Tonight I celebrate the fresh start of a new year and the completion of a year that ended up more positively than I ever thought possible. Time has a funny way of changing things and the last month or two have made a big difference in how I view this year that was.

2014 definitely had its ups and downs, deeper downs than I’m used to. But on this last day of the year I celebrate the stronger, smarter me that’s emerged from those difficulties.

This post celebrates all that was good about 2014. I’m grateful for how much there is!

• I drove a Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible! Not just one but two days; on the autobahn in Germany in a fantastic drive from #Berlin to the beaches at Warnemunde. As far as I’m concerned, this alone makes 2014 an epic year.

My favorite view

• I traveled more than usual. Yes, my wallet took the hit for it but I love travel and seeing new places is always good. There was the work-sponsored hockey trip in January, Hawaii in April with my fabulous new bikini, Berlin and Cape May in September and Maine in October.

• I made several new friends this year and found stronger relationships than expected from some dear old friends who were there for me when I needed them. Friendship is especially precious and I was bountifully blessed with it this year.
• I learned lots of new things – about myself, about depression, about people around me, about life in general. I learned that my inner strength, though shaken this year, is real and stronger, now, than even I knew it to be. I learned that, no matter how independent you may be, sometimes seeking help is just the thing that’s needed to make the difference. I learned that everyone deals with things behind the scenes and while they may seem happy and whole on the outside the internal struggles are real. I learned the importance of kindness, first to myself and then to those around me. Be Kind, Always will remain a personal theme going in 2015.

• I did lots of new things this year and reacquainted myself with other things I just hadn’t done in a very long time. I rejoined a gym and remembered the benefits of a great weight workout and improved physical fitness. I played soccer again for the first time in years and still kept up with the boys although my skills are definitely rusty. I snowshoed and started taking tap lessons. I did other things, more personal things, things that I had truly forgotten how good they are, how beneficial, how therapeutic…

• I found a great therapist who has helped tremendously so far and will continue to do so as long as I need her.
• I made closer connections with certain family members where distance had seeped into the relationship.
• Writing has a lot of meaning for me. Blogging more this year than any other was wonderful and I enjoyed the reactions to my blog. I’m looking forward to more of the same in 2015.
• I made significant strides in my photography skills and found a great store and the right personnel to continue helping me improve that passion. I got some great photographs of the lion cubs at the #Philadelphia Zoo and enjoyed every moment spent watching that feline family.

I could continue indefinitely, but I’ll stop now to say that I’m looking forward to a fantastic year in 2015. I know it will be fantastic because that is all up to me.

Look for my post next week, Photo Highlights from 2014, and please keep reading MyTakeByTamara.com – it means the world to me!