Goodbye 2010

When I think back over 2010, I am amazed and grateful.  It was quite an eventful year for me and many around me.  There were extreme highs and lows, parties and funerals, busy times and lazy times, and of course job changes and new opportunities.  So what have I learned in 2010? 

1.  Life goes faster every year.  I'm not sure how 365 days can fly by more quickly than years past, but it does.  Sometimes I'm grateful, sometimes I'm fearful.

2.  Family is important.  Traditions are the foundation to life.  I take my family for granted - that they'll always be there when I need them.  I try not to be a bother most of the time, but sometimes I need help moving something heavy or remodeling or just some company doing mundane tasks.  It's funny how a pronouncement of life expectancy can jolt one into the reality that we won't have our family members on earth with us forever.

3.  Friends are necessary.  When I get down or blue, I retreat away from people when I need them the most.  I'm grateful for those few close friends who encourage me, slap me back to reality, and teach me more than I can learn on my own.

4.  Work is work, but life is life.  Work is just a job - there is more to life than work.  Serving others is where true happiness is derived. 

5.  When I do the things I'm supposed to be doing, I am happier.  When I am avoiding doing those simple things, I am less able to cope with the trials given me to strengthen me.  This is a cyclical pattern I seem to get caught up in.   This includes working out and all the sunday school answers!

Well, that's what's running through my mind tonight as I get ready to go back to work - that wonderful place that I'm supposed to be at to learn new things about myself, my trade, and others.  I will struggle my way into knowing where I belong there and what I can offer that staff and those students.  I'm not to the point where I feel like I can call them mine/ours yet - I'm still an outsider, in my opinion.  But I am determined to find someone to affect/serve every day until I feel like I'm a contributing part.  I'm so grateful to be there and for the different atmosphere (more positive) than where I came from.  I still miss my friends at Priest and wonder how my kiddos are doing there, but I do not miss that atmosphere.  The longer I'm away, the more clear my understanding is of what it was like there.    OK, now I'm just rambling.  It's getting late.

Some GOALS for 2011
1.  Become a gym-rat again to prepare/train for the big hike in June
2.  Hike the 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Pichu in Peru successfully
3.  Cook at least 3x a week at night - try new recipes 
4.  Serve someone every day ("Have I done any good in the world today?")
5.  Show more patience with myself and more gratitude
6.  Study my scriptures more regularly - keep up with the SS lessons
7.  Spend more time with my family
8.  Journal more regularly (blog or other)
9.  Less TV, more reading
10. Be a better friend