“Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.” ~Max Ehrmann

On the inside, I buried vulnerability. I played the resilience card. I sought out quick-fixes. And I convinced myself I was okay. I pretended I was fine eventhough I was not. I wasn’t taking care of myself emotionally at all. For example, I didn't know how to handle a situation when it trickled into my life unplanned this year. Somewhere along the overachieving path of seeking my perfect life and always looking into the future (i.e. a new home, a new job, a new city & a new life), I lost myself somewhere in the dark and sad place. I managed to forget how to take care of my inner world and the present me. After neglecting what was really going on in my life, I ended up in a curled up ball in my bedroom corner, head buried in my knees, feeling a heavy amount of pain all at once. I asked where is God? Where is he? When I acknowledge that changes, challenges, and hardships are there to deepen my life — to remind me that I do get second chances and that I am made up of love, compassion, and healing — a new awareness appears. With this new awareness, I decided to end 2012 with the promise to live differently. I made a decision to wake up each day, wholly, by connecting to who I am — to nurture myself from the inside out, to be with life instead of delay it — and, in turn, I can see my days will start to become more inviting again. :-)