And we're off... #Reverb10 for December 1st

The Prompt: One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you're choosing that word. Now, imagine it's one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

I saw this email pretty early this morning, and spent a large portion of the day thinking about it as I was finishing up a class I was in. And I've decided on my word for 2010:

Renewal.

2010 didn't start out that great for me. It looked like I had found a job, which was a good thing, but I was rushing to get things finished for it before the Rock Boat. I was going to be moving back to DC, and Matt wasn't going to be coming with me, at least not right away. As a result of all of this, our relationship was really suffering. My finances were a mess after having been on unemployment since September. All of the stress had caused me to put on a bunch of weight. In general, I was a big old mess.

However, as this year has progressed, I really feel as though things have refreshed and renewed. I made the move, and started the job, and have done well so far. Matt came up a few months later, and our relationship is stronger than ever. My finances are back in a manageable place (not perfect - it takes A LOT longer to get rid of debt than it does to rack it up!!). I feel more like a contributing member of society, instead of like the useless failure that I truly felt like for a large part of 2009. And I've started losing the weight I gained, but just like debt, its much harder to get rid of than it is to pack on. Things are definitely looking up.

As far as imagining that its now December 2011 and I'm looking for my 2011 word, I'm having a bit of a struggle between two words, but I think the intent is the same for both: Progression and Growth. 


By this time next year I hope to be in or be looking for a position one rank higher than the one I'm currently in. I hope to be continuing to erase my debt. I'm restarting the masters degree program that I began while I was in the Navy. I hope to get rid of the rest of the weight I gained. I hope that my relationship with Matt will continue to grow. I want to look back on 2011 a year from now and have made some forward and/or upward motion in my life since 2010. I don't want to be in the exact same place 12 months from now that I am today. Physically, maybe, yes. But in life, absolutely not.