2012
The first major development this past year was graduating from OSU in June. I completed a Bachelors of Art in Strategic Communications with a minor in Cultural Anthropology in only 3 years. Most people take the full 4 years to finish that major, but I pushed myself hard to complete everything in 3! I felt ready to move on from schooling and begin my life, and the feeling of waking up and having no homework, no required reading, and no pressure on me from grades was amazing. I never realized just how much stress school put on me until I was finished, and I'm glad I hurried things along and graduated early.
Along with graduating came work, and I was incredibly blessed to begin working as a Life Claims Examiner for Nationwide Insurance only a few months after graduation. It's a contract job that will be ending soon, however the time I've spent there has been amazing. Not only have I learned a lot, but I've found that enjoying work and enjoying time with coworkers is possible!! Working with clients who are filing life insurance claims on deceased family members may sound terribly depressing, but it gives such a sense of accomplishment to be able to help people during their times of need. Not only that, but you would be surprised at the multitude of life lessons you learn when dealing with life insurance! I'll be sorry to say goodbye to everyone next month, but I'm so thankful for the opportunities and friendships that I've made.
Another thankful development over the past year was that I have come off of my gluten and coconut free diet! The stress from my PTSD had caused my body to stop handling minor problems, such as a food allergy, and instead overreacted to it. In 2011 I really struggled with illness from that, but now that I've given my body time to reset itself and began to get better control of my anxiety, things have been corrected. So, I can now happily munch down on an Almond Joy or binge on some pasta without worrying about becoming incredibly ill :)
On a smaller side note, I'd like to officially announce that I got a tattoo this year! I got it in May on the 2 year anniversary of my assault, as a daily reminder to myself that the 'deep mud' I've come through only proves how strong I am. (this is in reference to the story of the lotus I talked about in a previous post)
it's on my rib cage...difficult to show well in a picture without revealing too much!
And to be honest, I've needed that reminder quite a bit recently, and having that permanent image right there is a simple way to keep myself feeling positive. And in keeping with my philosophy of never putting anything on the internet that my grandmother couldn't see, she already knows and loves it!
2013
I'm incredibly hopeful looking forward to 2013. There are already a few things that I can't wait for, and the first one on my mind is my upcoming trip to JAPAN!
I'll be fulfilling a long-time dream of exploring the culture and beauty of the country, along with a few other tourists. It's a tour group out of England, Australia, and America, so our small group will all be English speaking. I'm sure that in future trips there I will be able to go on my own, but for a first trip I need to be 'shown the ropes' quite a bit. I'll post a lot more about the trip in the future, but I am counting down the days until I get the first stamp on my passport!
This next year will also bring another job my way, hopefully, as I'm going to start looking once the holidays are over. So, if you hear of any openings where you or a friend are, feel free to pass the information on!
