01.01.11

its actually not 01.01.11 anymore, it is somewhere in the wee hours of 01.02.11 but i'm not counting. its 5:30 AM and i've already been awake for 2 hours, which is just wrong on so many levels.

another year has come and gone. this past year was a difficult one for me, but also a year of new achievements. despite my dad's struggles with his health and my personal ups and downs; i ran my first half marathon in austin, completed my masters degree in education and became team leader of fourth grade at my school. i always try to imagine, how would i sum up my year in a sentence? 2010 taught me that there is much to lose in life, but also much to gain from those times of struggle.

so far, 2011 has welcomed me with luck on my side. this morning i left my passport and documents for the first time EVER at the security check point. i realized within 5 minutes while i was buying some coffee, raced back - and they were holding it all for me. i imagined i had left it laying on my checked baggage, or put it down somewhere where i would never find it again. then, on my flight to atlanta, they moved me to first class for 'weight and balance'. not sure if that is a compliment or not - but i got extra leg room, blankets, snacks and... wait for it... a glass cup.

so, what is life all about? what does it all mean? why does it hurt so much sometimes? i don't have any more answers then i did a year ago. but i do know that if i can appreciate the little details - running into an old friend on the train, sharing a hamburger with my mom, painting a picture, or getting extra leg room on the plane - that is what life is all about for me, for now. my new years resolution is to focus less on the big picture, and more on the little.

maybe i'll manage to understand the big picture in 2011.