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For 2017


Well a new day has dawned. I am coming fresh off a birthday and a good year. But I am still very attached to 2016 and hadn’t been quite ready to give it up yet. I feared a change in the year may lead to a reversal of fortune.

This past year was a banner year not just for me but also for my blog. I hit a record of one hundred and twelve posts! That is forty-three more than in 2015, seventy-one more than in 2014, seventy-two more than 2013, fifty-two more than in 2012, and forty-one more than 2011.


I probably could have written even more but there were weeks where my migraines took me out of commission. I had much more I wanted to write the last few weeks of the year but simply ran out of time and I don’t like rushing. There is a difference between writing under pressure and rushing which can lead to a post that doesn’t surpass my expectations.


All of this writing leads to a satisfaction and confidence boost in my abilities. It makes me want to work even harder to produce blogs that are beneficial to those who are reading them and want to also participate in some of the very same activities. I also want the words on the page to be an asset in some way for at least someone.

Aside from the amount of work that was created in 2016 there was also a rise in readership. I am proud to say that most blogs hit readers in the three digits within a few weeks of the original posting. By far my most popular blog has been; “For Find Out Friday Week 11- Origin of the Phrase Silver Lining” (http://bit.ly/2irbyOY) with a total of seven hundred and nine views, as of today. I am proud to have struck such a large cord and hope to create additional specialized weekly and/or monthly series that readers can tune into.


As for me, I am in a positive headspace. I have decided to see 2017 as an even better year for me than 2016 building on the progress that I have already made. After all seventeen is my lucky number as well as the date of my birth. The lessons and experiences from the past year showed me that I am my own best friend, consoler, companion, soul mate, and the list goes on. I have only recently realized how lucky I am that I found all I am looking for within myself. That ability ensures I will never miss out on something I believe has value in doing because I could never disappoint my biggest fan, me.

New York Magazine recently featured posted an article featuring the research done in the 1960s by George Ainslie.

In part Ainslie established:

“We know the sorts of choices we ought to make, and we earnestly intend to make them, but when the time comes, we don’t. We want to lose weight, but we eat a sundae. We want to get in shape, but we sit on the couch. We want to save money, but we buy a plane ticket to Italy…. It’s between a moment of indulgence right now versus many years spent enjoying a successful career.”
Despite who we have in our lives we are all essential on our own anyways. We, as individuals, go through from birth until our death as one. You can have a big family, a spouse, children, but no one shares your entire life moment to moment with you. The company you keep in many ways is an illusion. Sadly we never know when or are ready to loose someone we treasure, we need to be able to go on no matter if we want to continue living. We all have to function as a single unit. I see all of this as a plus.

The fact that I can enjoy my own company and rely on myself no matter what happens has only made me a stronger, more stable soul. I know I can take care of myself mind, body, and soul. Eventually I figure out how to deal with whatever comes my way and I find great comfort in that. Not having to dependent on anyone else for my happiness means that I get to choose to be happy in some way everyday. 


There is a special power that comes with knowing you can deal what comes your way. It also is a great skill for helping those around you.

I have learned who I am, accepted who I am, and love myself unconditionally. It sounds easier than it is. It has taken me thirty-five years to get to this place.

I have worked through the problems of youth like beauty, weight, and self-worth. Additionally for me, there was also the matter of a chronic illness. I have accepted this is the way my life is as well as suppose to be. 

However there is still more for me to learn in order to become who I will be. I am excited to meet that woman who will contribute something worth wild to the world no matter the struggles I am destined to overcome.


I am proud of the work I have done on myself and will continue to do but am happy to have the bulk of this part done.

I can be a realist and at the same time be open that faith will guide me in the right direction.

This is where I am today. Willing to work towards what I can do, what I will do, and what I want to do. I am moving ahead with myself a priority. I want to travel to new places, I want to taste new cuisines, I want to breathe in the air of a new me; a me that writes, reads, and moves as only I can. I want to break away from the binds that hold me down once and for all.

So here I am 2017. I am ready, willing, and able. Bring it on!

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