One Year Older, One Year Wiser (I hope)

Ok, so today is my birthday and I am definitely one year older, and hopefully I have grown a bit this past year as well. Some things that I have learned in the past year: - You never know what is going to happen. Life likes to smack you in the face at times and remind you that you are not in charge, so don't try to act like you are. - Having good friends really makes a difference in your life. I cannot count how many times in the past year my friends have been there for me and I am not sure I could have handled the past year without them. - Never look down on or dismiss anyone. You can learn major lessons from every person you encounter if you keep an open mind. - Go for what you want. If you find that you love something, attach yourself to it with all your might. - It might take a lot of effort to reach a goal, but when you put in the effort, it is so worth it in the end. It is interesting, I was thinking about where I was in life 10 years ago (high school) and I realized that even if I had tried, I couldn't have guessed where I would be today. My life has taken such a huge turn, back then I didn't even know what the word halacha meant. I think I thought I was going to be an engineer, probably living in Alabama. Weird. Then I thought about my life one year ago today. Even one year ago I thought my life today would be quite a bit different. I thought I would be living somewhere else, married to someone who is no longer a part of my life. I didn't think I would be in school, loving every second of it, now dreaming of possibly getting a Ph.D. It is amazing what time does to a person. I was talking to a person who has become one of my close friends yesterday and she was saying that a year ago she didn't even like me. I hope I am being honest with myself when I say that I really think I am more mature, more self-confident and a more open-minded person than I was last year. Anyway, happy birthday to me!