Reflections on Winter Solstice

As I sit here in my room with my brand new computer on one of the shortest days of the year/longest nights of the year, I think it is perfect time for me to start reflecting on the year that was 2011.

This year for me has been a whirlwind. From traveling to three new states, to attending a lot of sporting events, to reading books, to making YouTube videos and posting photos, to writing in this blog and in my own journal, to opening up my heart to others, to discovering radical self love, and learning to just be. This year has also had a bunch of lows -- from losing friendships, deaths, my dog Sweetums getting sick, to experience loneliness hardcore, to my computer of 6 years finally going kaput (thus getting this awesome MacBook Air!), and my grade assignment being changed for the 8th time in my 8 years at the school i teach at.

But what has this year truly taught me? Time to make a list!

2011 has taught me:

~~That everyone will not like me.
~~That your own company/time with yourself is a special gift.
~~To have a creative imagination
~~That sometimes a hug can really cure all.
~~That sometimes stuff happens that you simply can not control.
~~That not everyone will enjoy your humour or style and that is okay.
~~That i have a pretty good core bunch of people to bounce ideas off of.
~~That my body is a temple and i should treat it as such, even if i detour that path sometimes.
~~That purple Converse sneakers are my favorite mode of transportation.
~~That my love life is still stable and passionate, even though David sometimes drives me batty!
~~That no challenge or risk is too big for me to handle. If I could not handle it, it would not appear!
~~That just listening is a cure all.
~~That I need to slow down in my life and just enjoy the stillness.
~~That i learned the difference between the word friend and the word acquaintance.
~~That it is perfectly okay to say no
~~That it is perfectly okay to be a little bit selfish.
~~That carrying a bubble gun in your purse and shooting it is one of life's simple pleasures.

So I will conclude you with this:

Today is the darkest day AND the beginning of days getting longer.
The darkest day turns into more light.
Dark being about reflecting on what has been this year.
The light opening up to what's to come.

What will your 2012 look like? Next week will be my annual Dani Goals List!

Thanks to Charade Style for the awesome graphic!