Happy 1st Birthday Dear Universe!

Has it really been a whole year? Has it only been one year? It’s true, my blog is one year old today. It has seen me through some hard spiritual growth, and has charted the paths I have taken. I’m glad I chose to chart this past year, and I plan to write even more of the next year.



My goal for last year was to explore my spirituality. I was exploring some of the new age spiritual ideals in an effort to feel less alone. I still feel alone, but I guess everyone does to some extent. I didn’t find any answers in that particular exploration, and I am glad I stepped off that path.

I don’t know how I know it, but I do know I have purpose and that truth surrounds us. I know that I am being guided in the directions I need to travel. I may step off the main path from time to time, but I always learn a little more about myself when I do. Nothing has been wasted, nothing is an accident. I will never stop exploring my spirituality, I just don’t think I need to question it the way I did last summer.

This next year will find me living my own life for the first time. I had started this journey 15 years ago, and stopped 12 years ago to take care of my children. They no longer depend on me the way they once did, so now I will continue with my education.

Oh how sweet the thought of completing my education! I have an AA in psychology, and, at one time, had considered the possibility of becoming a special education teacher, but have recently decided against it. Instead, I will continue with the psychology. My first goal is to get my bachelors and do some psycho-social rehab work. In just two years, I will double my hourly wage, and will still have the option to work toward my masters, then doctorate in psychology.

There are so many different options to choose from with this degree. I can continue to work with the profoundly disable people I currently work with, I can work with autistic children, I can work with mildly disabled people and people who have personality disorders. But something has been kicking around in my head for a while. I think it would be so much fun and so fulfilling to work with troubled teens. I love the outdoors, and adventure sports. I have an extensive knowledge about what it is like to be a troubled teen. I know what child abuse feels like and how it manifests itself into maladaptive behaviors. I have some experience with alcohol and drug addiction. I would love to find a place where I could put all together to help kids find their own worth.

Well, of course that won’t happen in this next year, but I will be taking classes that will help me toward that end. I plan to attend ISU, and have done enough research to know that they have an awesome outdoor program. Couple that with the psychology classes (how do I choose which ones I won’t take?) and the option of getting IBI certified and I’ll have it made. So many doors will open up for me.

Going back to school is going to be an absolute blast! I am so excited about this. Do you know how slowly the seconds tick by when you finally decide what you want to do, but did it a few months too late, or too early? If I had made this decision during the summer, I would already be doing this exciting learning! Now I must wait for the right time. I’m not much into waiting, but I can do this time. It’s kind of like being in prison, waiting out the last few months of your sentence. At least it’s not a life sentence!

Ok, what else for this year. Yes, I will train for the City of Trees marathon. I can’t actually compete in it by the second birthday of my blog, because it takes place in November. But I will train for it with the intent to compete, and compete well. That’s right, my goal is 3½ hours.

Oh, and since I will be taking rock climbing classes, I am setting a goal to be able to at least top rope 5.12s consistently. With really cool moves. Which means I will have to have an awesome strength to weight ratio. But I’ll be running, and biking, and climbing. So of course, I’ll be awesome.

I’ll have to do before and after pictures. Wouldn’t that be cool? So I guess another goal I have for this year is to lose some fat and gain some muscle, arms, legs, abs, butt and brain muscles.

Sounds like a good year already.

Another goal is to write twice as much in this blog it’s second year as I wrote in it’s first year. Which would be 200 posts. Not a real hard goal to meet.

I also plan to do more with my art. Of course, that just means I will do something at all with my art. I will finish the four paintings I have already started. I will start and finish three more paintings that I have promised to do for other people. I guess I better take some art classes at ISU while I’m at it. Did I just hear another door open?

I absolutely REFUSE to make housekeeping a goal. I fully expect that my house will be at least as dirty a year from now (if not more so) than it is right now. (you don’t really want to know, so there will be no before and after pictures of that.)

I absolutely REFUSE to find a significant other. I will not even try until my new wings are fitted and tested. Once I am the person I know I can be, I will then have the ability to attract the right guy for me. I’ll be just fine until then.

In the spring I will get my novel off the ground. I’ll get a laptop for school, then I will have no excuses. It should be fun. It will be enlightening. It will be toll free. (hey that’s what the caller ID says right now, ok?)

Oh, and I will get over this over-achieving cold in record time, because I am actually going to use a few days of my 2 months of sick leave! I haven’t actually done that in the 12+ years at the school district. It’s taken a while, but I do learn eventually. Sick leave is there to use when you are sick. No, you don’t have to be in the hospital to be considered sick.

So, I’m off to take my nite-time cold and flue medicine, and I will pass out for 12 straight hours and wake up well. Hopefully feeling well.

Isn’t life great?