see as i saw

I've decided that my final days of this commitment will be a three-part series.  Today's mission, focus on what went right in 2012.

1. Costa Rica - Without a doubt, one of the most 'right' things that I've ever done in my life.  Committing to leaving unhappiness behind and expanding my personal horizons on a solo adventure in an amazing place.  There will be more Costa Rica in my future; it's in my blood.  It would take more entries than you'd be willing to read to expand upon all of the things that this decision taught me.

2. Trial and Error - I have a tendency to only try when I'm predominantly sure of an outcome.  At least that was my standard operating procedure in the past.  In 2012, I made it a point to say "yes" even when it made me nervous and to test drive the unknown.

By no means did I go to extremes, but I explored some of the notions that I've considered in the realm of independent employment.  Despite a lot of learnings and some unique experiences (i.e. Hoarders), the love wasn't there.  And you know what?  I don't regret trying, not a bit.

There were plenty of other trial categories that did stick: eggs, quinoa, yoga.  Sure, they don't seem earth-shattering, but to say that I've been picky most of my life is an understatement.

3. Slowing Down - It's no secret to me or anyone that knows me well, I'm very performance and expectation driven.  Without realizing it, I can work myself to excess.  Unfortunately it's easy for other people to take that as a cue to push you harder.  Then I take it up a notch...vicious cycle.

So even after I returned from my international adventure, I forced myself to wait.  Pressure mounted almost immediately upon my return - "So, are you applying for jobs yet?  What do you want to do?"  I knew I wasn't ready, but it took a lot of effort to wait until I was.  Ultimately I felt a lot better about my decision, having held out until I was bored of relaxing.

4. Investing in Passion - My trip to Costa Rica was technically an investment.  An investment in my happiness and sanity.  I could've just quit my job, stayed in Chicago for that month, and saved a little bit.  But it wouldn't have had nearly the same effect.  My other great investment has been in photography.  Yes, the recent acquisition of my dSLR was a monetary investment.  But I've also invested a lot of time and effort.

As of today, I've spent 364 days finding photo ops to funnel into this digital channel of communication.  Beyond that, I've invested time into researching dSLR cameras and, now that I have one, reading tutorials, tips, and tricks.  Part of it could be that I'm stubborn and refused to not follow through.  But a larger, and more important, part was realizing that even on the days when I drag my feet and have no motivation - I'm ultimately happy with the result.  Even when I know that it's not my best photo, I know that I learned something merely through taking a bad photo.

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If I wanted to drill down to specifics, I'm sure there are many other things that went right.  But for the sake of some brevity, I'll stick with the major themes that seemed obvious to me.

By the nature of my job duties, I sift through inordinate amounts of internet content.  Even if I don't stop to read full articles, every day is a veritable Cliff's Notes of news, informative articles and pop culture.

This prologue has a point.

Today I learned about the revival of the original Herbal Essences.  The kind with a scent that could somewhat rightfully claim the herbal title.  I was a loyal purchaser, turned detractor when they changed up the whole product line.  Thanks to dying market share, they're looking for people like me and hoping we'll come traipsing back to their shelves for a revival.

Well, they may win, sort of.  At least in the short term.  I will, in fact, purchase their product again - thanks in part to my prior affinity, as well as a marketable decision to make the products sulfate-free.  There will be no total buy-in until a test period has concluded, though.  Plus, they have to overcome the fact that I'm quite happy with my Aussie conditioner.

Word on the street also suggests that you'll see at least one new adaptation of those shower scene commercials around the Grammy awards.  (I may be seriously grasping at straws for blog topics now. Hair products...really? Oh well.)

There are no children in my immediate family anymore - all of my parents' offspring exceed the age of 24.  Yet my presents still inexplicably come from Santa.  Maybe one day I'll be a parent and still have the urge to carry on the tradition past its logical stopping point.  But seeing as I busted the Santa myth around the age of six (mom didn't think I'd make the logical leap when I saw her buy a present for my brother which he later opened from Santa), perhaps ability to play along has been skewed.

Extended family gatherings have morphed in the past year or two, with most of my cousins hitting the college age.  There's not really playing and high-octane activity anymore, but an easygoing circle of conversation and banter.  There are some clear differences as you span our ten-year age gap (I am now familiar with a pointless and apparently popular app called Snap Chat), but there's also a foundation for real conversation.

Let's do a little SAT-style word association.  You know what, I'll even just go ahead an fill in the blank for you.  Yesterday : T-shirt :: Today : Snow.  Yes, I already went over this in the previous post.  But now I've actually witnessed Chicago's first snowfall, it's currently resting on my car.

In unrelated news, I watched an entire NBA game tonight.  Despite being an avid sports girl, the NBA doesn't really make my list, so it's been more than awhile since the last time I sat down to take in a game.  Actually, it was my first Bulls game and my first time ever visiting Chicago.  December 2005, the United Center hosted a sports career fair.

That was back in the day when I thought sports marketing was my career path.  It was also the weekend that I made up my mind to live in Chicago.   Although it wouldn't transpire until three years after that career fair, here I am seven years later.  In the snow.  Thinking about last year at this time, when I made life-altering decisions.  Refer back to the post from 11/05 for more on my affinity for year-end decision-making.