Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)
If I could sum up 2010 in one word, it would be overwhelming. After slipping into a dormant state since graduating from college a mere six months prior to the beginning of the New Year, life kicked into high gear. I kicked the year off with an entry-level position at a Fortune 500 Company and a brand new car. Shortly after that, I moved out of my childhood home and into a cozy apartment more than twenty miles away. It was all very exciting until the harsh realities, and high cost, of adulthood set in.
I had a hard time adjusting to adulthood. I saw many of the comforts that I took for granted, like a home cooked meal, cable television and extra pocket money disappear. I was constantly debating with myself; should I buy a new outfit for the party this weekend or should I finally pay my electric bill? Should I spent forty dollars on dinner and drinks with my friends tonight or should I spend forty dollars at the grocery store so that I will have enough food to last until my next paycheck? I didn’t always make the right choice and often found myself drowning with worry without the financial safety net of my parents or a healthy savings account.
Adding to my stress was another failed relationship. I had allowed myself to be taken advantage of by a man whose outward beauty was a stark contrast to his ugly personality. As hard a lesson as it was to learn, it was equally hard for me to let him go. Now that I’m in a new, much healthier and much happier relationship, I find myself a little overwhelmed with the idea that at twenty-three, our premature conversations about marriage could very well become a reality sooner than later.
One year from now, in 2011, I would like to describe the year as comfortable. Within the year, I will have fallen into a comfortable routine: scheduling my days so that I may learn to manage my time better, budgeting my finances so that I may avoid the pinch of an overextended budget and growing into my relationship so that I can truly enjoy myself and him, because we deserve all the best that we have to offer to each other.
I should clarify that by comfortable, I do not mean boring! I want to be comfortable enough to make plans with or without the company of my friends. I want to be comfortable enough to break old habits and start new trends. I want to be as comfortable in a pair of high heels as I am in my favorite pair of sweatpants.
Sweatpants. Yeah, that’s my kind of comfortable.
Your turn!
This was a very well written post. After reading this post, along with your last, I can honestly say that you have grown. It’s always refreshing to see and I think that’s why I blog as well. Keep up the good work!