Is it 2009 already?

Happy New Year.
I can't believe it's already 2009.

I was listening to the radio today, and I heard them recounting the events of 2008 and all the newsworthy happenings that we'd all certainly remember. As I was listening to the list of events (Britney Spears shaving her head, Sarah Palin seeing Russia in her back yard etc...), I realized that we all shared those together in our memory and our construction of the past year. However, I thought about my own year and realized that in addition to what we have been through on a larger scale, it is usually the minor things in our individual lives that really weigh on our memories. In addition to reflecting on the fairly large issues (world recession, historical election etc...) it's really important to reflect on the small things that happen day in and day out. I started thinking about my own year and how it held so much change (as every year usually does) from last January to this January. The moments that we let out a laugh or shed a tear, let someone new into our lives or let someone go, are the ones that form us, even if we don't remember each specific moment perfectly. I had so many memorable moments in 2008, and as it comes to a close, I find myself ready for 2009 to serve me just as many life changing moments.
A week from tomorrow, I am moving to Chile. A week from tomorrow, I'll put into effect a decision I made in 2008 to throw myself into the scariest and most exciting thing I could think of doing right now. It still hasn't hit me, though when I speak those words out loud it resonates a little closer to home. I am so scared and I am so excited, and this pit in my stomach is the perfect balance of each feeling in order to remind me that I am functioning properly as a human being. So, I find myself teetering on overwhelming anxiety and a readiness that's been ripe for some time now. Fortunately AND unfortunately, when I'm anxious I tend to be productive, so I'm already 95% packed. That leaves me less stressed about packing, but it leaves me with nothing much to do for my trip, so I've resorted to cleaning random parts of the house (my mom will approve...) to let out my nervous and excited energy. As 2008 comes to a full close, I find that I have to embrace every ounce of this energy and bring it into 2009, as well as those little moments that got me here.

For now, I'll clean the kitchen or something....

Keep the hugs flowing.
Much love.