2018: Year in Review

As always... the Year in Review: 2018

What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before?

Probably the biggest and most obvious is visiting Australia! We did lots of new things there like driving on the left side of the road, holding a koala, seeing all kinds of new animals and plants, experienced intense jet lag, swimming in the Great Barrier reef, and plenty more I'm forgetting. I also did more yoga this year than I had in probably all the previous years combined. I took a screen-printing class. Took Noah on my parent's boat for the first time. I finally bought my piano. I co-taught an Art class. Jordan and I went to see the Weepies and They Might Be Giants in concert. We started the Elf on a Shelf with Noah this year (minus the whole "spying on your kid to see if they're good" thing) and he loved it. This was actually a pretty good year for trying new things.

Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

At the end of last year I said that I wanted to be more brave. I wanted to continue improving my self-care and investment in my relationships. I wanted to read more quality stuff, less garbage on the internet. I wanted to be less fearful.

I would say that overall, I did most of these to some extent. I did a good job with my physical self-care for most of the year, doing a lot of yoga and eating relatively well. I think I was more fearful though, more anxious, which is hard and I'm still working on that. I'm reading more books right now, but I could probably do better with the quality. 

At the end of 2019 I hope I feel more settled, more peaceful, more stable.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

I know several people that gave birth and a few more that are pregnant. I definitely have fewer babies on my facebook feed now though.

Did anyone close to you die?

Not anyone that I can think of.

What countries did you visit?

Australia! Yay! I'm hoping we'll make it out of the country again soon. We got Noah a passport when he was two and it still needs some stamps.

What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

More consistency. And we're thinking about buying a new house which would be exciting (and a ton of work!)

What date(s) from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Our trip was a great adventure; Jordan and I have so many great memories from it. I saw a picture of a sea turtle online the other day and was instantly reminded of seeing one swim right under me while snorkeling.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? 

I'm proud I achieved the 60 yoga classes in 99 days challenge this summer, especially considering I was out of town for over three weeks during that time. I'm proud of the funny, kind, empathetic, and sensitive kiddo I get to parent. I'm proud of my marriage with Jordan and the work we both put in to be the best partner we can for the other. 

What was your biggest failure?

I think I could have done a better job of taking care of my mental health, knowing my boundaries better. But that's always going to be a work in progress.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing too terrible. We had a few late nights in urgent care with Noah but on the whole, we had a pretty healthy year.

What was the best thing you bought?

After waiting forever, I finally got my piano. It's been fun to put out my old music and see how much I remember. I think the next purchase needs to be piano lessons though! I also tried eyebrow threading for the first time and am definitely a convert.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

All the voters in November. And the kind lady who works at the car rental place in the Hobart, Tasmania airport that didn't charge me for scraping the hubcaps a bit on the curb.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I pretty much stopped watching the news at the beginning of the year. I'm not super proud of that, but I couldn't take it anymore. If you support our president, then we have highly different moral ideals and probably shouldn't be friends.

Where did most of your money go?

My yoga studio membership is expensive! And I bought some nice new shoes.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Our trip to Australia, obviously. I made a video for our holiday lip sync battle at school that I had a lot of fun doing too. And I was really excited to see Noah so enthralled with Christmas in December.

What song will always remind you of 2018?

Not sure if there is a specific song but Jordan made me a really good mix on Spotify that I've been listening to a lot.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder?

Somewhere in the middle.

ii. thinner or fatter?

About the same, actually. Maybe a bit fatter.

iii. richer or poorer?

Richer! Jordan does a great job with our finances.

What do you wish you'd done more of?

More critical thinking about my priorities. More mindfulness. More adventures with Jordan and Noah.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Taking on extra responsibilities.

Did you fall in love in 2018?

Same two guys, forever.

What was your favorite TV program?

I really enjoyed the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Superstore, and the Great British Baking Show. They're all really fun to watch. I also like the Handmaid's Tale though that show is hard to watch.

What was the best book you read?

I wish I had read more this year. I recently started re-reading trashy VC Andrews books and am enjoying it more than I'd like to admit.

What was your greatest musical (re)discovery?

I listened to more podcasts than music this year. My favorite podcasts are Reply All and This American Life, but I'm always looking for new ones!

What did you want and get?

My piano. Lots of yoga. We got some new furniture like Noah's bed and a new dresser which was nice.

What did you want and not get?
Consistency, but that will probably always be a challenge.

What was your favorite film of this year?
I don't think I saw many movies in the theatre this year. I just looked up the 10 highest grossing films of 2018 and the only one I saw was Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom. Carrie and I saw Eighth Grade and it was wonderful. And I watched Love, Simon on the plane home from Australia, which was cute and very good. I think there are better TV shows coming out than movies right now.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 36 and got myself a night in a hotel. That might sound weird, but it was awesome. I picked one in Madison that has a little water park and Jordan and Noah came to play and swim, then they had a nice night at home and I got to enjoy some alone time at the hotel. I'm so old.

What one thing would have made the year immeasurably more satisfying?
I'm pretty satisfied. Maybe more unstructured time.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?
Same as always, jeans and t-shirts. After wearing mediocre shoes forever, I finally spent a little $ and got myself a pair of Keens that are comfortable and fit well. I have been growing my hair out this year too, I kind of want to see how long it can get before it drives me crazy and I cut it all off.

What political issue stirred you the most?
Let's just not talk about it.

Who did you miss?
I could have done a better job connecting with friends. I'm not very good at reaching out. I know I have forever friends where it doesn't matter that we haven't talked in years, we still care about and think about each other- but I could put in more effort to write and check in.

Who was the best new person you met?
Sadly, I don't think I met many new people (unless you count the new 200+ students I meet every year.) Meeting more new people could be a good goal for 2019.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018:

Often my yoga instructors end class with a quote or poem to meditate on and this was one that was read one time. I usually hate rhyming poetry but this one kind of stuck with me.

If there's one thing that I may tell you

Let it be: You are your home

Your body is the only house 

That you will truly ever own,

Maybe it's got some broken windows

And there are tear-stains on the floors,

Maybe you lock the things you wish weren't

Behind its many doors,

But there is wisdom on the bookshelves

And a laugh to light the rooms,

There's a vase upon the table

Where the love you've grown all blooms,

Dreams sit on the mantelpiece

Next to kindness and your trust,

Where you use them all so often

They have no time to collect dust,

So please don't look at mansions

With that envy in your eyes,

There's more that makes a home

Than its appearance or its size,

Your body is your shelter

So you deserve to love it all,

Don't let the world stand round outside

And tell you how to paint your walls,

How lucky that you have somewhere 

To protect you from the night,

And if there are cracks left from the past?

Well then they just let in more light.

-Erin Hanson