"What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year."
-Karen Kaiser Clark
I told myself on New Year's Eve to live heavily in the moment. In the day and the minutes as they count down to the final ones of 2023. To the final moments of the year that some have called awful and miserable. To look back and see how much I have become who I am and what I have accomplished and still need to keep doing. Growth is counted by years, by age, and by time but can it also be counted by experiences?
A year can be defined by 365 days, it can be defined by adding another year to your age or with the experiences drawn throughout both. 2023 for me was 365 days, hundreds of experiences, and an endless amount of self-discovery in multiple different places. This New Year feels like it isn't just going into 2024 but even farther. The past year has felt like more than just 365 days, it has felt like far more, the amount of experiences seems unreal, the amount of growth unfathomable, and who I am now incomparable to me at the beginning of 2023. I have crammed so much into 2023, with tennis and school and now going to college it seems like I have lived 3 lifetimes in a year.
Doesn't matter if your New Year's resolution is large, small, or even non-existence. I believe that every single person needs to walk in the door of the New year with a goal despite the size. Every single person needs direction, whether given to themselves by themselves or by someone else. It is something that has become lost in society, we have kids sitting around with no direction, and adults who could have succeeded already sitting on their couches with zero clue what to do. Find a goal no matter the size and make a path. Whether it's getting fitter, healthier, richer, nicer, calmer, famous, or simply surviving there is a goal and a plan to be found, created, and followed. Making a goal and being able to think about it, look towards it, and succeed makes life just a little easier. I challenge every one of you reading this to sit down with yourself and name one thing you want to continue being consistent in or grow in. If you did last week's challenge then you will already be one step ahead! Let 2024 be your year. . .
This week was another day of skiing, working out, training, and chilling. I enjoyed plenty of sisterly bounding both on and off the slopes and have gotten the chance to see a couple of friends. Tennis has been as always a consistent part of the schedule despite the "vacation" as I prepare to jump right into the spring season at Mississippi where our first scheduled match is on the 20th which I am jumping with anxiety and excitement! It has been hard keeping up with what I need to be doing tennis-wise while also being here with family. Some days I don't make it to the gym because I'm exhausted but I realize that throughout my day I don't sit down and I don't rest so it makes me realize that I am tired for a reason. My New Year's resolution was to put 100% of my effort into everything I do. I know and I specified that 100% doesn't look the same today as it will tomorrow but I want to be giving my all and my best when I choose to do things!
SPOTLIGHT!
This week I am spotlighting another side of the family. My grandparents on my father's side! They have been in my box since I was little and have always supported our dreams. When we were little and wanted a trampoline they helped us get the money to buy one, when we needed somewhere to go while our parents were moving houses they came and picked us up. They keep our family traditions alive every holiday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. My grandparents are some of the proudest grandparents I have met, all of the grandkids have photos posted everywhere and stories get told to everyone. There is constantly something getting told about someone because there are quite a few of us ranging in age. They help out when their kids need them and they are always joyed to see us! I want to say thank you Nana and Poopah for everything you have done and continue to do. I love you both so much and cannot wait to see you soon!
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