Reflections, Again!

2011 was a bit like a moody woman. It couldn't decide whether to be kind or cruel or optimistic or negative. A bit like me, sometimes.

A year ago today, I would have never guessed how much the year would change me. In two weeks' time, I'll be remembering one of the most dramatic experiences of my entire life. One that will probably remain has one of the most memorable I'll ever have.

On 13 Jan 2011, we were scooping up the remains of our home and contents. We had officially survived the first of many natural disasters of the world. Our livelihoods had not. For over a month and a half, everything was up in the air about how our insurance would cover us. We were insured, for certain, but were they going to be honourable or be dicks? Lucky for us, they were fantastic. The process was slow, but we showed patience. We had changed. For the better. Our perception of the world had altered, and we were better people for it.

I can't honestly say that stayed the same. We changed in the first few months. We became more patient, more willing to understand others' perceptions, and more social. My husband and I had come through a dark patch relatively unscathed, and we owed it to the universe to be more than we were before.

So that's what we tried. Straight away, we started to look at the people around us and see them with different eyes. It wouldn't last in some counts. There were those that helped us get through it all, and others that helped at the beginning and then seemed to forget what it was that brought us closer. Their loss? Or ours? I'll never know that. And I'll never understand what it was that drove some away while others remained tight.

In addition to all this, we joined a gym in the first quarter of the year. If we had made it through an event as traumatic as this one, then we surely needed to change ourselves inside and out. We had worked on the former, so the latter became our next task. We saw small improvements at first, but after starting to work with a personal trainer, we saw massive results. My husband more than I, but still, results. We were changing more.

Two months after starting the healthy lifestyle, I suddenly got appendicitis, and had to have an urgent surgery. This put me down for two weeks and then another two months before I could get back fully into training.

I can't say that after that I was perfect in my healthy lifestyle journey. I'm still trying hard, but not as frequently as I need to. This is one aspect of my 2011 year that I don't feel I completed a journey on, and trust me, it's one I plan on remedying in 2012.

Not long after all this, I got pushed over into another store in my company. It was a move I was not happy with at all. I didn't cope with it very well, especially after learning more information about it. So I started looking for other work. I succeeded very early on, and started a new job in November. It's been a culture shock for me, but a good one. It's harder, longer hours, but the chance for promotion is better. And I reckon there's a better work-life balance at this new place. Not quite yet, since holiday season is hell in retail. But a lot better than I ever got at my previous position.

And that's just what happened to me. 2011 had good and bad. Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods. But it taught us to be better, stronger people. Some got the lesson. Others didn't. I guess this can be said about everything in life.

One way or another 2011 won't be forgotten for a long time. I'm optimistic that the lessons learned are ever evolving. I can't ask for a better outcome for a stranger, harder year. What I can ask for is patience, from those that are around me. I'm far from perfect, and I still have a long way to go. However, I'm trying. And I think I can honestly say I'm a better person than I was one year ago.

Here's to another year of emotional and mental evolution!