Dear 2010 ...

Always hopeful

Dear 2010,

Thank you for being so good to me. 2008 and 2009 were pretty rough, but 2009 signed off with promises of a better tomorrow.

In 2010 I got a lot done, and I gained a clearer perspective of my life, of where I’d been and where I’m going. 

I turned in an overdue book proposal, I wrote a non-fiction book in Spanish on finding love again in mid-life (which will be released in February 2011), I wrote a first rough draft of a novel in English (which I will rewrite in 2011) and I kept Success Diaries going in two languages and in three Internet sites (and I´ll kick it up a notch in 2011).

I saw my 9-year old off at the airport on her first solo trip from Florida to Spain and back and then before Christmas I took both my girls and their dad (my former husband) to the airport so they could all spend the holidays in Spain together.

I traveled to San Francisco to visit my beloved sister.

I dealt with unfinished business, personal, financial and emotional. Some of it will carry over into 2011 but hopefully not for long.

I stayed in shape and healthy. I am grateful for it: mental, emotional and physical health. I know I am fortunate to have it. It hasn´t always been that way. 

I was given the opportunity to promote my books on TV. Thank you!

The meaning of relationships: romantic love, friendship, family, have taken on a new meaning. My glass is always half full, and my heart is brimming. 

And yet, it pains me to know that some of my friends and family are suffering in 2010, in ways that I did before them. I’m glad that I can use my own experience to tell them that perhaps 2011 will also bring them the promise of a better tomorrow. 

To those who can´t wait for you to be over, 2010, I say:

The rest of your life starts today.

And … as Christopher Robin said to Winnie the Pooh:

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

www.lorrainecladish.com