we use this holiday to reflect on the year and "ring in" the new one. but really what is a year? is it more than just a trip around the sun?
personally i always feel new years is wasted hype, overpriced fun ending at 3am in freezing disappointment and sore feet.
any self respecting female living in the midwest knows what i mean right?
anyway, i have this friend. i met her in march and though i didn't know it at the time she was several months in on something awesome. she had been great friends with a handful of my own friends for quite some time yet for some reason, we had never met.
about an hour into our St. Patricks celebration i knew this new friend of mine was someone special. as the night went on we were sitting around, drinks in hand and she told me she was on a journey. she was going to travel and do all these things she had never done.
and she did.
she went to Portland, Nicaragua, Austin, Cabo, Canada, Budapest and several other places. she ran a marathon, jumped off the stratosphere, and a million other things. but even before she did all these things, on the night we met i couldn't help but think, 'wow, this woman is a down ass bitch. i like her style. i'm glad we met.' and you're thinking the same right?
so what does this have to do with new years?
i don't really know except that her journey was only going to be for a year. and when it was over she was going to throw a party, excuse me, a gala….is there a difference? yes. you wear much awesomer outfits to a gala than you do a party. is awesomer a word? no.
but to continue with my point of these marymary words and what a year is...
saturday i attended the gala for my friend. as soon as we walked in the door there was this book for all the guests to sign. it was a book to write a future commitment to her.
to be honest it sort of caught me off guard, as cool as her journey was i assumed we would write our favorite memory from the year passed…well, here's the thing, she is smarter than me.
as i have mentioned in previous posts i think a lot about the past. moments that have come and gone.
reflection is great...but this book...it was for the future.
she had this incredible year that was kick started by life knocking her down a little bit. she did all these marvelous things, traveled everywhere and she was already thinking about her next move? what? like i said….she is a down ass bitch.
sometimes i think God waits to put people in your path for reasons that can only be understood after years of friendship. i think she is one of those people.
and maybe she doesn't know it because this year was about her own personal reflection and self exploration but her journey was inspiring on levels much needed in a young females life.
it changed my perception of love and the aftermath of when it is lost, how it can be overflowing with friends, rich in adventure, wine, and growth.
it changed my perception of how far a person can go and keep going, how they can change lives and inspire and not even know it.
it changed my perception of what it means to rise above and make every moment matter that much more, and when those moments have passed you by, you plan to make more.
and it changed what a year means to me. it can be filled with sadness and heartache. it can be spent working too much and relaxing too little. it can be full of disappointments or it can be full of joy and success.
a year is a milestone of where you choose to go next, it's not just about where you've been.
and my friend,
your year was much more than 365 days, it was the #yearofkelsey and it changed a piece of me.
may your future adventures continue to change the hearts of those in your path.
"Promise me you'll always
remember:
you're braver than you believe
and stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you
think."
-A.A.Milne
