Happy New Year!
This is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts, and goals. I make goals, not resolutions. This year, I’m setting a big goal for myself. I plan to publish a book in 2021. Maybe even two.
Both books are written. I’m going through the editing stage with them now. I strive for perfection, which is why they are not already available for the world to enjoy. Perfection is unattainable and unrealistic. I’ve decided one more edit, and I’m releasing the work of my heart into the universe.
Learning to take chances is difficult. Some work out, while others don’t. The only way to know is to try. I took a big chance 22 years ago today, the day I met the man who has been my husband for over 21 years.
I’ve posted this story, a piece of my personal fairytale, before, but I’m posting it again because I love telling it.
At my best friend’s New Year’s Eve party, we celebrated with foosball, darts, movies, and great friends. When the clock struck midnight, everyone wished each other Happy New Year. The optimism for things to come was palpable.
After the hollering and toasting quieted down, my friend handed each of us a tiny spoonful of black-eyed peas and insisted we eat them for good luck. Legumes eaten, we all stood in a circle in her kitchen and announced some problem or vice we were letting go and something we hoped to achieve in the coming year.
I told my friends that I hoped to achieve true happiness. I was taking charge of my life. I was prepared to embrace joy with or without a significant other. I explained that I’d just met someone, but whether or not things worked out, I’d be just fine.
The tall red-headed man I’d met earlier that day was different from anyone I’d ever dated. He liked to play video games in his spare time, listened to heavy metal music, and watched South Park. He was also divorced with two young kids who lived with him.
While I’d given him my phone number, I didn’t expect a long-term relationship with him. I figured we’d go out and have some fun. Perhaps we’d get together once in a while for dinner and a movie. I certainly couldn’t have predicted what happened.
We had our first date on January 2, 1999. By the time our second date was finished, I knew I was going to marry the man. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were engaged on Valentine’s Day and married in October. As of today, I’ve been with my husband for 22 years. It doesn’t seem possible that so much time as passed.
1999 was full of new beginnings for me. I became a wife and step-mom. I changed jobs, leaving an industry in which I’d worked for nearly ten years. I put my old life behind me and concentrated on my new one.
As I did with 1999, I will be putting 2020 behind me and looking to 2021 as a year of possibilities. I’m taking a leap of faith every once in a while. I’ll look to the future, not the past. I shall embrace happiness where I find it and be open to new beginnings.
May 2021 bring you new beginnings and wondrous possibilities. Happy New Year, my friends!
I am an Amazon Associate. As such, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through my affiliate links.
Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and joy, please subscribe to Ozarks Maven, Like Ozarks Maven on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @OzarksMaven.
Comments