As I sit here on a rock looking out on the waters of Lake Michigan, I contemplate this last year in my life. Apparently that’s one of the things you do when you hit the first quarter of your life, or so I hear. I’ve run the gambit of many challenges. I’ve been laid off, dumped via email, struggled with being back with the unemployed masses fighting for a job to live, gotten to know myself better through my blog, gone through a year of celibacy, and even have figured out what I want to do with the rest of my life. In a nutshell, I’ve reached clarity. I’ve begun to shun my usual responses to difficult times and forced myself to put my “big girl panties” on sooner and deal with life and take a hard objective look at where I’ve been, where I’m at currently, and where I want to go. I’ll tell you, it’s not been an easy journey to figure this all out. It’s been made even harder since I’m more stubborn than a billion mules and will go down kicking every time, but I’ve had to still my kicking feet and pay attention. I’ve had to give myself a good talking to and kick my ass into gear to do what I set out to do eight years ago when I graduated high school, I had to go my own way and do what makes me happy and fulfilled. I had to stop trying to fit someone else’s mold and even break a few of my own making to let myself fit into the situation my way. I had to stand on my own feet even if that meant I had to stand alone for a while. I just had to remind myself that while I might be standing alone now, I wouldn’t always. There would be the people who are right for me in certain points in my life and those meant to stay.

So here I sit on my rock by Lake Michigan thinking about the upcoming month before the first 25 years of my life are behind me and I embark on the next 25 and beyond and finally give myself a long due “Congratulations, you’ve survived; you’re still standing.” And I’ll keep standing knowing that the good times are on my horizon and the best is yet to come.