The Single Woman’s Dash of Sass: New Year. New Chapter. New YOU.

Quote of the Day:

“Before we pop the champagne and celebrate the new year, let’s stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt. Because that’s what new year is all about…getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And to stop worrying about ‘what if’ and start embracing ‘what would be.’ So when the ball drops at midnight, let’s remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long.” ~New Year’s Eve

The Single Woman Says:

2012 was a year of great highs for me, but it also had some great lows. This was illustrated in a strangely beautiful way almost two months ago when the day I spoke in front of almost 10,000 women in my first major speaking engagement at the Women of Faith conference in Hartford, Connecticut became the same day I would lose my precious grandfather later that night. And later that week I found myself speaking at his funeral. By the grace of God, Granddaddy was the first family member close to me that I’ve lost, and it was a major blow. What a roller coaster of emotions that week of my life was. But at the same time, it was a perfect metaphor for LIFE. The crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful beautiful thing we call life. My point to all this is to say that there have been highs and lows this year for me, for you, for all of us…and there will be highs and lows next year…but guess what? We’re still standing. We have another chance to get it right. When life becomes a roller coaster, sometimes all you can do is raise your arms, scream, and enjoy the ride. So whatever happened to you this year that was great and magical and beautiful, carry it in your heart as a precious memory as you move forward into your new beginning…and whatever happened to you that was sad and terrible and heartbreaking…take a good long look at it, soak up the lesson, and let it go as you move forward into your new beginning. But whatever you do, remember that’s exactly what this new year is: A new beginning. Another chance. A blank page. A fresh start. A chance to do and be and love and feel and laugh and cry and say hello and goodbye. No matter what you did in 2012, no matter how much you either kicked butt or had yours kicked, no matter how many mistakes you made or tests you failed or detours you took…tomorrow we start again. We roll the clock back to Day 1. We move into a new era of life, one that has not yet been written. So take a moment to look back today and reflect on the year behind you, then let go of the old things and the new things will come. How do I know this? Because they always do.

Happy YOU year.