This post is Day 28 of the 31 Days to Reset Your Life Challenge. Learn more and sign up for the program here.
After 12 whole months, it can be easy to forget all the great things that happened to you this year. Here’s your chance to reflect on all the goodness that came into your life in 2010. Consider this a stellar self-review. Today, you will write a love letter to 2010.
Day 28: Write a Love Letter to 2010
This exercise requires you to answer the following questions. Dig deep! It may be difficult to think back over the course of a year, but give this assignment about an hour so your mind can remember what was important.
Dear 2010,
This is what I loved about you:
- What personal growth milestones did you achieve in 2010?
- What professional accomplishments made you most proud in 2010?
- What were your favorite experiences with friends and/or romantic partners this year?
- What was your favorite family moment from 2010?
- What was the best book/album/movie/restaurant/city/country/etc you discovered in 2010?
When you’re done, please share your “love letter” with us in the comments! How did you feel when you were writing it?
Note: If you blogged about today’s assignment, please post the link in the comments so we can read it!
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This was a relativley easy task for me. After literally about 15 years of nothing or very little ever happening in my life, 2010 was the year it all seemed to change. New years Eve of 2010 was the first time I was sorry to see a year go and I didn’t believe 2011 could be any better. At best, I was expecting more of the same.
Well I was wrong. It has only been 5 months, but 2011 has already been great to me!
Since I started this reset project at the end of march, I have decided to make my letter be from March 2010 last year up to today. More has happend in that lil year and a bit of my life than has ever happened before.
OK 2010/early part of 2011 here goes:
PERSONAL GROWTH MILESTONES
Signed up for and took swimming lessons
Signed up for and took piano lessons
Initiated a meeting with a friend from new York
Started a business
Started a group to make new friends
Freedom quest and NAD mission (my own lil journaling projects)
Discovered many inspriring and uplifting blogs (including Happy Black Woman! In fact most of the ones I discovered were via HBW, so thank you Rosetta!)
PROFFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Started my tuition business
FAVOURITE EXPERIENCES (in no particular order)
PGL (similar to a summer camp that our kids go on at the end of the school year)
Running through the streets of Paris with 30 10 year olds in tow!
Finally learning to let go and float in swimming (let me know how much I was holding onto emotionally. It was a great metaphor and feeling of release when I could finally do it without clinging to the side)
People joining my meet up group
The second meet up we had (a real “Girlfriends” “and the city” experience!)
TORONTO!!!! great vacation, espescially the “maid of the mist” trip to Niagra where rainbows are born!!
BEST DOSCVERY
Curzon Lounge. Great hang out spot for my group
Paris
A range of books.
Mike & Molly (was waiting for a new show to come along!)
Strada (italian restaurant with great knochi (sp?) going today as it happens for sis’s b day)
I’m a sure shot!! Discovered this at PGL when we did target practice. Finally a sport I am good at lol and I did it without my glasses too! Look out bad guys if I ever get a gun lol
Thats just the stuff I can remember!
Now here is the letter:
Dear 2010 and 2011 so far(!)
It isn’t really a struggle to think about or remember all the great things I have done or experienced. If anything, there is probably great stuff I have forgotten.
New years Eve of 2009 I made a resolution that I would shake up my life and try new things. I had been in a rut so damn long and I was finally sick of it enough to DO something.
And in 2010 I made good on that. I did something I always wanted to do when I signed up for piano lessons. I also signed up for swimming lessons (which, thanks to the incompetance of the people running the leisure centre, took a degree of persistance on my part that I wasn’t used to having to display). The best part of that was when I learned to let go of my tension and float. That was an amazing feeling.
PGL was an excellent trip! It was like being at a summer camp. I had an amazing week (except the tan lines under my sunglasses that made me look like a racoon in reverse!) I’m just sorry my camera lost the vids and pics :0(
Paris was a great day. It’s a beautiful city that I didn’t fully appreciate when I went with my family nearly 20 years ago. I’ll always remember me and a colleague running through the streets to make our eiffel tower ride with 30 kids in tow!! (next time, with a man right?! lol)
And Toronto. That was a great vacation. Casa Loma was beautiful (and if I didn’t add gothic archtecture to my list of favourite things, I’ll make that 101!) Niagara falls was a “miracle” experience. All the lil baby rainbows lol Shame there is no way to take pictures when you are that close, but the camera would get drenched! If you ever go to toronto – Maid of the Mist baby!
I am so proud that I broke out of my shell and comfort zone to set up a meeting with a friend from New york who I met on a blog.
I can’t believe I actually started up a business! We’ll have to see how that pans out in september, but I actually did it, almost completley on my own with almost no money and very little knowledge of what it was that I was even doing. But still, I did it. And for that, I should be damn proud of myself.
As for the Freedom Quest and the NAD mission, I have made so, so many internal changes, and all in just 4 months and I know there is more to come. Those 2 journals together are about 110 pages and counting. Will probably fill up my hard drive lol
Thanks to my meet up group, I finally have friends!! woo hoo!! And I am in a much better place to BE a good friend myself.
I rejoined the library, so I’m all set to become a lot more “smartified”(!) (half a decade of working (at best) at the level of an intelligent 11 year old has dulled my intellect somewhat!) and I have my skechers shape ups for the walking, plus my piano for practice. Life’s about to get bizay lol
So thank you 2010 and early part of 2011 for everything you have allowed me to do, be and experience.
My life is about to be a lot different thanks to you.
Nadine
•What personal growth milestones did you achieve in the past year? … and
•What professional accomplishments made you most proud in the past year?
In 2010, my job was terminated (permanent lay-off due to restructuring of the nonprofit company that I worked for.) At first, it seemed like a very negative (tragic) circumstance, because after several months of actively job-searching, I had not found suitable employment. The only job I was offered was an entry-level social services position that would have required me to work a regular full-time day-time schedule, with frequent overtime PLUS be on-call to go out in the field between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am, including weekends and holidays. I would have considered it (very reluctantly) but the salary was unbelieveably low. Declining that job was the best choice for me, because it forced me to take stock of where I am at (an older person with a master’s degree in art, which I had never used profitably), where I want to be (self-employed), and to seek information about how to get there. Before embarking on my present planning for start-up of a profitable home-based business, I took four months to do a volunteer project that was very important to me and to my faith group. I am now actively planning and implementing my business idea.
•What were your favorite experiences with friends and/or romantic partners this year?
Last summer I became involved with co-sponsoring a “unity festival” in the county where I live. In conjunction with that, I invited friends from out of town to participate and to stay at my home for the weekend. I had a “full house” (including tents set up in my back yard. It was wonderful sharing time with friends who I seldom get to see in person, sharing living space, cooking food, and reasoning.
•What was your favorite family moment from the past year?
My immediate family is small, so any time that one of my two daughters comes to visit for a weekend, it is a major celebration on my part. I cook special food and do my best to make the weekend enjoyable and relaxing for my daughters.
•What was the best book/album/movie/restaurant/city/country/etc you discovered in the past year?
Best book – The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle – Thanks to Rosetta for recommending this book!
Best album – Actually, a friend who is a recording artist sent me two songs, professionally recorded, but not yet released on an album for sale. I felt honored to be the recipient of this music preview.
I wrote a long and a short…
the short version -
dear 2010,
thanks for the memories: the good, the bad and the ugly.
you made me stronger and braver
love,
me.
Dear 2010,
Its been an experiance! some good, some bad a real mixed bag with a positive outcome:)
I started the year with no voice and a mini stroke. Work had to let me go
which when I refelt was a good thing. I began working for a woman whom had no clue had to run a business and depened on me to do more than I was paid for.
I learnt that I know more then I give myself credit for.
I had a realization mid year that I could no longer afford to wait for things to happen and I needed to make it happen for myself, the first thing I had to do is to move away from insecure people as they will dragg you down to their level or hold you back. (never lower your standards, only lower your expectations to the situation)
Time away from work allowed me to start healing and regain most of my strenght back. As my mobility improved leaps and bounds from no longer having to rely on all mobility aids the biggest walking unaided.
I spent quality time with my parents and got to them them as individuals not just mum and dad…this was the best experience. Getting to see where my father grew up and having lil one attend the same schools, church aswell helped with the bonding. Spending time at the beach with the lil one swimming in the sea, soaking in the mineral springs (hot baths).
Growing our own food from scratch was fun…lil one helped with the peanuts and reaping the veg and fruits.
I was also fortunate to meet and make some wonderful people, from that job at the beach peir and have made some wonderful friends from Canada, South America, Texas, Germany and the UK. most whom I contact regulary. In the gift shop next to me I met a wonderful women and befriended her and her daughter, this elderly women was so full of life and knowelgde unfortunatly she passed away in December. She had such a wonderful soul and will and is missed dearly, she would tell me daily that life is too short and that I should make more of an effort to go out and do things…so I did and I am.
Culturama 2010 the Island month long Carnival I attended with a new friend I met, we went to the Calypso shows and had an amzing time.
My lil one and I accepted a speed boat ride to our sister Island and cruised around the Island till sunset it was great fun.
We met family that we had only spoken to on the phone and my Dad met his brother for the 1st time in 40 years they lost contact when my dad came to the UK. It was an undiscribable experiance lets just say they contact each other weekly now.
My Fav place to eat was everywhere as fish was caught daily and cooked on the BBQ. Spending Christmas in the Sun….hmmm
At the end of the year we started a new adventure…coming back to the cold but having more opportunities for growth.
Lil one and I have acheived a lot in 2010…..2011 is the next chapter in our journey. I cant wait to see what it brings.
Dear 2010,
You and I had an interesting love affair, wouldn’t you say? I feel like you’ve caused me to grow in my faith, caused me to learn to love smart and fully, and you’ve caused me to see the big picture. In losing one job, I learned to love another! You were truly good to me. Spending time with my favorite loved ones at Sabbath dinners, birthday celebrations, Alumni Weekend, and several other times/places was a true highlight of our relationship. The best moment though was being re-baptized in March. You caused me to realize that getting my life together was such an important step. Bringing my family and friends together for that special day meant the world to me. Lastly, thank you for bringing both the book and movie, For Colored Girls (Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf), into my life. Priceless experiences were had in this wild and crazy affair and I couldn’t imagine changing it one bit. Thank you!
Love Always,
Shauntelle
Dear 2010,
My, have you tried my patience and will to survive you sneaky little…time thief you. Oh how you’ve challenged me in more ways than I can count….
Here’s the rest of the story AND pictures:
http://lucydazilma.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/dear-2010/
Dear 2010,
It’s been a year of extreme ups and downs. It’s been interesting to say the least and at times it felt like it was dragging along but the majority of the time it was flying by. I’ve reached a few goals this year that were pretty significant. Some of my areas of personal growth this year have been:
• I have started working harder to be in control of my attitude
• I have realized my worth and just how AWESOME I am
• I made the difficult decision to move past a relationship that could never be what we wanted it to be
• I have driven, challenged, and pushed myself to do the things that I keep promising myself I will do
Some professional accomplishments that have made me proud this year are:
• I started my business, I actually moved from idea to action
• I executed on a number of things I stated I would do, starting a YT channel, reaching out to business partners/investors, raising money
• I completed my business plan…and it was darn good!
The year has been full of some great times and some deep sadness. But some of my favorite times have been:
• My besties coming to spend time at my house for a weekend, we had an AWESOME time
• Kyiandrea’s birthday surprise was awesome! It felt so good to do something so special for her, she genuinely deserved it
• Going to pole dancing class with my friends was great! It is always wonderful to experience new things but to experience them with great friends is even more awesome
• Eating out…anytime I went out to eat
• Going to dance theatre with Ky, she looked so beautiful that day and given the issues we were having in our relationship at the time it was just so nice to be at ease with her
• My friend Buky’s birthday party. It’s always great to see people you haven’t seen in a very long time and there was great conversation and great fun!
I had great times with my friends and I sincerely value the time I spend with them. But I also had a wonderful time with family as well.
• My daughter’s birthday party was great, all of my friends chipped in to make it a success and boy was it enjoyable
• Christmas with my whole family was the best Christmas ever!
• Spending Thanksgiving with my sister was a first and it was truly enjoyable
• Bowling with me, Ky and the kids
• The days when I would come home to my family, I miss coming home to Ky and the kids it’s what I looked forward to most throughout the day
I had quite a few great discoveries throughout the year, but specifically the best:
- Album was Melanie Fiona’s – I love her soulful voice!
- Movie – Seven Pounds, For Colored Girls
- Restaurant – Swapna
So overall, there were some wonderful things that happened this year. I enjoyed the growth I experienced, the love I felt, the accomplishments I made, and the small discoveries. I had many laughs, great times, smiles, well wishes, hugs, kisses, support, and encouragement. I can honestly say this was a good year despite some of the losses, failures, and sadness. It’s been a pleasure 2010, I’ll miss you but I’m glad you’re leaving!
Dear 2010:
What can I say? We’ve had some really interesting moments. I can’t quite put my finger on our relationship – bittersweet.
Let’s see…you finally allowed me time to get back to myself after being in a rut for 2 years. I learned to say no and to let go of the people who serve no purpose other than to bring drama and negativity. Professionally, I made a huge decision to leave the legal field behind and move on. I took my first trip to California, which was quite honestly, the highlight of 2010.
After years of family feuding, having many random days of reminiscing about growing up, childhood fights and funny stories about family members who have since passed were for sure my favorite family experiences. My favorite album of 2010, Kanye West’ – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, favorite Broadway play was Fela, favorite restaurant was Crustaceans.
You have been like a rollercoaster, but you have made me a better person and therefore, I appreciate you.
Just finish, I was in a funny mood.
—
Dear 2010
Goodbye! You’re still here? I told you could leave. Nah, let me stop playing. On a serious note, these last few months we been hitting heads on something serious. You may have thrown some stones in my pathway but I am still here pushing on. Let’s not dwell on all the bad stuff. We can deal with that in my future therapy sessions.
This is what I loved about you:
Everybody and they mama knows one of my favorite things to eat is burgers and fries. One of my new friends that I met on twitter recommended my new favorite burger joint. Now these burgers aren’t something you can eat everyday. It’s a once a month type of burger at best. In fact before Christmas I met up with a good friend and we had one. He fell in love from the first bite. I think I have become the burger ambassador because I promise to take another friend there soon. So yeah I’m talking about Five Guys. Love, Love, Love them.
My first Five Guys experience was in DC, while I was there for a conference. That reminds me I was a traveling sista first half of the year – from my goddaughter first birthday, cousins graduation, my first conference ever, family reunion, and a trip to the Hamptons. That Hamptons trip was such an eye opener. Yes, there life outside the hood and a beautiful one at that. You would not believe I travel 24+ hours on Amtrak this year. Forty-eight of those hours were spend traveling from NYC to Alabama with the family for your bi-annual family reunion. Crazy, I will never do that again.
Hey, remember when I decided to cut my hair. Everyone is always saying, “Why you want to cut your hair? It’s so long and beautiful.” And after got the cut and people asked “Why?” I said, “Because I wanted to!” It’s my hair people and it will grow back and it did. I think I should do another cut, thinking about going shorter and add some color. The birthday is coming soon so let see what we can come up with.
I mention the knockdowns we went through but there were some sunshine moments. Personally I have grown and professionally, I am finally finding my groove. Not one but two recurring clients under my belt. Pow! Let’s double, triple that in 2011. Also let’s step my blogging game up. I got a few opportunities this year because of blogging. Let’s keep that going and growing strong for next year. It’s time for dreams to come true.
Let burn the all the stress and bad things. Then used the fuel from the fire as motivation to make 2011 a kick ass year.
Love ya. Bye bye.
This was a really excellent exercise. I love d writing it in the form of the letter because I’m a letter writer at heart. Loved this activity. can’t believe the year is almost at an end.
————
Dear 2010,
You were a pretty great year. You helped me to grow and develop as a woman and I’m grateful for that.
This year I took some risks, stepped outside of my comfort zone and while doing that had the opportunity to flourish and grow mentally and spiritually. I’m thankful for the chance to view certain situations from the outside in, I’m thankful that I learned to say no to people, I’m thankful that I started off the year with a vision and I’m really grateful for that big blizzard we had in the DC area.
Without being snowed in I would have never taken a moment to sit still. I wouldn’t have planned out a budget for the year, I wouldn’t have created my vision board and I definitely wouldn’t have been able to sit and think about all the things that were really important to me.
So I love you 2010 for helping me grow as a woman.
2010 I also REALLY love you for my career growth. I started a job the summer of 2009, I received a financial promotion by January, more responsibility and trust by the spring and by the summer I was managing the entire program. Then to cap the year off I was offered a position managing a team. The career growth this year has been pretty phenomenal and I credit much of my career success to the personal growth, spiritual growth and being more focus on what I wanted versus how I wanted other people to see me.
2010 you’ve also been really great in helping me meet some absolutely fabulous and amazing people, thanks to this great thing called social media. Some of these people I would have never connected with and I really appreciate that. I also thank 2010 for the “relationship” I was in. It totally helped me see what I didn’t want in a relationship, how to express that to someone and how to leave and be fine with it. I’m also grateful for feeling free enough to release people from my life and feel no qualms about it and also for being receptive to allow new people in my life.
2010 I’m thankful for all the randomness that happened this year: blind dates, beach days, mommy daughter days, my sudden urge to clean and become über organized, being in the right place at the right time, outliers, synchronicities, family vacations, game nights, girls night in, long conversations with friends, breakdowns, motivations, honest conversations with friends, reconnecting with people, friends finding love, celebrating my aunts 90th birthday, hearing tales from my 92-year-old grandma, cooking thanksgiving, having all my family gathered for a happy occasion, the best dinner ever at cava mezze, the perfect tan that lasted all summer & into the winter, having a perfect hair day and being stuck inside during the blizzard so no one could see it (lol)…. the list could go on and on and on.
2010 thank you for exceeding all expectations, including my own.
Love,
Christen
Dear 2010,
You were seriously one of the best years of my adult life. I am so proud of this year for being the time when I struck out on my own in so many tangible ways. Since August, I’ve moved across the country to California, living alone for the first time in my life. Not only that, I finally broke free from my HR job, in order to find a new position in Event Planning, the field I’d ultimately like to spend my life in. I found a new boyfriend, who treats me well and is kind and caring and not only puts up with my flaws, but finds them beautiful.
My favorite personal growth milestone was my decision to move to San Francisco, even though I tried (and in my mind failed) the last time I lived out there. This time, I decided to do it my way – I made the decision to get my own apartment and I went out hunting alone, without friends or family. Now that I’m back in the Bay Area, I’ve made it a priority to live the life I want to life, regardless of what anyone else has to say.
Professionally, I went out on a huge limb. I moved to SF mostly because of my HR job, which required me to spend large amounts of time in CA. I figured it would be better to be in SF so I would have less travel. However, I realized when I got here that I didn’t love my job at all and didn’t want to be in HR. I kind of fell into it as a career and I didn’t want to wake up one day wondering what could’ve been. I found an internal posting at my company for an Event Planning job (something I’ve been dying to do) and I applied. I didn’t have any experience or background, but I managed to sell myself to the team, ace my interviews, and I start in 3 weeks!
As far as my friends and romantic partners go, I had an amazing last summer in NYC – my friends and I had a “Summer Series” where we explored the best of Manhattan’s bars, clubs, and tourist attractions. I met a great guy on OKCupid and so far things are going really well with him. I’ve never really had a proper boyfriend, I usually kept things pretty casual with guys, so this is a super new experience for me and I’m enjoying it and learning a lot about myself in the process.
I had a great time spending the Christmas holidays with my family, laughing and being silly like we usually do.
As far as the best discovery of 2010, I loved reigniting my love of movies – Harry Potter 7, True Grit, The Fighter, Black Swan (I saw 7 movies in the last week of December alone!)!
Thanks 2010 for a fabulous year! I hope that 2011 goes just as well, if not better!
Tara
This was a great exercise! Had fun doing it. Buh-bye 2010! Enjoy!
http://passionateself.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/dear-2010/
First I can’t believe that it’s already been 28 days! I feel like we just started. I’m getting to that point where I’m not looking forward to the end, lol.
I’m excited about this exercise, I will definitely be carving out some time today to do it.
Man, all of your posts are always timely. Just last night I was quoting lyrics from Musiq Soulchild’s song “Love”. This will be fun.