Reflecting on 2010

New Year's Eve 2010. As I prepare to ring in the new year, I can't help but reflect on the year that's passed. The ups and downs that have "made me who I am". 

It's been a really difficult yet wonderful year in many ways. It's the first full year I've spent living in London with my British husband.

This was the year I felt incredibly lonely and afraid in a new city, having left the comfort of family and friends behind. This is the year I felt stripped of everything that I thought was good about myself and had to rebuild and rediscover "me"in order to live with and make the most of my decisions. 

It's the year that my husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary, and looked back on that very happy day and then the chaos that unfolded soon after in September 2009. It's the year that, despite many difficulties, we decided to fight hard for our relationship...and proved that love does conquer all things. This was the year I truly understood the meaning of loving unconditionally and, finally, exhaled. 

This was the year I focused my energies on establishing myself in my professional life and carved a unique role for myself within my company. 

This is the year I've started figuring out where my strengths lie, what my passions are and what my priorities are now, as opposed to holding onto the past and who I was back when life was "easy". 

  

This is the year that I made friends in London on my own time and my own merit.

This was the year my mom had an emergency triple bypass and terrified my brother and me. This is also the year that I've seen her healthier and more energetic than she's been in years.

This is the year I've seen my mom's heart breaking, and felt mine breaking for her. This is the year I vowed to make sure that I do everything in my power to keep her as happy, healthy and safe as possible.

This is the year my husband and I moved to Notting Hill, and discovered a beautiful community in the heart of London in which we can fondly call home.

This is the year that I've started regaining my confidence. I've started seeing that woman who I knew was always there but got lost for a bit. I've started being proud of myself again and setting goals that challenge me physically and mentally.

This is the year that I've depended on the belief that with every bad or unhappy circumstance, a better and happier circumstance is soon to follow. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

I look ahead to 2011 with love, joy and excitement. I plan to take control of the things I can, to let go of those I can't and make the most of every experience. I plan to exhaust myself with possibilities and have faith that a little hope and a lot of love does achieve greatness.

Happy 2011!

Running

I'm currently training for the London Marathon in April. I'm doing it for 3 reasons: 1. For my mom, who had an emergency triple bypass in August and is making the most amazing recovery for a woman who is 61 years old. She is my constant source of inspiration and, without her, my life just wouldn't make sense

Secondly, I'm extremely proud to be running for the charity Whizz Kids, who help disabled children receive the care and support they need to make their lives as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. This cause has a very special place in my heart, as my brother-in-law, Spencer, is severely disabled and provides my husband and I with so much love, joy and gratitude.

The third reason, and least important in the lineup, is that running heals my soul. It is one of the few things that allows me the time and freedom to reflect on my life- past, present, and mostly future. I love that you don't need much equipment to run- just a good pair of trainers (or as we American call them, sneakers), some leggings, a top and you're off!

I love the informality of running, the fact that one can go anywhere- physically, mentally and spiritually- that the heart desires. You can stay on the straight and narrow path or veer off track (much like life).

I normally run in the morning, both for my health and sanity. I know that if I don't take that hour for myself the day certainly won't give it to me. With work and social commitments (and the fact that it gets light at 7am and is freezing!), it is very often difficult to get motivated. The bed plays a good devil in the daily episode of waking at 5.25am. But once I'm moving, dusting off the cobwebs, and the sweat starts dripping and heart rate increases, I'm inside my head and heart, and everything is good.

When it comes to running, I am always reminded of the movie What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson as a big Advertising Exec in NYC. In one of the scenes he has to pitch a big campaign to the women of Nike, and what he said instantly hit a chord. It spoke to me and has remained engrained in my mind for probably over 10 years now.  Please humour me and read below:

You don't stand in front

of a mirror before a run...

and wonder what the road
will think of your outfit.

You don't have to listen to its
jokes and pretend they're funny.

lt would not be easier to run
if you dressed sexier.

The road doesn't notice
if you're not wearing lipstick.

lt does not care how old you are.

You do not feel uncomfortable...

because you make more money
than the road.

And you can call on the road
whenever you feel like it,

whether it's been a day...

or even a couple of hours 

since your last date.

The only thing
the road cares about...

is that you pay it a visit
once in a while.

If you are interested in supporting me in the marathon, please go to:
http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/MeghanKay

Till next time, Mx