It's a New Dawn.. It's a New Day... It's a New Life....

... and I'm feeling good... kinda.

What an incredible year I've had. This time last year I would never have predicted the events of 2010. Would never have imagined that I would be sitting here a year later with my life unfolding the way it is.

Yesterday, we attended a company party to celebrate the past year's accomplishments and ring in the "new year".  This is me...

Kinda looks like I'm at an awards show here. Kinda felt like it, too.  But this was after receiving the "Associate Choice" award. This, to me, is the most meaningful award that one can receive at our company because you are nominated by peers and are selected based on what they write in the nominations. I love my job. I love the people that I work with. Receiving this award says to me that the people that I work with think I'm doing it right. How great is that?

The biggest part of why I was nominated for this was for work that I did with our "Inspire Team". We did a lot of things during the year to get people up and moving. Spending time together in healthy pursuits. I'll write more on this another day, but suffice it to say that the Inspire Team was one of the greatest things about work for me last year. I look forward to 2011 and what that may bring for us.

The biggest theme for me in 2010 was... surprise... running. Couldn't seem to get enough. I had set a goal to run a minimum of a mile a day, every day, for the entire year. I started on New Year's Eve 2009 and I did not miss one day, although there were a handful of them in there that I really, really didn't want to run... or almost forgot to  :o). The goal was 500 miles. I ended at close to 1,600 miles. I ran a bunch of races... 5k, 5 mile, 10k, 10 mile, 2 half-marathons (13.1 miles), a 25k trail race and a full marathon. Throw a Warrior Dash in there for posterity... a first, second and third place finish in my age group and a few finisher medals... and a WHOLE lot of fun, and you have it in a nut shell. I ran with some wonderful people. Met many great folks. I even met one of my biggest running heros, Kathrine Switzer. I'm going to meet her again in May this coming year, for a beer. I'm having a beer with Kathrine Switzer!

Besides the obvious physical changes that come with this kind of dedication and determination (and at times, sheer stubbornness to not fail), running afforded me a lot of time to just be inside my head. While I do enjoy running with people, I most enjoy being by myself and having time to just think. About everything. When you have the wind on your face or on your back, your breathing regulated to the ebb and flow of much needed oxygen, muscles working in unison for the purpose of getting you there... it is amazingly freeing and the perfect time for me to reflect. In my daily life I don't take time to really think about things. It's mostly moving from one thing to the next to the next to the next. I haven't slowed down in years. Or I am plopped in front of the TV, shut off. Or reading... but that doesn't really give me time to just be alone with my thoughts.  I always valued multi-tasking. During the past year I discovered that I don't like it so much and I want to try to do less of this and focus on one thing at a time. To stop and think more.

2011 will be a year of huge change for me. I have just removed the paragraph that I first posted here. Perhaps I'll post about it at a later date. Sorry if it upset anyone. Guess I still need to edit myself.

So there you have it. Finally have the first post knocked out. Hopefully that unblocks me and I start writing again. Because I have a lot to say. :-)