I started 2016 with high hopes, like the rest of us. There were so many good things that were supposed to happen. And some of them did. But a lot of things didn’t go how they were supposed to go. Yes, I get that this is life, but this year was exceptionally out of control.
I personally feel like, with the exception of buying a house, not a lot changed for the better in my life. A lot of that is due to me letting myself be all consumed by the move. I am so grateful that I was able to buy a house with tons of support from my family and friends – but I never dreamed that at my age, I’d be unmarried, have no kids, and be buying it myself. But that is why I am proud that I did it and didn’t wait for anything to change.
I am so thankful for so many things in my life, especially my relatively good health. So many people who I love were so much less fortunate than I was in that department. I get that this is life, but it was too much this year. To those who lost parents, friends, children, animals, jobs and even body parts (not joking), I am so sorry. I won’t go into gory details, but a loss occurred this year that was unimaginable, and it broke my spirit and faith in the world in an almost unrecoverable way.
And the musicians and actors who left us, most way too young- that had better stop in 2017!
There is unfortunately no way that I can be optimistic about the safety and future of this country, and I am angry that the woman who won the popular vote by millions of votes will not be our President. I am worried for our planet with an incoming administration who doesn’t believe in climate change. And I am already grieving for animals that will become extinct- likely the polar bear.
We all have a tendency to get wrapped up in our own stuff, and sometimes I get frustrated with friends who don’t check in on me. But then I realize that I am guilty of the same exact thing, and they are feeling the same way. To my friends who have felt neglected- I will try better. My friends are my family where I live!
With my actual family, my sister, on the Cape.
This year, I had to distance myself from friendship that had become too hurtful to maintain at the level that it had been. I am sure that this person thinks that it was easy for me to do so, but it was excruciating. I didn’t have a choice. And while it still hurts all of the time, I have a lot less negativity from my friendships as a whole. After what I have been through in the last year and a half, I have become more selective about who I regularly surround myself with.
I have a friend through my work, who is also a client, who I see a few times a year. This person has a great heart, but they are a bit of an Eeyore when I see them. I took them out for a holiday lunch thinking, “If they only knew how tough my year was, they wouldn’t complain!” And then I found out at lunch that this year, the person lost their mom, was in contant pain from an injury that occurred last year, has a boss who tortures them, and almost lost their father and now spends every weekend caring for him. I left lunch thinking, “I really need to put more energy into appreciating what I have.”
Preppy Francophile is pretty superficial, and I keep it that way on purpose. I find something to love about life on a daily basis, and I like to share what I love. I would love more followers and an additional source of income, but not having that isn’t going to stop me from blogging.
I wish everyone a much better, healthier happier year in 2017. I hope for the best for those I know and for those who I don’t know. I hope that if you have good health and that of your friends and family do as well, that you appreciate every second of it and every second that you have all of them. If have pets, I hope that you cherish everything about them, even if it includes poop, vomit and other things that they can’t clean up. I hope that if there is something in your life that makes you unhappy that you have the power to change, that you change it. And I hope that we all stay safe and that we treat each other better.
Happy New Year!
xx
Love you Jenny! Happy New Year!