Day 365 Question 365:

What have the last 365 days taught/shown you?

I made it!  I started a challenge one day without a strong belief that I would reach the intended goal.  I was going through a rough time and needed something to occupy my time and I thought that once I started to feel better that I would just abandon the project.  Little did I know that this blog would completely change my life.  I  will not stop here.  I will never stop writing.  I will just challenge myself in different ways with different timelines.

So, what has this writing journey taught me?  This past year has allowed me to see me….completely stripped and vulnerable  This journey has taught me that perfection is simply a word not a reality.  It is ok to march to the beat of my own drummer and be the artist I have been dying to be inside…no matter what the critics say.  I have learned that my feelings and thoughts are my own and as much as people want to say I am crazy or abnormal….I am not….I am simply me.  I have learned to accept the madness that goes on in my head and actually use it to my advantage.  I have learned that I know longer want to conform to meet the needs of others.  Through this journey I spent many moments in tears because I reflected on a me that I was sometimes not proud of….or just didn’t like.  This blog allowed me to be honest with myself and as soon as the words were out there I felt a sigh of relief….and my readers helped so much with their kind words and support.

For the last 365 days I have spent an incredible amount of my time with my nose buried in books and my eyes glued to documentaries and to everything that would further my knowledge about the giant world outside of my tiny corner.  By furthering my knowledge I deepened my compassion and empathy and I learned that my life is truly beautiful.  I felt such sadness for those in the world that are unable to experience beauty and happiness because their living conditions don’t allow that.  I have spoken a great deal on behalf of women because through learning I have taken pride in my gender and I ache for more women to take the power they deserve.  I have seen the media focus on appearance and I have seen young girls alter their bodies just to fit a trend….I offered my words to hopefully show these girls and women that no matter how little or how much makeup they put on their face they are beautiful because beauty radiates from the inside out.  This past year I finally learned that I am beautiful….when I truly felt that I cried because I had been waiting my whole life to truly believe and feel it.  If I could spend my time talking to young girls and showing them the beauty that I see I would.

I cannot wait to go back and reread my thoughts…to relive my feelings….to see my growth.  How often do we get to do that?  We take pictures to capture moments but I have a 365 page document that will allow me to see what was important to me every single day for a whole year.  That is what makes me feel so glad that I did not abandon this project.  I have learned that it is ok to not live by a specific path….if you want to wander then wander.  We need to fall sometimes so we are able to prove to ourselves the strength we have within us.  We need to hurt in order to understand what it feels like to feel all of the good and to appreciate all that we have been given.

I end this journey to start a new one.  I believe that new beginnings happen as often as we want them to.  This journey has been magical and to my readers, my family, and my friends both new and old thank you…from the  bottom of my heart thank you.  I have not walked this journey alone….you have all been with me to pick me up at the moments that you knew I needed it.  You have shown me that kindness exists all over the world and comes in all ages, races and genders.  You have made me break out of my shell and stop living in fear….and even when I do feel fear that there is not a thing wrong with that.

For my next journey I hope to capture an even bigger audience.  I will focus on health both mentally and physically and I strive for my words to make an impact on girls, boys, men and women of all ages from all over the world.  I am going to add a Donate Plugin and ask for you my readers to support this project and support my goal to have my work being published….there is nothing I want more than to have my words available for any and all to read and hopefully change their lives (of course in a positive way).  Please stay tuned because I will not be gone for long.  I send so much love to all of you for everything….you have made me the luckiest girl in the world.  Onto the next journey I go…