hey there, 2012

Goodbye 2010. Hello new decade. It’s New Year’s Eve and I’ve got on some polka dots. Am about to put some coins in the pocket for wealth in the new year. Mom is cooking  palutang, a rice flour based dessert traditionally cooked on NYE. The idea is that if the balls of flour float to the surface of the pot of water, then life will be “light” or easy for the year. I think I’ve got all my Filipino NYE superstitions covered.

So let’s literally say goodbye to 2010 even though we’ll continue to struggle and celebrate all that it brought. Bring on this new decade–one I hope to be filled with adventure, opportunity, love, and balance.

The above was my blog post last New Year’s Eve. How greatly optimistic I was! I wonder how many of those flour balls rose to the surface because 2011 felt anything but light. But let me practice some realistic optimism now.

2011, like most other years brought its own opportunities and struggles. I formed new, unexpected friendships, yet lost quite a few. Many struggles were an opportunity for growth–a few I took, several I wasn’t courageous enough to confront. Sensing that I have, in many ways, been running from my own life all year, and coincidentally from the people who care deeply, here are my themes (not resolutions) for the new year:

show up, be bold, love and let go, jenny 2012

Bring it, 2012. I’ll meet you.