thanks 2013. hi 2014!

This year, my sparkly New Year's Eve dress stayed on the hanger, and I yoga-ed in the new year. Weird, I know. And sad because it was a killer dress.

The point wasn't to instigate an extreme exercise routine for 2014, but instead to enjoy the date change while being thankful for the past year, mindful of where I am now and hopeful as I look ahead.

In the spirit of mindfulness...

2013, you've been great. You've made me stronger, happier and above all taught me that it's totally okay when things don't go as planned. Coming from a person who really likes plans, that last one was especially difficult.

Here's how it happened.

A year ago, I had just moved home to Vermont after seven years away (college in New York and my first "grown-up" job in North Carolina). In all honesty, I had every intention of this move being temporary; a reset after a challenging year or two. I missed family and had my heart set on finding a challenging job that I truly loved, so coming home to recharge, surrounded by my favorite people seemed like the perfect move. When a great job opportunity immediately presented itself, (thirty-five minutes away from my hometown), frenzied packing ensued followed by a fourteen-hour one way drive back to New England.

I was excited but also had this huge cloud hanging over me. I was moving home. Did this mean that I failed? I love travel and experiencing new places, and had always thought that I would move away, only to return for holiday visits. And here I was, back in my childhood bedroom (not my proudest, most independent moment). But this was temporary, right? I was twenty-five and still had plenty of opportunity to move and fall in love with a new place. 

So you can imagine my surprise when I fell for Burlington, Vermont. I had spent my entire pre-college life right here on Lake Champlain, and only now was seeing how amazing it is?! 

Snapshots of amazingness:

In the past year I've been able to spend a ton of time with family and friends, find a super-motivating fitness community, become more confident in my career, travel a lot and cross some major things off my bucket list.

This is not to say that that things are now perfect, nor am I trying to make everyone move to Vermont (although there are a few people I wouldn't mind having here!), but all of this has been a surprise in the best possible way. I was totally unprepared to find a sense of completeness as I re-experienced everything here, this time as an adult with a wiser heart and different eyes than I had seven years ago.

There have been challenges: changing states, friendships, relationships and jobs. It's all been exciting and confusing and hard. I'm sure many of you in this twenty-something stage of life can relate, and although all of our experiences are unique, it's comforting to know that we're in this period of uncertainty together, and hopefully all finding ourselves too.

So what's the take-home message? Well...

• Go. I still think it's so important for people to travel, experience the world; go away to school or take trips or move away. But now I can say, and fully believe that it's also okay to come home. 

• Things change. All the time. Just enjoy it, don't worry about the plan. Because... 

• Just because it's not what you had planned doesn't mean it's bad. Actually, bumps in the road and surprises can often make the outcome better than anything you could have imagined.

• It's easy to take things for granted when you're trying to get out there and prove yourself in the world. If you're lucky, home is an amazing support system that will always be there if you need it. If you're really lucky, you realize that.

I'm so excited about what's to come this year, in the next 1001 days, and beyond. And although I expect it to be fun, scary and wonderful, I'm going to leave it at that. No concrete plans, no rigid expectations. And if I venture away and fall for new places, I'll keep in mind that I can always come home. 

xo Emily