The past 12 months have been a whirlwind of experiences. I have conquered fears, achieved goals, and found out things about myself I never knew. But just like anyone else, everything was not all roses, sparkles and fairy dust. There are many things I still haven’t changed. There have been missed opportunities, and unsatisfactory situations. Pitfalls. Road blocks. Rabid monkeys. But most importantly I have grown as a person, and although life is not perfect (but really, when is it?), it has been an exciting almost magical adventure. And every day I learn to live it more fully.

Here are some notable 2009 events.

The greatest of ease
In May, I performed for the first time ever as a (fledgling) circus performer. In retrospect, it was not a big deal. It was a showcase at PSCA. Pretty much a recital for adults. My friends and family came to see me. I didn’t fall. All in all, a great success. However, at the time it was a big deal to me. I had serious stage fright and the thought of anybody watching me do anything would give me sweaty palms and make me shake. I would get nervous practicing in front of my class, which consisted of 5 people. At the showcase I performed in front of about 80 people, twice.  Ever since that night my performance anxiety has significantly decreased.  I feel more confident in class. I haven’t performed since then, but I have a feeling it will be MUCH better the next time around.

Performing in May

My mostly green thumb
May was the most notable month of the year. Not only did I perform for the first time, I moved into a large house on a dead end street in the burbs. And with this house came a garden. More like a series of gardens. A large one in the backyard, two on the side, and two up front. Planted throughout said gardens were rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, mint, lemon balm, eucalyptus, lavender, and a peach tree. It is very likely that there were many other things planted in the yard that I couldn’t identify and as a result, I soullessly ripped them from the earth.  Being completely out of my element, I consulted my two favorite resources: Google and my Mom. With their help I successfully cultivated a thriving garden all summer long resulting in a harvest of squash, tomatoes, cucumber, jalepenos, sweet potatoes and the aforementioned herbs. The whole experience was rewarding and delicious, but EGADS the mosquitoes!

My Little Garden Friend

Cohabitating
When I moved into this large house in May, I was not alone. I moved in with my long term boyfriend. After being virtually an only child (my siblings are 10+ years older than me), and then living alone for 3 years, I was sure it would probably result in a colossal failure. Thankfully, the bf and I are both solitary creatures by nature, so we mind our own corners of the house and keep things tidy. In turn, it all works out and fights are basically non-existent. I couldn’t have asked for a better roomie!

Reading & Writing
2009 was most definitely a year of words. I consumed books like a ravenous animal. (Favorite book I read this year = The Wind Up Bird Chronicle.) I read fairytales, biographies, sci-fi, spiritual, history, poetry, short stories.  I think I currently might regularly read every single blog contained within the internet. Pretty sure Google Reader might explode sometime soon.
On top of reading I have been writing much more. Actually, this year I have composed more sentences than I have in about 10 years. I used to be an avid writer. Mostly of poetry and short stories. I’m not saying I was talented or anything, but I did it. Now I am back(!), and ready to take on the blogiverse.  In 09 I have written personal pieces, and posts here and on my other blog, mostly in the later half of the year. But watch out 2010, once I figure out the basics of grammar and sentence structure I am going to assault you with my lyrical prose!

Launches and Relaunches
In July, I relaunched Chicvegan.com with a fancy new design and some pretty good content. My reader base has grown and I’m trying to make a difference within and beyond the vegan community.  Then in September I launched this here gem, unsure of what to do with it.  After attempts at a few things I decided to make it my own personal blog, because I needed that sort of thing. I wanted to devote most of my marketing/networking time to Chic Vegan, but needed an outlet for the rest of my insanity. So here she is! This will probably be the official blog for my portfolio, once that atrocity is relaunched.

Doing Nothing
This year I did a lot of nothing. I didn’t go out and socialize much. I didn’t travel. I mostly focused inward and on the things laying in front of my face. I’m not sure if this is a positive thing or not, but I do feel refreshed as if I have just come out of hibernation.

2010 in preview

My 30 things before 30 list pretty much covers all of the goals I want to achieve in the next few years. However I do want to establish and change some habits.

Stretch
I want to stretch every. single. day. No excuses. Every day. Stretch. I won’t get into the logistics of it here because I doubt it is exciting to anyone but me.

Meditate
This is my third year attempting this habit. I want to meditate everyday for 20 minutes. (*bonus: If I have yoga I can get this and stretching out of the way in one shot. sweet!)

Eat Better
Admittedly, I eat pretty damn well. I am currently vegan and (unsuccessfully) trying to cut out gluten due to health issues. I want to cut out refined sugars and processed things too. I want to eat more raw. Don’t worry, I will still have plenty of (protein and nutrient rich) things to eat. I don’t have “food issues” I just don’t like to eat crap that causes disease and discontent.

Develop Better Relationships
I’m an antisocial loner by nature. All of my life I have tried to fight this constant desire to be alone. Unfortunately, in the past few years I have come to nurture and embrace it. Honestly, I’m only about 2 years away from being the weird lady with the overgrown lawn, 58 cats and trash bags on her windows.  In recent years I have made it a point to cut people out of my life that were creating negative energy and drama. While doing that I managed to avoid communication with a lot of other people. Some who meant very much to me.  If they will allow it, this year I would like to win them back. While I’m at it I would like to turn my awesome acquaintances into good friends, and develop new and beautiful relationships. I also have to reckon with some very close relationships and decide if they are worth saving. Yay life!

Write Everyday
In the past few months (ok, maybe just the past month) I’ve been doing really good with this. I would like to be able to write for at least 2 hours every day. It can be anything from emails to blog posts to gospels. Whatever.

Nurture my creativity
I started carrying around an “idea notebook” that I write all my random thoughts and ideas in. My excuse has always been that I “don’t have the time” to be creative because I am doing all of these other things I hate anyway. What nonsense.  I want to think more openly and spend more time creating beautiful things this year.

Make a Difference
Most importantly, I want to do something to make a difference. Maybe not to the whole world, but at least some people. I’m still not sure of the Plan Of Action here. Volunteer? Invent something? Provide  a Service? I guess that is where creativity comes into play.