New Beginnings

Since we’re just a few days into 2024, I thought it’d be nice to talk about what’s happened since last year ended. There may not be as much to say here as there is in my usual posts, but this seems like a good way to start off the year and will give me something to look back on when it ends. Let’s go.

This year started off fairly quietly, just as I wanted. I got a lot of time to myself, which always helps. On the first day of 2024, I enjoyed a trip to the zoo and then took a few steps toward one of my goals for this year. I made even more progress on a few goals the second day. Those productive steps did a lot to lessen the fear that’s been lurking in the background since late last year. That fear has been even stronger in the first few days of 2024. I think that’s because time is quickly running out in a certain area of my life, and I desperately hope that I will be able to make some major progress before the clock strikes zero.

Overall, the end of 2023 and the start of 2024 were ok for me. This was a huge relief as I’ve had enough stressful starts and conclusions to several of my years to last a lifetime. While some years started well before quickly turning sour, it’s much easier to turn the momentum of a positive start into a good year than to make a good year out of a negative beginning. Despite the fear and uncertainty around my next steps, I also feel confident and excited for them, in addition to having a surprising amount of peace. That’s a huge leap forward from where I was even halfway through last year and lightyears ahead of where I was in 2022 after my dog Sawyer’s death. It took countless hours of healing work to get me here but I’m now ready for whatever lies ahead. I never thought I’d be there again, so it’s incredible that I made it. It was so wonderful having a nice year in 2023. I look forward to having an even better year in 2024.