Isn’t there something so very exciting about beginning a new year? This New Year is especially welcome considering last year was very life changing for me. I ended a 12-year marriage, moved, changed positions at my job and tried my best to make all these changes less noticeable to my daughter. Luckily, she is three, so her memory of 2010 will be fuzzy at best in years to come. I am very grateful for this. I was determined to make every transition as easy on her as I possibly could, which can be challenging, even at three. A three-year-old doesn’t necessarily understand, but still senses pain in adults, so when I was at my worst, I still had to try and be as positive as possible (sometimes not as easy as I hoped). I am fortunate that my parents let us stay with them during this time, and it has been a blessing to see my parents and daughter bond.

This past year also taught me many life lessons:

1. Work-life balance. Will the world end if I don’t check my work e-mail at home? I am happy to report that no, it did not. This is a bad habit that I have stopped, and my life is much better because of it. Working moms have very limited time with their child(ren), and we have to make the best of it. 

2. Each day matters. In the past, I have been guilty of wishing time away to get to the next weekend, vacation, etc. When a friend of mine passed away suddenly, that was a good reminder to never take any day for granted. 

3. Who my friends really are. When going through several difficult situations, (both professionally and personally), I learned (the hard way, of course) who I can trust and not. I think this happens during any difficult situation you face, but this lesson was a very hard one to swallow this time around, repeatedly, in one year. On a positive note, the ones I learned I can count on made my life a better place to be, and I am eternally grateful. 

4. I am much stronger than I think. I have had a rough past two years and all the while, I felt I was not strong enough to handle any of it. The truth is, I did handle it, and I am a much stronger person because of it. This strength will serve me well in years to come. I thank those who made me stronger, even though I was not looking to become so at the time.

With all that said, 2010 was truly exhausting for me. I am very excited about the New Year, the new decade and all the possibilities that are in front of me. I am so blessed to have the friends, family and of course, my sweet little girl that keeps my life so joyful.

I wish you all a Happy and Blessed New Year!