Resolute

^

This is weirding me out...

Not gonna lie!

You know,

a good weird,

like best friend getting engaged weird.

When I was little, the "2000's" sounded so futuristic to me,

I predicted

pet robots,

hover cars,

space suits,

moon boots,

houses like the Jetson's,

food that came in small chewable tablets...

Boy was I wrong!

I got a little closer three years ago when I predicted

college education,

health,

new friends,

new adventures,

a higher level of maturity

and independence,

marriage

(hey, I said "a little closer").

However, if you showed me then, a clip of the me I am today

I would've laughed at you in disbelief.

That's not to say that I think I'm amazing, by any means,

It's just to say that I've come a long way since I graduated high school

And I'm proud of myself for it.

(you know, the wholesome kind of pride, like Lucky Charms sans the marshmallows)

I've never been one to make (or keep) resolutions at the beginning of each year,

because I make them at the beginning of each day.

I learned a long time ago, and several times since, that (as Madre puts it)

"Life is hard by the yard.

By the inch, life's a cinch."

That's how growing is done and progress is made:

By inches. By steps.

And so, I approach the new year,

The new decade of "20-teens",

One day at a time.

With a prayer for something good,

Hard work for something better,

And the blessing of the best.

I don't know where I'll be next year.

I hardly know where I'll be next week.

All I know is that time will pass effortlessly, and trials will rage like the relentless beating of the waves of the sea, and I'll want to quit.

However, I also know that with Determination to progress and loving Faith, as my loyal companions, I will arrive at the final destination polished like a sand-blasted stone.

Changed for the better.

No regrets.