So that was 2011

Yesterday when we were leaving at 11:30a.m. (hooray for leaving early on a Friday before a long weekend), my coworker said, “Only one more day to go in 2011! From January 1, this year was just crap.” I looked at him and asked, “Didn’t you get married in January?” He backtracked and said “Well, there were some definite high points, but on a whole, 2011 sucked.”

When I look back on 2011, I see the opposite. 2011 was fantastic, with a few low points. Especially compared to 2010, this was a freaking awesome year.

The low points first:

• The first three months of the year at my previous job, they were some of the most horrible months in my working career. When I look back now, I can see that this job was causing me so much stress I got sick from it.
• Losing my job (well, not technically, my contract ended, but there was always the option to renew it) just when we’d bought our condo.
• Still some family drama that caused me a lot of stress in November.
• Weight gain – not much, but enough to notice. Too much damn ice cream.
• A few too many shopping mistakes and regrets, and a bit too much shopping as a whole. My usual goal of shopping more consciously and responsibly didn’t exactly pan out.

Now all the good stuff:

• Becoming a homeowner for the first time. Will and I closed on our uptown Toronto condo on February 9, and it’s been great since. We love our place, no regrets.
• Being on vacation for 6 weeks when I was unemployed. I didn’t think it was a such a good thing at first, but in the end, it was what I needed. I was able to “detox” from my old job, relax, and get my health back in order. What have I said about crisitunity? I did wear an awful lot of elastic waistbands though.
• Getting my new job in the same company. It’s been amazing. Of course, there are still days when I don’t want to go to work, but those days are few and far between. My boss is great, my coworkers are great, and I’m very happy. As much as I said in my previous job that “it’s just a job,” I spend most of my waking hours at work, so if it sucks, it’ll inevitably spill over into the rest of my life.
• Feeling better again. I spent most of 2010 with health problems, but I’ve been much, much better this year. If I make it through today, I’ll have made it through 2011 without ending up in the hospital with an asthma attack (my last bad attack was June 2010). It doesn’t sound like that much of an accomplishment, but I was hospitalized twice in 2010. Small victories are still victories.
• Going to NYC for the first time in 5 years. It was nice to be back after a long break.
• As usual, spending great time with family and friends. Will and I have been together for 12-1/2 years and still going strong, even if he does hate sharing a bed with me after sleeping in his own bed for almost two weeks at his parents’ house in BC. :)

Like most people, I spend too much time dwelling on the negative. I think things like “yes, I have a good job, but it’s still an entry-level job.” “Yes, I’m a homeowner, but it’s just a tiny condo.” I’m tired of the buts. So I think my overall goal for 2012 is to focus on the positive and leave those nagging tiresome buts behind. Let’s see if I stick to that!

Will and I are planning to spend New Year’s Eve pretty much the same as we did last year, a nice dinner at home and then out to the movies (we’ll probably see Tintin). So I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, all the best in 2012, and thanks for reading my little blog!

xo
Rachel