2010: A Year in Review

2010 was a year that went by so fast, I can scarcely believe that it is over.  I started the year pregnant, ended the year with a new baby girl and along the way lost my grandmother, grew closer to my late mother  and opened up to possibilities I am just starting to comprehend.

Most of my biggest changes and events are related to our beautiful 7 month old daughter, aka Pudge. I can honestly say I have learned more about life in the past 7 months than I have learned in my entire 41 years.

Starting with....

1) The love and happiness I thought I had lost with the death of my mother, has always been with me and was just waiting for someone to help bring it back to the surface.

2) When you treat your body with kindness, love, good food and exercise it can produce results you never dreamed possible. (Pregnancy food aversions allowed me to stop eating sweets for 7 months and a desire for a healthy pregnancy turned me on to healthy eating.  The result I lost more than 20 pounds while pregnant and nourished the most amazing little being.

3) We really do create our own realities.  And now that I understand this, I intend to get out my purple crayon and draw the most awesome reality I can imagine.

4) Life is all about how we view it... Everything I thought was an obligation, is really a privilege or something to be grateful for....  (EXAMPLE: I miss my mother by I am so lucky to have had her as my mom.  I dislike leaving my daughter to go to work, but I am so grateful to have a good job with health insurance. I miss sleeping through the night, but getting up to nurse and change my daughter is an honor I would not trade for anything...)

5) My daughter laughs when she sneezes... somewhere in this simple silly action is the secret to a happy life.

So bring it on 2011... I have no idea where I am going, but for the first time I know:

• EVERYTHING is possible
• Love instead of sorrow for those I have lost
• Sometimes happiness is messy, sticky and smells like baby vomit, but every moment of it should be savored and enjoyed!
• Being kind to yourself is the first step to being kind to others
• Now is more important than the past or the future
• Life is good and I am truly blessed

I wish all of you a Happy New Year, may it be filled with Love, Happiness, Joy and Endless Possibilities.