Hello 2013!!! Wow. It's crazy, surreal, new, exciting, scary, and fresh. I felt like I had a different mind set this year. I was so incredibly exhausted from the holidays and regrouping after my trip, that my new years was spent mostly reflecting and being completely tired. Since my trip, I have been working my butt off in every part time job you could ever find: babysitting, hosting, bartista freelancing designing/writing, coaching. But now more than ever I feel assured. I'm assured because even though my life is absolutely nuts, I'm spending time doing things I love. I'm also excited because 2013 is going to be my year.
But I really want to talk about this past year. 2012 was definitely one for the books. It all started with a hangover from an amazing night in Bocas del Toro with my sister filled with fireworks, fire, dancing, boat rides, and reggae techno. To think that almost half of 2012 was spent living on a tiny island in the Caribbean living it up in true island form is so surreal. Looking back, I can't even begin understand why I was unhappy or why I would ever leave. But truth is, I was... I missed so many things that my life there was lacking: movie theaters, bars, a variety of restaurants, shopping, TV, a career that I loved, and most importantly friends and family. Of course Panama had many of these things, but it just wasn't the same. Needless to say I followed my resolution and did what made me the most happy. I moved back.
Granted 90% of the people I tell my life story to, think I'm crazy. Why move away from paradise? Don't get me wrong, Bocas del Toro is the most amazing and magical place. The people I met in my adventures there will always have a piece of my heart. Gracias por todo lo que hicieron mis amigos. But I was missing so much more. I needed real relationships and family and a real job that didn't consume my life but that I loved doing.
So I moved back. I moved to Wilmington, NC which was the closet thing to the west coast that I could afford. I found a career job that came with salary and benefits. I found the most perfect condo on the water. I found really cool friends and was close enough for my family to come visit. The next 5 months were great. Until I realized I had no life outside of the resort industry. Working 60 hours a week at 6 days a week killed me. It also made me realize what I truly loved doing (I have some guests at the hotel to thank for that). So what did I do next? Well I did what I do best. I made a decision that had it's sacrifices but was too good to be true. I quite my job and traveled again. For a month I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to travel to my home country and do something I love doing: playing basketball and teaching. That trip was so incredible and amazing in so many ways. It brought understanding and even more perspective on the life I'm already living.
Wrapping up my year, I came back to Wilmington and had to deal with my consequences of quitting a job. It took me about two weeks but I did find two part time jobs and my freelance work has picked up! Needless to say being completely broke and trying to survive the holidays was super hard. But in the end it's been a crazy year and to think about all the things I accomplished, feels pretty good. Goodbye 2012!!!
Moving on, I feel really good about this year. I can start to imagine my life with things that fulfill me and make me happy. So cheers to the new adventures, the new beginnings, and exciting opportunities.
No comments:
Post a Comment