The past year, 2023, stands out as one filled with more challenges than most. Perhaps it’s because we unexpectedly lost Ellie, which overshadowed the rest of the year. Or maybe it’s the ongoing legal battles with the city or the continued disappointment and stress at work. All of these are contributing factors, and this year just brought with it a lot – A LOT.
However, it’s also true that 2023 offered many celebration opportunities and moments of joy. Like most humans, I found myself focusing more on the challenges and struggling to recognize the positives (we can “thank” evolution for this). But as I took the time to compile this post, I realized just how much good and growth the year also brought.
And, yes, we’re already well into 2024 and I’m just finishing my 2023 review, but who said you can’t take your time in these things? Perhaps a better question to ask is why we live in a world in which year-in-review lists come out at the beginning of December. Why are we in such a rush to quantify and close out a year that hasn’t even ended yet? I’m team take your time in saying goodbye to 2023 and ease into 2024. You can be, too, because, well, the “rules” that say otherwise are fake. You do you.
Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don’t know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don’t know.”
― Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Reasons to celebrate
Three years in SF; welcomed another year with birthday spa day + run + dinner with my two favorites; three months exploring Portland; experienced first “real” autumn since 2019; welcomed Pippa to our family; made many new friends + first year felt connected to SF; lots of time with friends and family; new job for the husband; finished first year of daily reflections in five-year journal; shelter dog field trip with Kaua’i animal shelter; one year at Peloton; sixth anniversary of first date with Dustin; one year of ownership/at house; fifth anniversary in Italy; celebrated Ellie’s 11th birthday; met many doggies at rescue events + shelter; welcomed Pippa to our family
Challenges
Unexpectedly and suddenly losing Ellie; 12 months of unpleasant dealings with city for license agreement; very loud and disruptive demolition next door; disrespectful + noisy upstairs neighbor; work/career; car accident; library demo delayed + didn’t match up with three months away; let working out slide; decided not to move forward with creative writing program; tutoring/volunteering not a good fit; destructive storms + days of rain + power outages; battled first cold in four years; 30 hours stuck at EWR; cold number two + missed many days of work/other activities
Travel + local adventures + visitors
Many wine tastings + visits to Sonoma and Russian River; hosted friends and family in SF; spent a beautiful week exploring Kaua’i; hiked the Napali Coast; long weekend in Ohio to see bestie; multiple NYC trips for work; conference in Las Vegas; weekend away in Sonoma County; Emma Lovewell book signing event; SoDak trip + niece’s graduation; Santa Cruz day trips; two weeks exploring Italy (Venice, Florence and Rome); Colorado trip to celebrate niece’s college move-in + Denver friends; camping trip + explored new area of California; three-month Portland adventure; weekend trip to Bend; Dallas-Forth Worth area for work; Seattle/northern Washington for Thanksgiving week; tried many new local restaurants; multiple visits to botanical gardens + magnolias; multiple visits to: Conservatory of Flowers, SFMOMA, Asian Art Museum; visited Museum of Craft and Design, Legion of Honor Museum and Getty Villa (Malibu); Broadway in SF shows: Tina Turner musical; two movies in the theater (first theater movie since 2019); first concert since 2019
Wellness + personal growth
Completed 50-mile challenge for SFSPCA; forest bathing; new therapist + therapy throughout most of year; completed five-week psych class at Stanford; first in-studio Peloton ride; knife skills class; fostered Peanut Butter; first outdoor run in two years; started Babbel (Spanish); recognized for outstanding work contributions; decided to give notice at Peloton/start a career break; completed full year of daily reflections; many saunas, floats and massages; continued issues + pain with foot/saw doc; annual exams: health check + lab work, OBGYN check-up, eyes, mammogram, flu shot, COVID booster; facial; started contrast therapy for foot; dermatologist (first checkup in more than five years); battled acne issues; experimented with many different skincare products; continued vegetarian at home + whole-foods based cooking + new recipes; completed estate planning/will review + updates; inventory (documented) of all clothes, accessories and shoes; continued Trajectory of Life and Even Ordinary; read 20 books
Peloton-specific milestones:
450th stretch, 10-min PR, 20-min PR, 30-min PR, 250th walk, 300th strength, 1st Guide workout, 300th walk, 350th walk, 1000th ride, 500th stretch, 400th walk, 450th walk, 500th walk, 1100th ride, 14,020k total annual minutes, three-year streak of weekly workouts; completed first Peloton Power Zone challenge; finally completed Peloton FTP test; 281 active days; 663 total workouts; 233+ hours moving/working out; 1,337 miles cycled
Social + connections
Joined Groundfloor social club; Tasty Foods for a Thriving Planet event; volunteered at 826 Valencia; Pittie Valentine’s Day Party; unexpected dinner with Denver friend in NYC; three Giants games (Rockies + Red Sox); Outside Lands; wine pick up + tasting; dinner with good friend in Texas; Thanksgiving with family in northern Washington; many holiday parties + celebrations; Winter Solstice parade; got all dressed up to celebrate NYE out; Christmas with in-laws in southern California; Joined MacRostie Winery Club; made more SF friends + started to really feel connected; continued monthly-ish calls with “Schwab ladies”
Work + career
New role + took on two new teams in February; new/expanded role + took on new team in August; transitioned from individual contributor to leading team of more than 20; built out new organization + hired six people; dealt with major challenges + leading team members; two new managers; interviewed with 10 companies; updated and reformatted resume + simplified + customized for each role applied
Financial wellness
Significantly increased net worth; extra payments on rental mortgage; remained debt free (except mortgages); completed quarterly + annual net worth review; big purchases: computer, two designer purses, Apple watch (used Chase Visa points); adjusted budget + successfully saved for career break; moved from Mint budgeting to Rocket Money (after trying a few different options)