Hope. Possibilities. Determination.

7 more days.

There are just 7 more sunrises and sunsets for us in 2016 (it's already Saturday for some). There will be countless analyses of the year, but I’ll just say it’s a fair bet we all had a rather wild ride. Being the contrarian, I’m going to throw this out there:

I think I’m closer to my true self spiritually, physically and mentally because of 2016 and am grateful for it.

I left a job I’d loved and held for over 5 years. That process was excruciatingly painful. However, as I look at the messages I received from students and co-workers alike, I have concrete proof that I really affected lives. Instead of just assuming we’re connected, we’ve told each other. And now I have the time to process how each of these people have changed me deep down inside.

This year I also went back to the drawing board regarding my health. At the age of 45, I’ve run over 200 miles- starting in July. That’s crazy to me! 5K Runner walked me (sometimes literally) through the process. I also discovered a love for the current K-pop scene (special thanks to BigBang, BTS, (these are Spotify links: EXO and VIXX))  to fuel my runs and rediscovered joy in dance and weightlifting that had sat quietly abandoned for what feels like a lifetime. I feel physically renewed.

This essay is another example of the teutonic shifts in my life in 2016. I had dipped toes into sharing my writing in 2015 but this year, I leaped in. My mind has been on fire with ideas to explore. To date, I’ve received over 1000 blog views of my essays and most importantly, these are hits from around the world. The US, France, China, Colombia, South Korea. Thank you to everyone who has read my work!!!! It’s possible people from 4 continents have read what I’ve written and maybe something has clicked with them. That’s my hope as I drive forward. Next year...10,000 and 6 continents?

Hope. Possibilities. Determination.

Those things haven’t died for me in 2016. Heaven knows we have incredible pain and suffering to deal with in all directions. I look at my kids and wonder what they are inheriting. And yet, I’m not giving up. The human mind is too tenacious and creative. The soul is too deep and the cries for action are too strong to just fly up into the ether and be lost.

We have 7 more days.

Then, we have...a new sunrise.

Let's use them all!