One year.

365 days.

8,760 hours.

However you slice it, one year looks different to every person. One year ago today I was off on a new adventure- after 5 years I had left my job at Apple to start training in Dallas for my new job. I had no idea that when I got on that plane the life I left in Seattle wouldn’t be there when I returned.

Without going into too much detail, the last 12 months of my life have been long and arduous. I came back from job training to my ex throwing away our 2 year relationship by “ghosting” me out of his life, my grandmother passed away, my uncle was diagnosed with cancer, I lost my new job due to cutbacks (coincidently the week I moved into my Seattle apartment), my other grandmother had a stroke, and most recently my baby sister was trapped in a hurricane. But you know what? The last 52 weeks have also been full of so much joy! I joined a book club, made some amazing new friends, got a great job with phenomenal people, have gone on some great dates (and awful ones), learned who my true friends are, opened up a successful Etsy shop, and on what would have been our anniversary I bought a ticket for my first international trip to the U.K. (paid for entirely by that Etsy shop)!

I could have run from everything, and trust me there were plenty of times I wanted to, but the last 525,600 minutes have put me through test after test and I have continued to come out on top. Right now I’m sitting in the airport about to board my flight to Edinburgh, Scotland and as I drink my tea I realize that I am not broken – I am wholly, my most authentic self.

Cheers.

xoxo