Count Down to the New Year (Fiscal New Year that is)

There are only 9 days left in this fiscal year and they can't get here soon enough. My job is doing fiscal work for a University so June 30th is a very exciting day for me and several of my co-workers. The the nice thing about working in the fiscal world is you get to celebrate two New Years and yes if your wondering I will be celebrating by shooting off fireworks and drinking a strawberry daiquiri and then turn around and do it again 4 days later for the 4th. Ok so once my "new year" gets here I pretty much just keep the celebration going till after the 4th. This is partly because my husband like so many other men loves to blow things up. These last couple of weeks leading up to our new year is spent working our tails off to get everything left for the year done by June 30th.  I look at each year as a fresh start. Its a great time to change anything that didn't work well last year and to implement and try new things. Its also a time where we  slow down a bit. Of course slowing down here really just means we finally have a chance to catch up on things that were behind and deal with anything we have been neglecting. We also spend this time box up old files for archiving and getting our new ones ready. Out with the old and in with the new as they say. As we head into the new year here at work we are reorganizing and planning our goals for this next year. Its been a long and difficult year at work for various reasons besides the struggles that came from cancer and I'm looking forward to a new year here full of change and new opportunities.  This year I have also looked at the new year as a time to reflect on my personal life. I really didn't even consider doing that for the real new year. I had just finished Chemo a day before new years eve and was planning for my mastectomy that took place in January. I was only taking things a day at a time and still wasn't sure I could even look far enough into the future to plan for an entire year. This last year was all about trying to keep things as "normal" as possible while I was going through treatments. This year, however, will be all about change! For me its about reconnecting with things that I love but haven't had time for in years like photography and writing and maybe even music. Its about being bold and daring and trying new things. Who knows maybe we will get a motorcycle or go sky diving. Its about conquering things I have always wanted to do but just couldn't master like sewing or staying organized. I wouldn't count on the latter happening and time soon if ever.  Its about discovering all those things out in this great world that I never knew existed or was to scared to try. Cancer changes a lot of things in your life and while most people think its all bad I have to tell you its been a wonderful experience for me. Its made me such a stronger person but also a more compassionate and caring person. So this year will also be about figuring out how I can give back to the world around me and to my God who brought me through this last year. He brought me through this for a reason and I intend to figure out what that is. Somehow I believe my struggles will be used for others. Maybe its to give hope to others with IBC, maybe its to give encouragement to people with various struggles in life and maybe just maybe its about helping to grow the kingdom of God. Its possible that this will be through volunteering, it may mean working directly or indirectly with people and it may just simply be in the form of setting and example with me living and loving life the way its intended. I have no idea what God has planned for me in the next year and I don't know what it will look like but I won't know if I don't get out there and try new things.  I'm sure there are many things out there I will try and fail miserably at and thats ok. Failing is part of every great discovery. Its part of success in general. All the great explorers, inventors and  scientists didn't reach success without first failing a few times. Thats how we figure out what works and what doesn't. So I'm off to embark on a new adventure this year. To try new things, to explore new things, "to boldly go where no man has gone before" *said with my best Ernest impression* What these new things are I'm not sure just yet but I'll let ya know when I figure it out. In the mean time I challenge you to look at your own life. Are you doing everything you ever wanted? If not what is stopping you? Take this as your chance to get out there and try something new!