Day 4 (journaling prompt challenge): 2018, thank you

Day 4

Happiness is letting go of what you assume your life is supposed to be like right now, and sincerely appreciating it for everything that it is.  So, RELAX.  You are enough.  You have enough.  You do enough.  Breathe deep… let go, and just live right now in the moment.

What do you appreciate most about your life right now?  Why?

With 2018 ending, this is a rather appropriate prompt. I want to reflect on all that has happened and all that has changed for this 365-day cycle. There's been a lot. I appreciate the most the people in my life. My loving and supportive friends, my saint-like parents for all that they are and all that they do, my crazy and dramatic family, the good hearted people I work with that make me laugh every day.

There's been a lot of changes and lessons I've learned along the way. How to not take life so seriously. How to just sit back and let people surprise you. I have this habit of being stubbornly independent to a fault, but I'm grateful this year how to trust others to follow through. To understand how to hold your expectations and know that you're not alone.

I've learned how to trust the process. How making mistakes is pivotal in your ability to learn and how pain is imperative to your growth. How life isn't fair when unfortunate circumstances occur, but how we move from it makes us stronger and closer to the ones who are there to support us through it. How there's more to a fulfilling career than just work, how travel has only brought me closer to home, and how beautiful the world can be amidst the ugly.

As I sit in my friend's cabana in Valdivia, Chile, I am scrolling through the pictures on my phone and the memories in my mind and feel cathartic and grateful for this year. I may not have achieved every goal on my list, but I have gained more than I have imagined.

Here are some of my favorite memories from 2018:

 

 Besides partaking in a lot of food (especially hot pot and McDonald's) and gaining frequent flyer miles, 2018 has been filled with quality time with quality people. I don't believe in the singularity of a single soul, and I'm grateful to have people in my life who inspire creativity, free spirited energy, a love of life, compassion, forgiveness, hard work, humor, kindness, and some savagery that's hard to beat. The ones who keep me grounded, as well as the people who push me out of the comfort zone. The ones where we can discuss where our careers will go as well as whether or not Cardi B should take Offset back. The ones who can go for a wild night out and those who can appreciate napping 19 hours of the day. The ones who worry for me while hiking in high altitude and the ones who trust my instincts and value my input. The ones who can appreciate a blinding highlight and a bargain hunt. 

Ya'll are the real MVPs.

If there's anything I've learned about life, it's that as you grow, you either grow with people, or you grow apart. So for all of you who have stayed with me through 2018, I want to thank you. Among the things I appreciate the most in my life, I love the people in my life the most.

So thank you, again. Let's continue to make more memories together :)

I'm ready to embrace 2019 with open arms.

Happy New Year everyone!

thank you, next

-Chelle