2016

#BestNine has been trending on social media the past week few weeks. I did one but decided that I needed a blog post dedicated to it.

Not sure if you noticed a recurring theme (spoiler alert: it's my mom). 2016 was my first full calendar year without her (January 1st - December 31st). In 2015 I had her for almost 3 months. I spent the remaining 9 months wandering. Wandering in sorrow, depression, hopelessness, among other things. I remember how I felt January 1st of 2016. I vividly remember taking a deep breath and taking my first step toward a full calendar year without her. 

2016 brought about a lot of changes. Most notably my move to Nashville. A move that I still stand firmly by today. This city has given me a lot of insight into who I am. It has also given me insight into the world. I've met some interesting people. I've watched and learned from these people. I've learned from my own experiences, too. I strongly believe that when I look back on this move 50 years from now, I'll be grateful I did it. 

My mom was at the center of my 2016 #BestNine. She'll always be at my center. She will always be what grounds me. While I spent 2016 discovering who I am, I will spend 2017 making decisions. That sounds like an "all work, no play" kind of plan, but it's not. Not in the least. I've been able to float a bit this past year. I consider floating to be like rolling with the punches. Something I will continue to do, but the decision making will come into play. I need to decide what I'm going to do. What do I want? How can I actually help others? Where can my gifts be used to benefit others? The community? The world? All big decisions that will not be decided in a week, but WILL be decided in 2017. Also, at my center, I need more Jesus. I have not been actively ignoring Him. I still believe I have a relationship with Him. However, I have not been feeding it. I have not been nourishing it. That needs to be a priority. 

2016 felt like a recovery year. A lot of things happened in years past, and I needed to mend. I needed to move forward in a way that I could heal. I'm not 100%. Or maybe I'm just a different 100%. I have good days and bad days (like everyone does), but life does look a lot different. In a good (sometimes challenging) way. 2017 is going to be a decision year. It's going to be challenging, but I'm going to make it fun.

You know, some people will say they had a bad year. And maybe they did. Who I am I to judge YOUR year? As for me, I like to think that if out of 365 days I had 100 bad days that just means I had 265 good days. Hell, even if I had 182 bad days I still would get 183 good days, and that counts for something. 

So moving on to 2017. A little more Jesus, a lot less me, and some decisions. 

*Shoutout to Adele for making my #BestNine. Your concert was magical!