Indiana Woman Has Been Making 2022 Her “Year of Yes” and Here’s How It’s Going
For many, the last couple of years were anything but kind. A lot of us lost people that were close to us, people that we cared deeply for, leaving us grieving a tremendous loss. There is no doubt that the pandemic had an incredible impact on our own physical and mental health as well. It certainly was a wake-up call to just how short and finite our time here with the people we love really is. All of these things are why I made the decision to make 2022 my 'Year of Yes!' Let me explain...
More Than a New Year Resolution
My decision to make 2022 my 'Year of Yes' was so much more than a New Year resolution. It was a promise to myself that I was going to start living my life in a more present state of being. As a recovering alcoholic I try to live my life 'one day at a time,' but I wanted to start making the most out of each and every day because if the pandemic taught me nothing else, it's this: we never know when we will wake up for our last day.
Falling Apart
In January of this year, I shared about making 2022 my Year of Yes and the motivation behind the decision. Not only did I lose several family members and friends during the pandemic, but it was in November 2020, when I lost my dad unexpectedly and my whole world fell apart. I've talked before about my relationship with Dad and why losing him was so incredibly hard.
The World Doesn't Stop When We Lose Someone We Love
I spent so many months in a daze as I moved through the stages of grief and mourning the loss of my dad, at least as best as I could. Sometimes our lives don't allow us the space to grieve like we need to because, well, the world doesn't stop just because the people that we love have died.
Ten Days. Ten. Days.
Losing Dad made me realize just how short life truly is and how many moments I had been taking for granted because I thought I had more time. I actually had lunch with my dad ten days before he died. Ten days. He called me up because he happened to be in Evansville and asked if I had time for lunch. I didn't but I didn't tell him that. I just made the time that day and I am so glad that I did because I had no idea it would be the last time I would see him.
Questioning Everything
Ten days - that was it. Ten days and then he was just... gone. In the days and months that followed losing Dad, I began questioning everything. My life. My career. My relationships. I started looking at where I spent my time, and who I spent it with. I realized life is finite and fragile and I started making changes.
Reevaluating Life As I Knew It
It also got me thinking about all of the things that I have always wanted to do but haven't. Ten days... Was I investing my time in places, people, and things that bring me joy, or was I in a place of stagnancy, sadness, and disrespect? Does this relationship bring me joy? Is it this person growing with me or are they keeping me from growing at all? Does this old habit bring me in alignment with the person I aspire to be or is it toxic for my growth and holding me back?
2022 And A New Way Of Life
I was really examining every aspect of my life and then I started thinking about all of the things that I have always wanted to do and the millions of reasons and excuses I had made over the years to keep me from doing them - I didn't have time. I didn't have the extra money. I allowed someone else's opinion to prevent me from trying or doing it. And then I remembered... Ten days...
The Birth of a Year of Yes!
There will always be a million excuses for why I can't do the things that I have always wanted to but I realized that the only thing really holding me back was me. And this was the beginning of my Year of Yes!
Ways I Have Said Yes
The Year of Yes started in January when my daughter and I decided we were going to go to the annual Forecastle Festival together. We bought tickets, booked our stay, and started shopping for fun things to wear. Some people may have felt like I was far too old to run off for a weekend music festival or to dress in cute festival wear but I did it. And you know what? It was epic!!!
Travels, Adventure, and New Skills
Aside from the music festival, I have attended several concerts, and even had my first experience as an official press photographer. I've taken a few road trips, had some adventures, and I got to celebrate my daughter's 23rd birthday with her in Miami Beach - a place I had never been but had always dreamed of visiting. My skills in the kitchen have improved. I am volunteering more and I am even finally learning to play the guitar - something I have wanted to do for twenty years.
A Year of Opportunity, Growth, and Friendship
My Year of Yes hasn't just been about music festivals and concerts though. It has also been about taking chances, meeting new people, making new friends, and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. When an opportunity for a new experience presents itself, this is the year that I say yes - even if I don't think I have time, even if I don't think I can afford it, even if I think that someone else might scoff or laugh, even if I am scared to try... because ten days.
The Year Isn't Over
2022 isn't over yet and I am looking forward to waking up again tomorrow for a new chance to live in my Year of Yes. Ten days. Life is short and there is a lot of it that I still haven't lived yet. If you're still here, and you've made it this far, thank you for sharing in my Year of Yes. While 2022 will continue to be my Year of Yes, I do plan to carry that philosophy well into next year, and the year after that and I hope that maybe I have inspired you to live your own Year of Yes.
Much love,
Kat
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