It only occurred to me last week that as we come to the end of 2019, we close the entire decade. During December, I tend to get caught up in a flurry of holiday hoopla leaving end of the year reflections dangling in that somewhat suspended space between December 26 and December 30. Then suddenly it’s December 31, the last day of the year, and just like that, a new year has arrived. The end of a decade seems much bigger than the end of a year, and worthy of reflecting upon the last ten years of life.

From 2010-2019, I have been on the roller coaster of life; the biggest one, the fastest one, at times, the scariest one that takes my breath away. Have you? I’ve celebrated the highs and trudged through the lows. There were corkscrew spins, upside down sections, the loop de loop… not to forget the free falling, climbing, plunging, and sharp turns; and and of course the thrill of speed and weightlessness and then the inevitable return to the reality of gravity. Sometimes I had to hang on tight and others I threw my arms to the sky in delight.

During the past ten years, I experienced some of the deepest challenges of my life and also participated in the most extraordinary things I could ever have imagined or thought possible. I have come through at the end with broadened perspectives, new skills, new and wonderful relationships, and an expanding outlook on what is possible. I am here on the final day of 2019 filled with gratitude for the valuable lessons that I have learned along the way that I know will leave me well-equipped for the new and exciting chapters to come.

Of course, in reality, the end of each year is the end of its own decade. We are just accustomed to thinking of decades in terms of in round numbers. To be honest, there are some things that have completed the cycle and I am beyond thrilled to have this bookend of the decade and slam it shut. Other chapters have only just begun and I’m excited to continue writing those pages to discover where these new adventures will lead and brand new chapters to be opened in the new year and the new decade. I look forward to the lessons and explorations to come.

And as I will assuredly sing Auld Lang Syne with friends and family at midnight tonight, it translates to an appropriate conclusion: “Let’s share a drink to days (and decades) gone by”.

Happy New Year!