What 36 Taught Me

36 was a weird but liberating year for me. It didn't start out great. The state was still in the thick of the "Stay at Home Order". Everything was closed down, and I didn't get to even go out to eat on my birthday. Thankfully I have some great people in my life who helped make that day feel extra special.

I've done a lot of evolving in the past year and have been discovering things along the way.

36 taught me that:

• I am strong. Even when I have doubted it. Even when I have spent days crying my eyes out. I rise back up and keep on going. 
• It's never too late to start over, and more importantly, it's OKAY to start over. I had to use a lot of my strength to come to terms with this. It was years in the making. It's okay to leave a situation that is affecting your mental and even physical health.
• I need to set boundaries and I need to stand up for things that I believe in. A friend of mine says, "Speak your truth", and it has really stuck with me. It's something that I need to work on. It's not easy...and I totally wimp out most of the time, but I will say that the times I've been brave enough to do it leaves me feeling proud and accomplished.
• It's okay to accept and ask for help sometimes. That's another thing that doesn't come easily for me, but it's a work in progress.
• Sometimes things don't go as you plan. (Okay...I didn't just learn that). As disheartening as that is though, it usually means that it's not God's plan or not quite His timing. As another friend says, "When things don't go the way we want them to, you have to pull up your bootstraps and press on".
• Home-schooling (aka distance learning) is NOT for me.
• Sometimes all I really need is a full gas tank and some great music to sing along to. Drives do my soul good.
• Self-care is important...and it's okay to go on vacation without your kids so you can actually relax.

I'm pretty proud of how far I've come. It was a roller coaster year of life. I'm talking days where I was beyond happy and days where I cried so many tears I literally dehydrated myself and made myself sick. I made it though! 

Here's to 37! Another year of highs and lows, but I've got this. (With God's help!) Bring on the new opportunities and new memories.