I Feel Like A Changed Woman

Last week, I received a comment from a reader that basically said to just appreciate everything in the moment, even the tough times or feelings of disappointment, to get through them and live in the present. I've been thinking about that a lot since -- it's a very powerful way of thinking -- and really loving the effect it's had for me.

I'll be honest, last week wasn't the easiest week, and there were several disappointments. At the end of the day, I try to tell myself that the very best you can do each day is to just live for what you believe in and surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you, not the worst. Change is a vicious, evil mistress and I don't think any of us like it, especially when it feels like being plunged head first into icy water and needing those few minutes to catch your breath.

But it's a fact of life and it's always going to happen, so I've been trying to figure out how to handle it more gracefully and keep moving forward. For me, emotional by nature, that means working through the disappointments but maybe doing so more privately, definitely not tweeting about the things that bother me, and just overall trying to focus on the positive instead of the negative.

I like to think that the positive thinking has been responsible for how amazing the last couple days have been. Saturday night I went out with friends to celebrate my birthday. Men in tight jeans, cowboy boots and hats, shooting whiskey and two-stepping women around the dance floor? You all should know that is totally my scene. The night was perfect -- at the end of the night, my feet hurt from dancing, my throat hurt from singing too loud, and my face hurt from smiling.

Sunday I cancelled my big group brunch plans in favor of sleeping off the whiskey from the night before. I grabbed a late brunch with one of my best friends, then played out in the sun on the Southwest Waterfront. Came home and cooked myself a delicious dinner and felt strangely satisfied and grown-up, which was a huge improvement from feeling too old last week.

And today might somehow have been the best day yet. I went in to a quiet day in the office -- our contract is winding down as we run out of work -- and decided to play hooky for a few hours with a friend at the Lincoln Memorial. I think it had been a good ten years since I'd climbed those steps and gazed out on the Mall. The weather was gorgeous, my friend entertained me with stories, and I just felt like life slowed down to a happy, easy gait. After I went back to work for a few hours, I chatted with my very best friend and then got an offer on a new contract to start next week, before heading out for beers and grub with a friend. When I came home and picked up birthday packages that were waiting and found myself singing while I changed clothes ... I realized how happy I am right now.

So who knows. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's the positive thinking, maybe it's just coming out the dark side of the tunnel finally ... but I feel like a new person, ready for the exciting part of change instead of that terrifying part. I'm actually somehow excited about turning a year older tomorrow.

Bring it -- I'm ready for it.