So Long, 2014!

I can't believe 2014 is coming to an end. It felt like the youngest year at times but I feel like it also sped by. As always on the last day of the year, I feel the need to look back at the events that unfolded and how they have helped me grow into a better person. 2014 sure has offered me many opportunities for personal growth!

The year has been an emotional roller coaster. I have experienced loss, grief, despair, uncertainty, through the roof anxiety... alongside hope, happiness, a feeling of freedom I had not experienced in a long time, pride, self-love, infatuation, excitement and passion. The year has been one where I deconstructed my life to make way for new things. I have let go of a lot of things, dusted off my old dreams and pushed outside of my comfort zone. I have been very courageous this year: I reached out for help, I put myself out in the world and met a ton of new people, I risked opening my heart and falling in love and lived through the heartbreak that followed, I tried new activities that I had always longed to try. I am quite proud of where I am today, compared to where I was a year from today.

2014 has been pretty chaotic. It was as dark a year as it was fun, and at some point, I was too out of balance and life sent me an opportunity to learn to rest and relax. I think as I start 2015, I have a better balance between my dreams, my enthusiasm to achieve them and my need for quiet time.

In 2015, I will work towards my long-term goals of going on multi-day hikes/treks, improving my riding both on the road and the MTB, spending more time outdoors, becoming a "real" triathlete and solidifying my network of friends with whom I can do all those activities. On a personal level, I will recover from my concussion and go back to work, sell my house and downsize so that I can live a life that is closer to my heart's desire, continue to develop my newly found love for myself and try to make a difference in this world.

The key word for 2015? Joy. I will pursue joy, embrace it, celebrate it, nurture it and spread it around me. Thank you 2014 for all the teachings and a warm welcome to 2015, the year of joy.