What Have I Learned
Jan. 1st, 2010 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyspriteSo. A new year, new hope, new expectations. With any luck, this one will be better than the last.
I've never been one for making resolutions; I've found it works a lot better to just find things and work towards them as they come, rather than trying to plan out the year in advance. One thing I have found that I like to do, though, at the end of each year, is look back and realize what I've learned over the past year. It's a tradition that a dear friend taught me, and one that has become very important to me.
So what have I learned from 2009? Let's see....
I learned how to poach an egg.
I learned that I own way too many cookbooks.
I learned a lot more than I realized about middle eastern dance, from belly rolls and shoulder shimmies to dancing with a sword on my head.
I started learning tap dancing.
I learned just how strong my commitment to being childfree is.
I learned what laparoscopic surgery feels like, and that I really am just that sensitive to anesthetics.
I learned that it's possible for me to find Elizabethan garb that doesn't make me look like a Barbie cake.
I learned that having a speaking role in a play is a hell of a lot of fun.
I learned that we have arteries in our foreheads.
I learned a whole bunch about the way the inside of my head works.
I learned what it feels like to get a tattoo, and that I kind of like it.
I learned that my sister is really a pretty awesome person.
I learned that I am a better cook than my mother.
I learned that my marriage is stronger than the recession.
I learned how to make a bracelet.
I learned how to submit a story for publication.
I learned that, no matter what lessons you learn, it's even more important to remember them.
I learned - or started to learn - that most of the time, when I have the courage to reach out to people, they're more than happy to be reached out to.
I learned that I like peas, as long as they're fresh from my garden.
I learned to love cardio kickboxing, hand weights, and working out until I feel shivery.
I learned more about how to swing dance.
I learned that my most valuable skill at work is my compassion.
I learned how to make ponytail falls.
This year has mostly been about getting to know myself, and, if this makes any sense, becoming more myself. I've been focusing more on my mental and emotional state than my professional growth, and... I think that's okay. I spent so many years becoming and growing as a veterinarian - I'm still doing that, but I think for a while I forgot about the rest of me in the process.
I have no idea what this next year will bring.
So, what did you learn from 2009?
I've never been one for making resolutions; I've found it works a lot better to just find things and work towards them as they come, rather than trying to plan out the year in advance. One thing I have found that I like to do, though, at the end of each year, is look back and realize what I've learned over the past year. It's a tradition that a dear friend taught me, and one that has become very important to me.
So what have I learned from 2009? Let's see....
I learned how to poach an egg.
I learned that I own way too many cookbooks.
I learned a lot more than I realized about middle eastern dance, from belly rolls and shoulder shimmies to dancing with a sword on my head.
I started learning tap dancing.
I learned just how strong my commitment to being childfree is.
I learned what laparoscopic surgery feels like, and that I really am just that sensitive to anesthetics.
I learned that it's possible for me to find Elizabethan garb that doesn't make me look like a Barbie cake.
I learned that having a speaking role in a play is a hell of a lot of fun.
I learned that we have arteries in our foreheads.
I learned a whole bunch about the way the inside of my head works.
I learned what it feels like to get a tattoo, and that I kind of like it.
I learned that my sister is really a pretty awesome person.
I learned that I am a better cook than my mother.
I learned that my marriage is stronger than the recession.
I learned how to make a bracelet.
I learned how to submit a story for publication.
I learned that, no matter what lessons you learn, it's even more important to remember them.
I learned - or started to learn - that most of the time, when I have the courage to reach out to people, they're more than happy to be reached out to.
I learned that I like peas, as long as they're fresh from my garden.
I learned to love cardio kickboxing, hand weights, and working out until I feel shivery.
I learned more about how to swing dance.
I learned that my most valuable skill at work is my compassion.
I learned how to make ponytail falls.
This year has mostly been about getting to know myself, and, if this makes any sense, becoming more myself. I've been focusing more on my mental and emotional state than my professional growth, and... I think that's okay. I spent so many years becoming and growing as a veterinarian - I'm still doing that, but I think for a while I forgot about the rest of me in the process.
I have no idea what this next year will bring.
So, what did you learn from 2009?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-01-01 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-01 09:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-02 09:52 pm (UTC)I learned in 2009 that this applies to getting a job as well.
I learned that it's possible to move on after getting your heart broken, though I have not yet learned how.
I learned that Final Fantasy VII really deserves its great reputation.
I learned that the people you have gamed with nearly every week for more than ten years aren't necessarily your friends.
I learned that sometimes they are.
I learned that the Constitution of the United States of America means less now, to fewer holders of public office, than ever before.
I learned how to live in a home that you can't afford to heat.
I learned that the emotional support of being praised for your fanfiction by strangers isn't much, but when it's all you've got it's better than nothing.
I learned not to leave presents for my mother under my brother's Christmas tree when his kids are going to be ripping open everything in sight before either of us gets there.
I learned to stop expecting anything good in my life, and to be grateful for whatever good comes, no matter how minor.
And I learned that having my friends post stuff about the good things in their lives actually helps me cope -- so don't stop, okay?
no subject
Date: 2010-01-04 02:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-06 07:50 pm (UTC)(There's a lot of corollary there, about needing to reduce my personal ego stake in projects and share them better. But I think the above is the important bit.)