It's official: 2010 is my new best friend

Yes, it's only January, but I have come to the realization that 2010 is my newest best bud. Why, you ask? Well the last 30 days have been quite a transformation (...a very necessary one, I might add).

I was smart enough to take a solo vacation over the holiday, enjoying a week to myself to read, reflect, sleep, hike and repeat. This is a picture of the path from my cottage (and back to myself really). Not a difficult place to be when you need some time to be one your own.

I knew I was overwhelmed and downright exhausted from the past year but I didn't realize how burnt out I was until I got away to unwind and unravel it all. I think I wrote more in those 7 days than I did all 365 of the last year. God, what a gift to be able to step away and check out (or, more accurately, check in with myself) before starting a new year.

The moment I got home, a number of things began to shift:

* No longer did I feel the need to kill someone (well, at least it wasn't my first thought when someone pissed me off...that's progress, no?);

* I came back to work refreshed and completely re-energized. I might even go so far as to say I have been excited about work;

* I enrolled in and started a unique photography and creative writing course that I am loving (check it out at www.susannahconway.com);

* I got back in the gym and started running again (sadly, I am also pretty sure I have had more exercise in the past month versus the entire past year);

* I took an Executive Finance course that just about did me in...but didn't thanks in part to a new friend who helped make it a rather enjoyable experience;

* And rather than giving up wine altogether (who does that?), I've decided rather to only really enjoy it while in the company of others (I figure it's a step in the right direction anyway).

The last 30 days have been a welcome change in my world but a change that I don't think would have been possible without the 365 that came before them. There is much benefit in moving through the dark days to appreciate all the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Cliche, yes. True, absolutely. I've proved this to myself countless times over the years and yet the power in it still never ceases to amaze me.

So, with that, I wish a big 'G' Goodbye to 2009, and a warm hello to 2010. Hoping you all are primed and ready for a new path, new opportunities, and the new adventures to come.

Sonja