Life Upside Down

I celebrated a new year this weekend. The big 26! 

Starting the year off right with some locally brewed Kombucha

I kept coming back to memories from a year ago. We had only been in Brisbane a few months and I knew virtually no one. It was fine, but it was weird feeling so detached from a place. 

This year was very different. From the very beginning right through to the very end, the day was filled with well-wishes from friends.

Another year of life, another year of exploration and ups and downs and a fair bit of uncertainty.

26 holds such promise. All in all, 2013 has been a mixed year. Brilliant highs mixed with devastating lows. I had bigger ambitions for 25. I was going to do more, be more. Life had other plans. I was going to run a half marathon, learn a new instrument, blog more, read more… be “more.” 

The excitement of further settling in Aus mixed with the constant pang of missing those back home, the task of living an adult life while maintaining joy. Learning how to be who I want and appreciate what I already have. Learning determination and patience and vulnerability. Challenges far bigger than running a half marathon or tackling Tolstoy.

26, though, looks like this:  Happier, healthier, stronger. New beginnings, a new job, new challenges with more promise.  25 was learning how to be vulnerable, I hope 26 will be learning how to build strength with flexibility.