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Happy Birthday to Me!: Reflections on This Year

Today is my 27th birthday! I have a fun evening planned of dinner with SCL, homemade chocolate cake (SCL's creation), and karaoke with my Glee-watching friends (got to find something to do on those Tuesday nights now that the show is done). I though it'd be interesting to do a reflection on the past year because so much has changed.

Just about a year ago, I was living in Connecticut, finishing up my fellowship and preparing to move to DC to start my new job and move into my new apartment with SCL. We moved in together and began looking at rings. I learned to adjust to a smaller paycheck and struggled to adjust to living in a new city. And it only took a few months for me to realize I hated my job and went looking for another one. I got pretty discouraged in the process until my dream job came along.

After about six months of living together SCL and I struggled to resist falling into a pattern of living like roommates. I worried about having a lot more money than him. I began to spending a lot more time doing work-related things. We broke up. I went to therapy. I started to get over it.  I danced on a bar and took my anger out on some of SCL's things. Then he came back to me. I found my own place to live. I stood up to SCL when his behavior sucked. I'm still learning to listen to my gut and saying goodbye to our apartment.

I can't even begin to wrap my mind around how much my life and my expectations about my life have changed. If you'd asked me on my 26th birthday what I thought I'd be doing on my 27th, I would never have said moving out of my apartment with SCL (with no ring on my finger to boot). At the same time, I never thought I'd have such an amazing job with all signs looking like I'll be able to get a second year of funding, not to mention a second part-time consultant job on the horizon. The work front has exceeded any expectation I'd had while my personal life has confused the hell out of me. I'm learning I'm blessed to have the former at all.

But I've also learned again that I am strong as hell and nothing will break me, even if my heart breaks. Who knows what the next year will bring. Maybe SCL will grow up. Maybe we'll grow apart. Maybe my work will take me 6,000 miles away from DC. Whatever it is, I can handle it, especially with my blog friends here to cheer me on.

17 comments:

  1. Happy birthday lady! Isn't it weird to look back over a year and see how much has changed. Now sure if I'm ready to do that on my birthday in September.

    Have so much fun today!

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  2. Happy Birthday Pretty Girl! Where in the world does the time go? Can you believe everything that has happened in the last year? Crazy stuff, huh?? Wishes to you for a fabulous year!! :-)

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  3. Happy Birthday! Here's to not breaking even when your heart does!
    -AT

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  4. Happy birthday! May this be your best year.

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  5. Happy Birthday! Hope it's fabulous!

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  6. Happy birthday! I hope 27 is a great year for you. You have grown so much and learned so much in this past year, it's insane.

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  7. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! We'll have to go out for drinks when I'm in town.

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  8. Happy Birthday! Hope this next year things get even better!

    xx,
    Delilah

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  9. Hope this is not too late but Happy Birthday fab 27! Im going to be 26 in october and im scared!

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  10. Happy Birthday to an inspiring woman!

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  11. I am late!!!! =( Hope you had a wonderful birthday!!! and I hope this year treats you well =D

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  12. Thanks for all of the birthday love, friends! And thank you for walking this journey with me. Much love to all of you!

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  13. Happy birthday!

    I'm the opposite - my personal life is easy breezy and my work life is confusing me to tears! It is encouraging reading that you've found your dream job though :)

    http://jammer10am.blogspot.com/

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  14. I don't think any person gets all of the parts of her life in line at one time. I think we can have everything--just not all at once.

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  15. Here here! Happy birthday! You are strong and successful and you have to be your number one advocate in life! I hope SCL grows up to. I'm just getting to know your story so I don't know all the details, but I do hope things work out for the best and I believe life sometimes has a funny way of making things work.

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  16. Happy Birthday! If you continue to get this much wiser each year you'll have a New York Times Best Seller and a Pulitzer Prize by the time your 30. You are the a perfect example of what does not kill us makes us stronger.

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  17. The birthday love is over the top, and I like it! JoJo, glad you're along for the ride now; happy to be following yours too! :-)

    And Anna, you are too, too kind, my love. But a million times thank you.

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