy at my decision to move here and take the job. Things are behind in building the kitchen and I don't have an office which is a little annoying, but I am dealing with it and forging ahead!
I know this post is extremely vague, but I hope to continue on my blogging trend again soon with more specifics. Today I was just feeling the need to vent a little and have been reflecting on my changes, so it was necessary, vague or not. At least this is a start. :) I hope you are all well and if you are reading this, chances are I miss you dearly!
xoxo,
Leah
