The Oscars - A Time of Reflection

I have to admit, I normally don't watch these awards shows. However, this year I have roommates that really get into them. They spend hours laboring over casseroles, baking desserts, and finding the perfect cocktails to match a night of praising America's talent. And if you know me, you know I never miss a good meal, a good dessert or a good cocktail. So I sat down to watch the Grammy's a couple of weeks ago and tonight I indulged in a little red carpet glamour while pretending to write a nutrition paper. This night has ended in a time of reflection.

The Oscars exalt the most beautifully written and well-told stories of the year. Thus, this gave me time to remember my 2011. Was it an Oscar-worthy year? 

If you had asked me at this time last year how 2011 would end and whether or not I would be celebrating another successful year, I would have without a doubt given you a giddy yes. I just knew 2011 was my year. The first half of the year I spent it ridiculously happy. Love drunk, one would say. The last half - well, I guess you could say I was hungover from it. I pushed away friends, wallowed in self-pity, and lived in a pool of hurt with a fractured heart. 

Then I moved to a different city. A new town, a new hairdo, a new slate. I met new people, I went to new places, I found a new perspective. An improved outlook was spurred by such heart ache. I realized that the world is going to change you. It's going to toss you around, beat you up and make you believe you can't go anymore. At times, it's going to make you downright bitter. But don't believe the world. Don't change heart. Go through what you have to go through. Throw yourself on the bed and sob hysterically if you have to. Eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's if that's what you need. But afterward, keep on keeping on. Remember, there are so many beautiful things in the world. Too many beautiful things to be focused on the ones that bring you down. People are going to change you, but as long as you still recognize the you that you love afterward; well that is beauty.

At the end of my 2011, I gained peace. And one moment of peace is worth a thousand tears. Because this peace gave me the strength to let go, to reach for something more. To reach for a life that I deserve. To reach for a life where all my dreams come true. I may not have figured out everything or exactly what I want, but I like what I see.

A story is all in the telling. And what most people don't realize is that we have the power to tell our own stories. We each have the choice to live a life worth reading. When I'm ninety, I want to have a story that I never grow tired of. A story worth reading time and time again. A story full of magic, wild chases, and love. 2011 was full of magical  moments. But it also had it's sorrowful, heart-wrenching moments, as well. Was it an Oscar-worthy year? I've mulled over this question for a while, but in the end I would say yes. All stories are going to have storms, but what makes a truly unforgettable one is when the characters learn to dance in the rain.