If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 40 years of life is that life sucks. I’ve also come to learn that life is a marvelous thing. It’s one or the other, or it’s both. Life is a matter of perspective, and sometimes it’s simply a matter of attitude.

2016 has been both, but my perspective has changed, and so has my attitude. I’m focusing more on the positive, letting go of the negative, and enjoying life all the more for it. I can’t point to a specific moment in time, a decision that changed my whole outlook on life. It was a gradual change, one decision impacting the next, each affecting my mindset until the world no longer seems so ugly. The world hasn’t changed. I have.

I’m happier than I have ever been, partly because I’ve accepted me for me. The one whose acceptance was the hardest to gain was my own, but it was the most important one to win. I learned to love myself, and part of that was due to my friends who have embraced me this past year. I have opened a piece of myself to them, and found them to not only be accepting, but also that they loved me all the more. I couldn’t believe it! I love you all!

So as one year comes to a close, and a new one begins, I want to state that I am at peace with myself, probably for the first time ever. I have gained myself this year, and that’s a gift that many deny themselves, mainly because of how much that costs. I’m still have a long road ahead of me, but the journey doesn’t seem so daunting now. Moreover, I have friends who will stick with me. I count myself as blessed.

My resolutions are simply to live my life more fully, to read and write more, to open myself to the possibility of finding love and companionship, to become a true participant in my own life. I will enjoy the company of my friends, I will share this side of me with more people, and I will embrace the ride, forgetting the ultimate destination, because that’s what life is, a ride.,

So, Happy New Year, and I hope you keep reading. I’ll keep writing. And, if you don’t mind me asking, if you life what you read, please subscribe and share with your friends.

Love,
~Stef~