Six Months

Hi. It's been a long time since I wrote. Let's catch up, because the past 6 months has a lot of valuable tidbits in it, and it's probably best to do this now before the new year - which I am very much looking forward to!!

A. I moved into a house - I really love it.

B. I now live with my ex - yeah, it's rough in its own ways, and I won't get into that here. It wasn't my choice, but I'm kinda stuck with it for the time being. However! Having that relationship end has reminded me who I am at my core and how I should go about being that person. I didn't completely get to be me in that relationship. I get to be who I want to be now, and this makes me happy.

C. I'm happy! - Really. It's not any one person or thing or even hope for some abstract future. I am enjoying being my own person and just... living. I stop and breathe every day. I am thankful every day for all the beautiful things around me.

D. Cosmo is an adult cat now - 9 lbs and growing! (I always joke that he's growing, even if maybe he isn't or will stop someday. I won't limit my cat's ambitions, haha.)

E. Carlos (the dog) likes me better - we went through training, and since my housemate is only my housemate now, Carlos does not see me as a threat so much to his primary master nowadays.

F. My little sister started college - and I am sooo proud of her every day. She graduated after her junior year in high school, and now she's pressing through her first semester. Some people might be sad at how much a person like her has grown, but I appreciate her more with every passing year. She is a true joy.

G. I picked up some teaching skills - I've been tutoring for over a year now and I've decided I love it. But in getting to spend some time away this past summer from the regular schedule of student after student, I got some perspective and I feel I am doing a better job for it. Sometimes stepping back from what you enjoy can help you grow.

H. I got an important reminder of who and what matters to me - and in some ways it was surprising. I reached out to some people I barely knew and cemented friendships. I met some really cool people who came in and left my life just as suddenly. I relearned that the person who limits me the most is myself.