It’s the evening of November 27th, 2014. I am reading a library book, editing a blog entry, messing around with lyrics for a new song, playing soca in my head, wondering why my back hurts on one side, and contemplating going to the kitchen to get a snack . . . all pretty much at the same time.
I was doing a lot of things at this time on last November 27th, too. I was at the Lester B Pearson International Airport and I was wondering what I had forgotten to pack, helping carry bags and musical instruments, joking around to keep myself from feeling nervous, celebrating the fact that the wind and snow outside had lost their power over me, taking pictures, saying goodbye to my parents, and forbidding myself to cry. I was about to leave home for my first overseas gig, to spend six months singing in Dubai.
It’s times like this that I realize, all over again, what a difference a year makes.
Here are some current-me updates, in case me-from-a-year-ago is interested. Since last November 27th, I have:
– completed the Dubai gig (153 shows done, and 52 songs written during downtime, but who’s counting?)
– met some great new and hopefully lifelong friends
– gained and lost weight
– gained and lost and gained hair length
– gained and lost a glorious Arabian tan
– developed and recovered (?) from crushes on numerous men from the UK
– tried fly boarding
– landed my first role in a feature film, gaining insight about myself and other people as I learned what it feels like to be the subject of criticism in the big wide world of social media
– been blessed by the arrivals of 5 (!) new baby cousins and joined several of my friends in welcoming their new babies too
– married off one of my dearest friends; this time a year ago she and her husband weren’t even engaged yet
– made lots of progress in the creation and development of a new TV series
– paid off a significant amount of my personal debt
– successfully relaunched my online beauty/health/wellness business, and found some new outlets for my skills as a writer/blogger and editor while continuing to create and go to auditions
That list looks pretty good to me! Heading into this American Thanksgiving weekend, I’m reminded again of how much I have to give thanks for in just the last year alone. Now, let’s see what other tricks 2014 has up its sleeve . . . =)