Taio Cruz- Dynamite

It is New Years Eve eve....

New Years is one of my favourite holidays of the year. Superceded only by my birthday, I like both occassions for the exact same reason- it is a perfect opportunity to reflect on time passed and to begin fresh starts.

2010 was quite the year. Some highlights:

-starting 2010 on the beach in Ecuador and finishing a month long vacation with my family as we celebrated my brother's wedding! We hadn't vacacyed as a family since I was 14. Memories created- priceless!

-surprising two very special friends with tickets to a Blue Rodeo concert. Nothing gets you through the dead of winter like Jim Cuddy in skinny jeans and the company of two beautiful sister friends. And Canada won gold on our home turf. Absolutely amazing to see so much Canadian pride.

-birthday celebrations in April, one word: epic.

-summer travels- Las Vegas, a roadtrip from Vancouver to Edmonton, and another opportunity to experience the jungles, mountains and deserts of Peru. Traveling sobers me, grounds me, and ALWAYS challenges me to grow. I send extra love and gratitude to my travelmates in Peru in July. That month shifted my energy in a way I find so hard to explain in words yet feel deeply and effortlessly in my heart. Pure and true magic.

-a wonderful August training period with the Residence Life Team at Ryerson. True tests in being present to the grand opportunity I am afforded in my work life as my beautiful co-workers and I work with students that challenge us, inspire us, make us laugh, and most of all- make each and every day at work a dynamic adventure.

-synchronicity providing an opportunity to teach Life Skills at the college level- w.o.w!!!! Combining my teaching skills with an age group I feel so connected to in an environment that I find so enthralling has made the last 9 weeks of 2010 extra enlightening. Can't wait to see what experiences branch from this opportunity.

-living with besties- roommate relationships are extra special. These people have seen me at my best and at my worst. I can truly say I have practiced the act of giving and receiving unconditional love. I will forever cherish the memories made, the laughs had, the tears shared, and the bonds deepened in this time together.

-change, change, change- continually learning to deal with it, to face it, to smile deeply at it, and to surrender to flow of the universe. Thank you to those who help me through the resistance/anxiety and get me through to the other side. Much much much appreciated! :)

I am looking forward to 2011. I have learned to breathe deeper this year. I have experienced such incredible beauty in nature, people, and in myself. I have journeyed through darker moments and allowed myself the chance to truly experience these times with the same reverance I have for the perfectly timed conversations, the books that have come exactly when needed, the people I have met and/or reconnected with, and all of the other divine experiences I have been privy to this year.

One the eve of 2011, in the truest sense of the phrase, I deeply understand, and feel- it REALLY, really, really, REALLY- is all good!

Happy New Year! May life shower the most sublime experiences that will further your journey, your growth, and your ability to deeply contribute to our world in the way only YOU can.

I send you my fave song of 2010- throw your hands up, feel good and celebrate!!!

Much love,

j