A look back at 2013

As the month of January comes to a close, I just now find myself reflecting on the past year. Possibly because school just started back, and for me, this feels like just as big of a new beginning as turning over a calendar.

My mother said she could never understand why people care about New Years or made resolutions because they never keep them and the day turns out just as any other. Well, no offense to my mother, but I for one love the holiday. The year 2013 brought me quite a few places. Some good, some not so much, but as I told her, a new year brings hope, if nothing else, and awakens people to think outside the box, try new things, and ultimately grow.

In the past 12 months…

…I ventured outside the United States for the first time, exploring London, England and Paris, France. I learned so much about myself as a person, how strong and independent I am, dealing with traveling hiccups on my own and learning to take things as they come. I really feel as if there is something in that European air that somehow smoothes things over. Whatever it is, I want to breathe it in again as soon as possible.

 

…I interned with Indianapolis Monthly at Emmis Communications in Indianapolis, Ind.  While I have lived on my own for the past few years in college, living and working on my own outside a campus setting was quite exciting. I was able to meet up with old friends, meet new friends, find great mentors, learn countless things about the magazine world, and gain a few writing clips for my future – all while exploring a new city. I am truly grateful for all the opportunities and learning I acquired while at Indianapolis Monthly.

…I spent a weekend in Nashville, Tenn. visiting some family I haven’t seen in over five years. Good music, good laughs, good times.

…Got accepted into the mass communications graduate school program at Texas Tech University. While I will feverishly search for a job this semester before I graduate, it is comforting to know that I have at least one plan to follow come May.

…I rang in the New Year at a trendy bar outside Chicago with a great friend, and then started the New Year exploring another new city, in the mist of a giant snowstorm. Even though we had to trek through foot-high snowdrifts in search for an intersection to catch a cab from, I couldn’t help but look up and catch snowflakes on my tongue. We ran through the rail station and caught our train with two minutes to departure. You gotta take life as it comes at you, right?

So yeah, maybe January 1 is just like any other day of the year, but I have hope that 2014 as a whole will bring new experiences. And I have hope that I can take each of those experiences with a smile on my face.