Buttons, Dashes, and Clouds

A Farewell & Thank You to 2010

2010 is going down in the books as the most difficult personal growth year of my life to date. On the light end there was the broken water main, a worn out clutch, sick cats and a slew of other headaches; on the heavier end of things a close family friend who had an aneurysm and a divorce I never saw coming.

My friend is on a trailblazing road to recovery and is a constant source of inspiration. A blessing and a curse, this crisis in particular helped me work through some of the cruft of the down times and gave me new perspective on life and my own personal struggles.

It never crossed my mind that I’d experience anything harder than having a baby at 15, but going through a divorce has proved far more difficult.

Being pregnant at 15 was tough, but I came out of it with a beautiful baby girl and a set of brand new eyes on the workings of life. When it comes down to it, the truly difficult things about being a teenage mom are how others around you view and react to your situation. There is no better training course on dismissing the misgivings of others.

Of course, I’ve dealt with more than enough of those misgivings going through a divorce, and I could go on forever about the negative aspects. However, I’m going to take a moment to enumerate all the good 2010 has brought me.

Friends. I have the best friends in the world. They’ve been there when I needed someone to talk to, when I just needed somewhere else to be, when my daughter needed to be picked up or dropped off when I was busy, or to just hold my hand and tell me I was doing a damn fine job in a difficult situation. My friends, both those I know in real life as well as those I know only virtually, have helped keep me sane and moving forward.

Family. We may not always agree, we might not always get along, but I know they love me and they’ve been extremely supportive and loving. This year, I had the best Christmas with my family I can recall. It was a wonderful experience all the way around.

My daughter. We are closer than we’ve ever been. We have our ups and downs, but together, we keep pushing on, fights, tears, laughter, love and all. She’s a constant inspiration and as we always say, “I love you beyond.”

I am fed, housed, loved, and have a job I absolutely I love.

I live in Asheville, NC—one of the most incredible places I’ve come across, with beauty inside and out, and an amazing community. I consider myself lucky to have found a place I not only call home, but feels like home.

2010 has been difficult, but I’m going to give myself a little more credit than I have been lately—as a friend recently encouraged me to do—and agree, in lieu of all the hard things I’ve been handed this year, I’m doing a damn fine job and have what it takes to tackle anything life sends my way.

So, thank you 2010, for all the lessons I’ve learned this year—for teaching me patience really is a virtue, friends and family are the most valuable assets we have, and there is always tomorrow.

Hello 2011.

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