Whew. WE. MADE. IT.
What a year, right?
Granted, I think that at the end of every year, but last year truly felt like a whirlwind of change. Some was good. Some challenged me in ways I didn’t expect. However 2018 went for you, I hope you’re able to find some hopeful and positive aspects when reflecting on the last 12 months.
I try not to put too much stock in New Year’s resolutions, but I do set goals for the upcoming year and try to reference them every few months to see if I’m on track and if there’s anything I could be doing better in those areas. In 2019, one of those goals is to practice gratitude every day.
One of my strategies for making these goals work for me is to start them before January 1st – even if it’s December 31st, I just want to untie the action from a specific date.
So, as a continuation of the reflection and gratitude I’ve been working on for the last few weeks, I wanted to take the time to appreciate all the good things that happened this past year.
Here’s my personal list of my favorite things to happen in 2018:
1. Visiting New Places
Park City, Acadia National Park, the Bahamas. 2018 was a year of experiencing beautiful locations I’d previously only seen on the internet. I have more exciting travel plans in the works for 2019, but I want to always be sure that I’m staying grateful for my ability to travel, period – from New England to another continent.
2. Improving My Outdoor Skills
As part of my job this past summer, I was able to participate in four days of whitewater kayaking school and four days of climbing school. The latter culminated in climbing the Grand Teton, my first high alpine climb ever.
Beyond learning how to be safe in those scenarios and improve my kayaking and climbing skills, I also expanded my general knowledge of how to be a better outdoorswoman. From setting up Whisperlite stoves and cooking tastier meals in the backcountry to becoming a Wilderness First Responder, I’m beyond grateful for the new nature skills I’m taking with me into 2019.
3. Trying New Things
In January of 2018, I decided a fun, low-key resolution could be to try something new every month of the year. This turned out to be more high-key than I anticipated because planning new things took some dedication. For a few months, I just resigned myself to the fact that I tried something new by accident.
However, from boxing to seeing a movie by myself to waking up at 5 AM for a week, I did try some pretty cool things I’d always wanted to do for various reasons. Boxing was an awesome and engaging workout; as an introvert, I enjoyed the low pressure and abundant candy involved in seeing a movie solo; and as a classic late-sleeper, I was excited to rise to the challenge of waking up at 5 to get sh*t done in the morning.
4. Reading Good Books
Throughout my childhood, reading. Was. Life. I was a huge nerd, and not in the way that nerds can be cool and super smart but also homecoming queen or whatever. I trudged to the town library often throughout middle school, because why have friends when you can have books?
When I got to college, reading for fun fell by the wayside, replaced with coursework and new friends and clubs and activities. Now that I’m out of school, I’ve slowly started integrated books that aren’t super depressing accounts of genocide (#GovernmentMajor) into my life again. Sure, it’s a good mix of fiction and non-fiction, but even when I’m learning, I’m learning for personal development, not for a class.
I read 25 great books in 2018 (including rereading the Harry Potter series again, which I hadn’t done since high school.) My favorite new read was Circe
5. Working With Kids / Mentorship
My job last summer involved leading teenagers on outdoor excursions. For the main trip I led, my co-leader and I worked with the same group of seven high schoolers for a month, teaching them about outdoor skills, conservation, and working as a team.
I’d been wanting to work in a job like that for several years, and seeing it come to fruition this year was a dream come true. Working with the younger generation is really important to me because A) they’re pretty awesome and have a lot to teach me, as well; and B) mentorship has come in fits and spurts in my life, but I’ve always appreciated it when mentors guided me in important ways. I love the opportunity to mentor younger people myself – especially in the middle of the woods while smelling like dirt.
6. Shaping My Career
After I came home from a summer away, I decided to try my hand at freelancing for the end of 2018. It’s been a huge learning curve, but I’ve been grateful for the flexibility involved and the opportunity to choose what I want to work on to shape my own career path.
Embracing change is something I’m always working on. Moving to a new city, working in three different industries, and spending a summer constantly on the move definitely made 2018 one of my most change-packed years yet. Not everyone has the flexibility in life to make those decisions, and I’m thankful that I did this year.
7. My Girl Mother Nature
I couldn’t leave Mother Nature off this list simply because I saw so many awe-inspiring parts of the natural world this year. New friends (and a laminated guide my boyfriend sent me) taught me the names of wildflowers in Wyoming. I saw the most glorious sunset of my life in Maine. A golden eagle flew over my head in Montana, and a mother grizzly bear watched over her cub not 30 feet from our van in Yellowstone.
2018 also demonstrated the devastation that Mother Nature can wreak. I felt very fortunate that even though we drove through thick smoke from forest fires in the Pacific Northwest in August, my boyfriend and I were able to drive to new campsites and alter our itinerary to escape the smoke as best we could.
Residents of places affected by wildfires aren’t so lucky; California saw its deadliest and most destructive wildfire season in 2018, and thousands of people lost their homes. Hopefully, 2019 will be the year policymakers start actually doing something about climate change to help combat this extreme weather.
Rest
The true list of things I loved about 2018 could go on and on, but I’ll end this one with rest. Buzzfeed just came out with an article about “How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation,” and I’ve been trying hard to avoid that burnout myself by taking time to listen to my brain and my body.
Last year, I skipped hiking with my friends to rest my aggravated knee, and I worked on sticking to a better sleep schedule because I know how much that impacts me.
Many weekends, you’ll still find me trekking up to Vermont to ski or flying to visit family or friends. However, I’m also grateful for the relaxing weekends in between where the most productive thing I do is read.
—
This list is just a glimpse of all I have to be grateful for, and I’m going to try to remember that going forward into this year.
I learned a lot in 2018, which is part of what made it a good year for me. If you’re interested in more reflections, feel free to check out last year’s Lessons of 2017.
Looking for more wisdom? Check out these end-of-year reflections:
- Erin Outdoors: Deep Thoughts from 2018
- Renee Roaming: 2018 Reflections and 2019 Intentions
- The Blog Abroad: My 10 Worst Travel Moments of 2018
Happy 2019! Let’s get this bread.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may get a small commission if you choose to buy something through those links. Affiliate links help me keep the blog going, and I only link products that I fully stand behind. Thanks for your support!