2018, You Were A Rough One. . .

Yesterday, while scrolling on Twitter, I encountered a tweet that said to list five positive things that happened to you in 2018. Up to the challenge, I began to try to list all of the positive things that happened to me this year.

After wracking my brain for over an hour, I could only come up with three. Those were: getting to create wonderful memories with my boyfriend, surpassing my reading goal (no surprise there), and getting to experience the Big E for the first time. Of course, much after trying to write that tweet, I came up with a few more: learning how to knit, and seeing Billy Joel. But, still.

Now, I’m not pessimistic. It’s just 2018 was a rough year for me. The biggest reason is that I lost my beloved Maggie. For all of those who knew me well, you knew how much I loved Maggie. The joke used to be that I loved her more than my boyfriend (yes, you can say that he loved that one). Losing her flat out sucked, and the pain still lingers especially as the holiday season came and passed. Christmas morning wasn’t the same without giving her a bone filled with peanut butter to chew on. And, every time I open a book, there is no one around to sniff it.

Losing Maggie wasn’t the only thing lost. This year, I learned that sometimes, it’s okay to let go of people in your life who don’t make you happy. These people can be friends who you’ve outgrown, or even people who just bring you down. Of course, there’s no drama or anything like that. That’s just a cruel part of growing up.

However, on the last day of 2018, I try to remain hopeful that 2019 will be much better. While I don’t have a “squad,” I have a few people that I can count on, including my wonderful boyfriend. I hopefully will be getting a dog, who won’t be replacing my Maggie by any means, but will ease the loneliness. I also will make more time for fun, for beach days, and for trying to read more.

Not every year is meant to be your year. In life, we are going to experience some rough moments and patches. But, what gets you through them is the moments of self care and the people who love you.

And, of course, a ton of chocolate.

Happy New Year, to all.