I'm in the process of reviewing my 2015 goals and measuring how the year went. Looking back, 2015 was great and weird, confusing and fun, life-giving and full of change. I was pushed out of my comfort zone constantly and learned what it meant to truly rely on the Lord for strength and guidance. I worked my first real job for a full year and learned so much about life, myself, other people, and a thousand other random intricacies of "adulthood". My friends and I laughed and cried and smiled and complained and told the same stories over and over again. We went to happy hours and weddings and football games. We danced and rode bikes and ate too many tacos. I ran a 10k and started training for my first half marathon (which I'm going to be running in just 13 days!!!). I found a church I love and spent blissful, soul-nourishing hours worshiping Jesus with some amazing humans. I traveled to a brand new city (St. Louis!). Brandon and I finally got to fly in a plane together for the first time. I attended two really interesting (but very different) professional conferences. I made new friends and deepened relationships with those I've known for years. Mostly, I spent the 2015 un-learning everything I knew to be true for the first 23 years of my life and re-forming how I understand, live in, and experience the world + life in general. It was really challenging at times, but also full of grace and "aha" moments. If I could sum up the year in one word it would definitely be this: growth.
Moving into 2016, I'm unsure how to feel. It's sure to be another year full of the unknown; 365 days of new circumstances and experiences that will bring both good and bad, joy and pain. I have no idea what's going to happen, and that's feeling more scary than exciting right now for some reason. There are so many what-if's swirling around the new year, but here's what I'm hoping will happen in 2016:
Move a new apartment in a different area of town
Adopt a puppy (!!!)
Travel to Austin, Chicago and Nashville (to name a few)
Take Brandon to NYC for the first time
Reunite with my roommates from Florida
Keep up my passion for nutrition + my fitness/running routine
Make my family and friends feel special and loved by me at all times
Help people and make a difference in my community
Read, learn, and challenge myself continually
Have quiet time to pray, journal, and spend time with the Lord each day
Take advantage of living in Charleston and experience new things
Grow in my faith, join a small group, and be brave about sharing Jesus' amazing love with others
Spend as much time with the people I love as possible, because life is so short and uncertain
There are so many tangible and intangible things I hope to do this year, but most of all I want to do everything out of love and a lens of eternal significance. If I end the year and all I've done is cover my family, friends, and those I interact with in Jesus' love, then I will consider 2016 a success. I don't have as many hard "goals" as I do a passion for making this year full of joy rooted in Jesus- because He is truly all that matters yesterday, today, and forever. Living the next 12 months in pursuit of Him will yield better things than I could ever dream up for myself- and that is really the only thing I know to be true.
However you're hoping this year will go, I wish you a wonderful start of 2016! I'd love to say when I'll be back to the blog, but given my sporadic writing nature these days I really don't know when that will be. :)
Until next time! xoxo
-Lanie W.
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