Blog of the Week: Evans' Stirring, Straight-Up Farewell to 2012

This is for anyone, everyone who's had that kind of year. And why not? It's no last-minute shot at wallowing, no blaring Times Square ticker of last year's missteps. It's a reminder that sometimes we get cereal for dinner, a big heaping spoonful of nothing we ordered, and it's a lovely little lesson in both humility and optimism. Here's to happily toting both into the year ahead.

Wow, 2012 was a fantastic year, wasn’t it? I traveled to Vietnam, married the man of my dreams, bought a house, learned how to make the perfect Christmas wreath from recycled twigs I found in my great grandmother’s mansion in Savannah, and I just found out I got a huge promotion at my job at Google. Can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store!

Okay, fine. Obviously none of that happened. But, does anyone else feel like everyone out there is having a super rad year? I mean, I’m starting to get a little nervous about my simple little life. Here’s to hoping I’m not the only one, and maybe you can relate. My 2012 went a little bit like this:

I changed jobs; got poorer. I was a bridesmaid twice and learned that the key to a successful wedding reception is providing guests with sliders and miniature milkshakes at the end of the evening. I admired an amazing woman who is fighting cancer and felt guilty for getting impatient with silly day-to-day things that don’t matter. I did a lot of yoga and got really jealous of the woman next to me who was a total bad ass at handstands. I attempted to do handstands alone in the kitchen and fell frequently. I came home to a happy dog; I also came home to a dog who had terrible diarrhea. I moved out of a house with my former boyfriend and packed up to move back in with my mom. I cried a lot and found myself relating to Taylor Swift songs. (Some may call this “rock bottom”). I felt grateful for friends and grateful for a mom who reassured me and told me when I needed to lose the sweatpants and get my butt outside. At times, I considered Honey Bunches of Oats a suitable dinner. I made new friends and bought a new pair of shoes. I felt lonely and defeated.

The best part of this? It’s 100% okay and 100% fantastic. This is life, and—from what I can gather—awkward and crappy things are going to happen. And, even though I didn’t visit any exotic islands or run a marathon, I tried hard. I loved hard, and sometimes, I fell hard.

Cheers to finding your groove in 2013. 

Inside photo: Whole Living