Moving for me is bitter-sweet. I HATE packing and having to move everything (especially when you are moving out of a 3rd floor apartment) but I love unpacking and getting to start over decorating in a new space. It brings fun new ideas and inspiration. I love change overall because usually change is good for you and the end result is worth all the muck you have to go through to get there. I have learned a lot in the past year because it has truly changed me. It was a year's worth of muck that I had to get through and out if the 12 months living with 4 other girls, collectively there may have been a month of peace... that might be stretching it though. However, given all of drama that I have gone through, I am grateful for it, and surprisingly wouldn't change any of it. Even when some of the problems stemmed from mistakes I made, I still learned from them, and most importantly, learned to admit that I was wrong and how I can do better. Now I am not saying that I would ever seek out a situation like that again, just because it made me a better person... seriously who seeks out trials... I guess you could say that I am not grateful for all the times where I felt like strangling someone or jumping off a bridge, BUT I am grateful that in spite of all the things that caused me to feel that stressed, I survived, and came out on top. To sum up my year and things I learned:
-I made some friends
-found out that people I thought were friends weren't really
-lost those new friends I made
-found out that people I thought weren't my friends really were
-made even more new friends and kept them
-learned to be calm in the midst of a storm
-learned how to do dishes and not be sick to my stomach
-learned that it saves electricity to just hand wash dishes and skip the dishwasher.
-I shouldn't go to places I like to shop when I don't have money to spend, even if I am "just looking"
-girlfriends will always come before boyfriends from now on.
-I don't need anyone "to step out of the darkness and change my life" (Anna Quindlen)
-"I'd rather be working for a paycheck then waiting to win the lottery" (bright eyes, first day of my life) -that principle applies in almost all areas of life
-It really is easier to be calm when someone is screaming at you, than to lose control and scream back.
-Reading scriptures and praying everyday IS easier than not doing it.
-Paying tithing IS easier than not doing it.
-Eating healthy and exercising IS easier than not doing it.
-Saving money IS easier than spending it.
There are a ton of lessons I have learned that I can't ever begin to write them all but I am grateful for the time I have had to learn these things, and I am grateful for the strength Heavenly Father has given me to take my trials and learn from them. I am grateful he has shown me the person that I can become, and that he has also shown me the person I was and how much I have grown.
Life is a process, there really are no "fresh starts." You can't run away from your problems. They follow you. Every time. You can't "start over" somewhere new, because then you would just be back tracking. Each new situation in life is a simply a step up and another opportunity to learn more than you thought you needed to know. Welcome those lessons and that knowledge that will come from it. Life is Beautiful, even when it is a little messy, because the mess is what makes it beautiful.
My quote of the day- "Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." -unknown.
ATTENTION EVERYONE: this fantastic wonderful woman is my daughter....I am so proud of you Kaitlyn. You really have learned and gained perspective this past year. I would take upon myself all the hurt and pain you have been through if I could have! I love you so much! Keep on that positive path you are headed down. Expect more boulders, just remember you have the tools to get around them. Rock on baby girl!!!!
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