First of all, Happy New Year Everyone! May good luck and fortune find you all this year!

I find the start of a new a year is always a good time to reflect, to recognize the good and the bad, and to use your growth and knowledge from a year of experience to decide how to best move forward. Last year was a whirlwind of a year at our house, with some rather extreme ups and downs. Most of all, it felt like a very long, very full year, which is good, in at least some ways

Sitting on our roof watching fireworks a year ago, I made myself a large list of personal goals. I don’t remember what they all were (I’m going to actually write my resolutions down this year), but I remember thinking only half way through the year that I had already accomplished most of them. While this provided a temporary boost to my confidence and self-esteem, in focusing on myself I feel like I distanced myself from so many people and in turn also partially severed myself from other commitments, and most importantly, my emotions. I disappeared from social media, didn’t plan outings with local friends, missed a lot of other local social events, and barely saw or spoke to some people that I used to see regularly.

So, while I do want to continue striving for a better me, this year I want to reconnect with many people who I feel like I’ve ignored, form even stronger bonds with my close friends, let my emotions take a more commanding role, and try to be better at making and keeping commitments. I want to try new things, go to new places, and have more adventures that I can share with my friends.

The composer Hans Zimmer once said, “What’s the point of getting up in the morning unless you’re going to have an adventure? As the moments of our life are ticking away you have to be aware that it needs to be an adventure.”

So here’s to a 2018 full of friends and adventure!