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2017 in Review
7 years ago
Wow.
What a ride 2017 has been.
What an unexpected ride.
There's so much to say about what I experienced in 2017 that if I wrote it all out in detail this would be way too long, so I'll try to summarize. It'll still be long.
My year started off on a really high note. Started a 'thing' with a couple friends at the end of 2016 so my year started off on a New Relationship Energy high. It had been a long time since I felt such invigoration as my partner and I at the time had been together for 10 years. Nothing wrong about that length of time, but it does lend a sense of routine, so I was thankful for our open relationship so I might experience that exciting newness that comes with meeting others.
On the work side of my life however, things were going downhill. I was really unhappy with my job and my anxiety levels skyrocketed. I ended up making a really hard decision to take a step back and go part time. Not the best thing financially, but I had some savings to supplement it until I could find something else. It was absolutely the right decision for my mental health, however. After a month or so I was really noticing a change in me!
Things hadn't been going well with my partner at the time, and in the Spring I finally went to him about it. We mutually decided it was time to separate. We were each going in directions that neither of us could follow and even though it was hard to let go of that part of my life, it was inevitable at that point.
As the year went on things really took a turn. As to refrain from going into personal details, I had a rough couple of months with one of the friends mentioned above and we ultimately severed our friendship. This was a really hard thing for me as I really value friendships. However this person turned out to be a very different person than I thought they were from the outset. Our perspective on things conflict, and there is nothing I can do about it.
So to add to the confusion of this year - so many things being intensely negative and/or painful on one hand - on the other hand things were going really well in other areas. I was in love with someone I never expected to fall for. I was drowning in love and adventure.
Another perk from going part time was now I had SO MUCH FREE TIME!! I have worked a lot since I was a teen and couldn't remember any time since I started working that I had this much free time on my hands. I used it to do things I hadn't been able to do in a long time. Travel! I went on several road trips with my new love throughout the spring and summer visiting friends and stopping to see sights along the way. Such enriching experiences!
As the summer waned, I was starting to feel the impending financial pressure of my dwindling savings. I needed to start working full time again, but the though of going back to my current job for those hours crushed me. I felt stuck. I had been looking around and even traveled across the country for an interview earlier in the year, but I wasn't putting enough effort into it. I had to step it up.
In August I was offered a job! It was hard decision for me though as the job they offered required me to start the following week. Normal jobs that wouldn't be a huge deal, but this one would mean that in less than a week I would be leaving my home for a month for training. In that time I would somehow have to find a place to live in a new state and prepare for said move. It sounded incredibly stressful, and I am a person who likes to take time to do big things. They said if I didn't take it that I could apply for the next round but there would be no guarantee that I'd get in. This was a guarantee. It was scary and I felt so much pressure. But I took it.
Stressful it was! However, I got some incredible help from my new love. While I was busy learning the ropes of my new job, she was out checking out the city I was to move to and setting up viewings at apartments. She did all the hard work of weeding through all the junk and found the good stuff. I owe so much to her for this. Without this help I doubt I'd be in the place I am now.
To add to the stress of the year, during my training when I was away, a cat I had together with my ex passed away. He had been sick for a long time and I knew it was coming, but that still didn't soothe the pain I felt of his passing. To make it worse I couldn't be there for him at the end.
The year 2017 felt as though it was a blender that my life tripped and fell in to. Some parts fun, some parts painful, some parts scary. Swirling around, breaking up, turning into something new. But would that new thing be good or bad?
The answer is good. Very good.
So here I am. It's 2018 and my life looks drastically different than it did one year ago. My life took a path that I did not see coming. However I am happier than I have been in a long time. I live in a home I love, I have a job I love, and I'm dating a person whom I love. I feel enriched, and have a very hopeful and positive view on my future.
2018, let's do this!
What a ride 2017 has been.
What an unexpected ride.
There's so much to say about what I experienced in 2017 that if I wrote it all out in detail this would be way too long, so I'll try to summarize. It'll still be long.
My year started off on a really high note. Started a 'thing' with a couple friends at the end of 2016 so my year started off on a New Relationship Energy high. It had been a long time since I felt such invigoration as my partner and I at the time had been together for 10 years. Nothing wrong about that length of time, but it does lend a sense of routine, so I was thankful for our open relationship so I might experience that exciting newness that comes with meeting others.
On the work side of my life however, things were going downhill. I was really unhappy with my job and my anxiety levels skyrocketed. I ended up making a really hard decision to take a step back and go part time. Not the best thing financially, but I had some savings to supplement it until I could find something else. It was absolutely the right decision for my mental health, however. After a month or so I was really noticing a change in me!
Things hadn't been going well with my partner at the time, and in the Spring I finally went to him about it. We mutually decided it was time to separate. We were each going in directions that neither of us could follow and even though it was hard to let go of that part of my life, it was inevitable at that point.
As the year went on things really took a turn. As to refrain from going into personal details, I had a rough couple of months with one of the friends mentioned above and we ultimately severed our friendship. This was a really hard thing for me as I really value friendships. However this person turned out to be a very different person than I thought they were from the outset. Our perspective on things conflict, and there is nothing I can do about it.
So to add to the confusion of this year - so many things being intensely negative and/or painful on one hand - on the other hand things were going really well in other areas. I was in love with someone I never expected to fall for. I was drowning in love and adventure.
Another perk from going part time was now I had SO MUCH FREE TIME!! I have worked a lot since I was a teen and couldn't remember any time since I started working that I had this much free time on my hands. I used it to do things I hadn't been able to do in a long time. Travel! I went on several road trips with my new love throughout the spring and summer visiting friends and stopping to see sights along the way. Such enriching experiences!
As the summer waned, I was starting to feel the impending financial pressure of my dwindling savings. I needed to start working full time again, but the though of going back to my current job for those hours crushed me. I felt stuck. I had been looking around and even traveled across the country for an interview earlier in the year, but I wasn't putting enough effort into it. I had to step it up.
In August I was offered a job! It was hard decision for me though as the job they offered required me to start the following week. Normal jobs that wouldn't be a huge deal, but this one would mean that in less than a week I would be leaving my home for a month for training. In that time I would somehow have to find a place to live in a new state and prepare for said move. It sounded incredibly stressful, and I am a person who likes to take time to do big things. They said if I didn't take it that I could apply for the next round but there would be no guarantee that I'd get in. This was a guarantee. It was scary and I felt so much pressure. But I took it.
Stressful it was! However, I got some incredible help from my new love. While I was busy learning the ropes of my new job, she was out checking out the city I was to move to and setting up viewings at apartments. She did all the hard work of weeding through all the junk and found the good stuff. I owe so much to her for this. Without this help I doubt I'd be in the place I am now.
To add to the stress of the year, during my training when I was away, a cat I had together with my ex passed away. He had been sick for a long time and I knew it was coming, but that still didn't soothe the pain I felt of his passing. To make it worse I couldn't be there for him at the end.
The year 2017 felt as though it was a blender that my life tripped and fell in to. Some parts fun, some parts painful, some parts scary. Swirling around, breaking up, turning into something new. But would that new thing be good or bad?
The answer is good. Very good.
So here I am. It's 2018 and my life looks drastically different than it did one year ago. My life took a path that I did not see coming. However I am happier than I have been in a long time. I live in a home I love, I have a job I love, and I'm dating a person whom I love. I feel enriched, and have a very hopeful and positive view on my future.
2018, let's do this!
I look forward to crossing paths with you again in 2018! And, hoping that we can be two big birds again flapping our wings at the furry cons! Looking forward to it!
Always a pleasure to bird up the joint with you. c: