I love the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day!  It’s a time when I love to reflect on the past year and begin to plan for the new year.  I love to clean out closets and organize or curl up with a journal.  It feels like preparing for a fresh new beginning.

I begin by looking over my current list… my annual mini bucket list.  Each year I make a list of 100 things that I would like to accomplish or do in the next year, ranging from personal goals to places I want to travel to.  I know that 100 is overly ambitious and truthfully the most I have checked off in one year was 62, but it gives me lots of options and motivation.  This is my eighth year to make these lists and it has become a habit. Yes, I am a list maker, chart maker, planner, and dreamer.

As I revisit my list, I reflect on my adventures, dreams, and goals. Some of the unaccomplished items move onto the new list and some just drop off.  Next, I research some places I want to visit… (this is one of my favorite parts) as I begin to write out a rough draft of my list.  I add what may traditionally be thought of as New Year’s resolutions, personal/professional goals, and I always leave a few blank lines to add as new things come up.

This year, I decided to reflect on the last five years.  While I have done many exciting things, it hasn’t all been fun and games.  I have experienced things that have tested my courage and challenged me in many ways.  I have literally cried until there were no more tears, but I have also laughed until I cried.  I have experienced loneliness to a new depth and have learned how to be happy while being alone.  I have faced fears (old, deep-seated ones and new fears of the unknown) and have mustered up the courage to face them.  I have wandered aimlessly, gotten lost, and found my way.  I have faced personal and professional struggles and survived.

During these last five years, I have laughed, cried, hurt, worried, been scared, been lonely, been in awe, seen new and beautiful things, checked things off my bucket list, and realized some dreams.  I would say I have lived.

Below are a few of my favorite memories, bucket list checks, and accomplishments from the last five years:

• a summer in Italy
• sipping wine in an Italian vineyard
• seeing ancient ruins in Cambodia
• riding in a small boat to a fishing village in Siem Reap
• having chocolate and hot cocoa in Switzerland
• riding the Bernini Express through the Swiss Alps
• relocating to Japan (and all that comes with that)
• adapting to driving on the opposite side of the car and road
• completing a master’s degree
• driving across/through the 17 ½ mile Chesapeake Bay Tunnel Bridge
• swimming with manatees
• visiting Slovenia
• road trips with my daughter
• driving across the scariest bridge in America
• experiencing the simultaneous chaos/order of Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo
• visiting shrines and temples in Kyoto
• watching sea turtles hatch and head out to sea
• placing in a juried art show
• kayaking with friends
• riding in a tuk-tuk
• a solemn visit to the Peace Park and Bomb Dome in Hiroshima
• talking with a survivor of the bomb in Nagasaki
• a bullet train ride in Japan
• walking across the highest suspension bridge in Japan
• watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
• visiting lighthouses and islands in North and South Carolina
• writing in the journal at the Kindred Spirit Mailbox
• high tea and theater with friends

These are a few of my favorites.  And of course spending precious time with family, which is never enough when you are separated by lots of miles.  Life has joyous moments, everyday things, and challenges.  Sometimes accomplishing goals and dreams means making choices, facing fears, or putting in hard work.  But part of the beauty in life is meeting your goals, realizing your dreams, and the growth that comes with the journey. 

What new experiences and adventures will 2021 hold?  I am currently making my new list of goals, hopes, and dreams.  What’s on your list?