I kinda just chuckle, shake my head, and think "What. a. year.".
Let's look at a quick recap of the things that this year has held.
- I started a contractor position
- I started hiking
- I went out on my first date
- I moved into my own apartment
- My contractor job turned into a full-time job
- I quit my part time job
- I got a tattoo
- I made a solid group of work friends (that turned into real life friends)
- three friends got engaged
- two friends got married
- I started learning to cook
- I traveled to Nashville to see Parachute
- I had a dog for two months? (I count it. She's Paul's but she was kinda mine)
- I went to my first Braves game
- I saw NEEDTOBREATHE
- I started going to REI outdoor classes
- I gained a hiking buddy
- I started going back to church
- I joined a community group at church
- I went to a friend's art show
- I saw Ed Sheeran
- I went to a butterfly festival
- I saw the banana sun
- I got in a car crash (yeah... again)
- I traveled to Seattle by myself
- I got ANOTHER tattoo
- I applied and got accepted into grad school ( I start in less than a month, EEK!)
- I reconciled with a friend
- I saw Parachute .... yes, AGAIN
- I saw Jon Bellion
- I joined an online Minimalism community
- I started pursuing volunteering opportunities
- I got my car back from my car crash
And that doesn't include the day to day changes that have changed my attitude or my habits. Or the books that I've read and movies I've watched.
What a good year it has been.
None of those good things happened by accident. And that's the thing that I've been noticing the most. If I want good things, I have to be willing to put in the work.
If I want to be a person that is adventurous, I have to be a person that steps out the door and tries new things. And sometimes that includes stepping out on my own.
If I want to be someone who is knowledgeable, I need to put in the time to research, read, and listen.
If I want to be someone who is healthy, I have to drink the dang water and take my meds and eat the things I need to. And take the steps up the mountain.
If I want to be someone who is holy, I have to love Christ more and sin less.
If I want to be someone who loves the heck out of this life, it takes a lot of work. To remove things that stand in the way, which can sometimes include people and things that you love deeply. To pursue the things and people that are worth your while and will spur you on.
If I want to be any sort of anything, it's going to take some time and some effort, it's going to take a lot of time and effort.
This year has been great. I've wanted to be a lot of things. I wanted to do a lot of things. I've become (or on my way to becoming) some of those things. I've done a lot of those things. I haven't been anywhere near perfect. I've gone weeks without doing the things I wanted to do daily. I've said and done things that completely derail the person I'm trying to become. I still have so much to do and see and become.
The art of becoming something new is a lengthy process. And it is certainly an art.
I am a pottery vase. I have been molded by the hands of circumstances. I have then been shattered against the ground by clumsy hands. I have been picked up and repurposed. I have had gold mend my broken edges and cracks. I will be molded, and broken, and mended over and over again.
I am a canvas with tears and repairs. Layers of paint collected over the years to form new landscapes.
I will be molded, and broken and mended over and over again. I will be torn and repaired and painted over again and again.
But each time, the result will be something that has taken time and effort to become a work of art.
Some things will "just happen" to you. They may be great or they may shake the core of your soul. But no matter what has happened, who you become is up to you.
You can choose to give up and succumb to the circumstances. You can choose to use your hurt to hurt others. You can choose to make your life a work of art. Life will most likely be a little bit of all three. But work at it. Becoming who you want to be is one of the greatest things you could do. Make your life a masterpiece. And don't forget, half the fun is in the journey, in the becoming itself.
