Goodbye, 2010

I started off by naming this "Aufwiedersehen, 2010" but then I realized while it simply means "goodbye" in German, literally it means "until we see each other again". The same goes for the French "Au revoir", and we'll never see 2010 again, so it didn't add up. And the Japanese "Sayonara" just wasn't aesthetic enough, and the Romanian "La revedere" is more of an exclamation than a farewell. So there you have it. The last day of 2010, which is fine with me.

The most obvious transition (and surprise!) of 2010 was my transplantation to New York City. At this time last year I was settled in San Diego and saving to buy a new car, with no long term plans at all, and to be honest no real short term plans at the time either. I've stopped trying to plan my life, or set age limits, on anything. All it does is serves you with frustration when it's not working out, a feeling of failure if you don't make it happen, or stops you from other opportunities because it "wasn't in the plans" when really other situations and other plans are no failure at all. All I have are goals, and to be honest, living in the ever-busy and extremely expensive New York City, all I can do is go one day at a time here, and I do, and I love it. I am wondering what the next step is, or will be. I'm not sure what direction to take, or what to focus on, or know if I should simply just relax and live for awhile. I've found that life will press you into a corner when it's ready to make a change, so I guess I will wait for that to come about.

I am very, very happy in New York City. It used to be that I was restlessly located in San Diego, wondering if and how I would ever live abroad again, if I could make it work in Europe, or teach abroad in Asia, or follow through with the Peace Corps in Africa. But since I've been in New York, all of the longings have quieted, and I don't feel so restless here. Still, if other opportunities present themselves, I am open to that. The idea of "settling down" still scares me, so I've stopped putting boundaries on any plans or my life in general.

All this to say that, who knows what turns 2011 will bring, but I hope I have the grace to receive them. I will be welcoming the new year in via a champagne bar/club in Brooklyn. Auld lang syne!