2023 Reflections

Well, hello there! It has been just a leeeeettle bit (OK, a LOTTA bit) since I last blogged anything, which I feel terrible about, but also, burn out is real, friends. At any rate, I am feeling motivated and energized to write one somewhat quick blog post to give you all some much needed updates. Let’s dive in.

With the end of the year right around the corner, I can’t help but both reflect on 2023 and look forward to 2024. This year has been a roller coaster (as have the past few years to most of us, I’m sure), but that’s not to say that I have not noticed all the incredibly wonderful things about it. I’ve debated doing a recap post for the year, but we’ll see how I feel tomorrow (this is me only half kidding). If you’re reading this, and you would LIKE to see a recap, then let me know. Otherwise, I will just assume that I am writing into the nothingness and deep, dark abyss of the world wide interwebs (as I suspect I am).

I like to think of myself as a very introspective human bean, and once upon a time, I kept a very detailed journal of every day of my life from roughly age 13 to 23. It was mostly to document my struggles with some mental health issues I was experiencing at the time (I know, I talk about it ALL the time and we are all just SO sick of it, blah blah blah), but I also used it as a therapeutic mechanism. And in all honesty, when I look back on those many years of writing to myself in a variety of cute journals, it was very helpful. There are days that I miss having that motivation to write anything at all (sometimes I am lucky enough to even have the energy to write out a grocery list – can you even imagine?). In fact, when I was younger, I swore I was going to grow up to be some kind of writer. I LOVED writing (and I suppose I still do actually). I was constantly scribbling, jotting down random notes, to-do lists, on and on. This is going to sound insanely strange (and more so nerdy than anything), but I didn’t even mind writing research papers in high school and college. I actually enjoyed them? Really sick, I know. But kidding aside, it was sort of in my DNA to become a writer. My parents are journalists by trade (which is how they met in a way), so you could say that one of their four kids was destined to be a writer, too. Long story short, I love writing, and I want to get back in the habit of doing it more regularly. If even just for my own personal benefit (like therapy or keeping my sanity).

OK, wow, sorry, I am getting way off track here. Oops! You don’t need my whole backstory on why I decided to write this ONE single blog post today. So let’s skip ahead, shall we?

In reflecting on 2023, I am feeling a lot of different… Things. For a lack of a better word. But one of the biggest “things” that is sticking out to me in these reflections is that I have been way too focused on doing things in my life a “certain way,” and it has done nothing for me but make me more depressed, anxious, and resentful. SO. I have come to the conclusion that I want to implement a few new things in my life (and hence forth, in my work) moving forward into the new year.

And if you want to know what those things are (and I think you will/should want to know what those things are), you’ll have to check out my next blog post.