How the times have changed! The world is drastically different now than it was when I was kid, but my whole LIFE is very different than it was even a year ago.

This is a new year and I'm very grateful for it. I have some new year's resolutions I'd like to implement...but I am already happy with the changes that have occurred in myself and my surroundings.

With change (even good change), of course, often comes sorrow and regret. We are used to things 'a certain way.' I think that stretching beyond our comfort zone into the unknown is what forces us to grow and to find true happiness. But at first, we are often faced with much unhappiness and discomfort in the process.

Last year I had two jobs, moved 7 times, had three last names (I'm keeping the latter!), lost 3 pets, gained a whole new family in addition to my own, and have done the unthinkable. The frightening. The 'taboo.' The unexplainable.

And guess what?

I'm happy. I have broken through the prison walls that surrounded me. Some were placed by others, some just by me. I have stopped making excuses for things and started doing, started being, started living and started smiling! Truly!

There are things I'll never gain back. I will always wonder about roads I could have continued down or gone down. I will always love the ones I lost. But I am at peace with my decisions. I am sure of my actions. My shortcomings can always be improved upon, but I can look myself in the mirror quite comfortably.

As a kid, I remember thinking how certain things were just not fair. I have always been a strong advocate of justice in its different forms. As an adult, I have come to realize that sometimes things are just not fair and there are things you cannot change. Circumstances cannot be forced or undone. You cannot make people change and you cannot always make them happy. Happiness is a decision, starting with yourself. True optimism and joy emanates from accepting yourself and your decisions and not bearing the consequences of other's actions, although we may love them the whole way. Each person must find their own path and travel their own journey. When the road divides, it is a cause for great heartache, but sometimes it comes down to either standing still or choosing a path.

I am so grateful for my family and friends, though I have been so very busy and may seem aloof. There is a not a day that goes by that I do not think of those I love and cherish and my goal this year is to reconnect and make sure that my loved ones know how much I care.

Happy new year!

Yes, it's a little late, but better late than never?