As 2009 comes to a close, it's time for Lisa-Michelle's Year In Review. But, it's also the end of a decade and my thirties. Wow!
What happened in 2009?
The economic crisis effected everyone I knew. It made my already tight budget more challenging but, having learned to live within my means the year before, I weathered the storm easier than most.
In New York, we experienced major layoffs and joblessness. We watched prices drastically rise across the board as salaries were frozen and cut. We also witnessed a new age of smart shopping.
We all got a little older. My friends and I are feeling aches and pains more than before. Ailments of the older generations are now ours. We feel the after effects from shoveling snow, raking leaves, or moving furniture.
For those of us who are fortunate enough to still have our parents with us, we've watched them get older, too. Sometimes this is harder than what we go through ourselves. It's difficult to watch them go through these changes. Dad doesn't walk up stairs or eat anything green. Mom doesn't go too far from the house, because she's afraid to leave Dad home alone for too long. It all happens too soon, regardless of when it actually begins.
We were stricken with swine flu — H1N1. I actually was the first person where I work to have (or admit that I had) it. Throughout New York City and Long Island, Purell stations appeared everywhere, and we were all encouraged to wash our hands well and often. If it was only that simple . . .
Also on the health front, I found out the hard way that I'm allergic to sulfa medications and got myself a pretty new Medic Alert bracelet. I hope nothing else comes my way, because I've run out of room on it.
Although I didn't lose weight or go to the gym more often, I feel healthier than I have in a long time. I believe good health is a balance between mind, body, and spirit.
This year, I focused on fine tuning my life's balance, along with building positive relationships and weeding out the negative ones. I was able to hone in on all that was good in my life and grow personally and professionally. My achievements this year as a coach, on the Long Island Chapter of the International Coach Federation’s Executive Board, and as a volunteer will remain special memories for a long time to come.
It's not easy to say good-bye, but several people, practices, and activities that weren't good for me were sent packing.
I certainly didn’t want to say good-bye to baseball this year, which will be remembered by another championship for the boys in the Bronx.
With the social media explosion, we reconnected with distant relatives and lost friends, and we built our professional networks. Whether we're on LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, or other sites, we're connecting like never before.
I'm a Facebook junkie and love every minute of it.
Many people are making new friends online, too. I'm usually more cautious than most in this area. When I broke my “only accept people I know on Facebook” rule, I had a crash course in reality, the dangers of identity theft, and Lifelock. It turned out that the measures I already was taking to protect my identity sufficed, but the experience scared me enough to rule out entertaining any future requests.
Like never before, this was a great year for communicating. With family, friends, exes, and even current relationships, I expressed my thoughts, needs, and opinions. Sometimes with fear and other times without. The results were remarkable.
Maybe the venues available have helped many of us open up. We no longer have to confront all of our challenging situations face-to-face. We can comfortably communicate by e-mail, text messaging, instant message/chat, etc. I don’t think any of these should negate the value of looking into someone’s eyes when speaking, but they can help get a conversation started . . . or end others.
I’m not suggesting we give up on live, face-to-face conversations and moments. Some of my best memories from 2009 were times when I was too nervous to speak, when I blushed, when I looked into someone’s eyes and went weak in the knees, when I tripped over my words, and when I saw that I had a similar effect on someone special.
This year also will be remembered as a time when I was open to new experiences and allowed myself to go where my heart desired. I’m so grateful for every moment.
I’ve always lived my life with no regrets, and this holds very true for 2009, too. Every new experience I enjoyed and every door I opened or closed will be remembered well. Every smile, embrace, kiss, touch, laugh, hug, and even tear made this year a very special one for me.
As I reach the homestretch to the big 4 – 0 and beyond, I feel truly blessed to have wonderful people in my life, who make living each day worthwhile, enjoyable, and exciting.
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