A Year in Review Part 1

So my end/start of year blog is going to have two parts. So much to reflect on and so much to prepare for going into 2010 that I feel a two part post is required.

Today I'm looking back on 2009 to remind myself of what I've done this year that I'm proud of. I'm going to avoid the temptation to self-flagellate over the many, many, quite insufferable months of writer's block, or whatever you want to call it when you can start stuff but lack the motivation and discipline required to carry on with it. 2009 was the first time I've been afflicted with this particular ailment in a long time, but I'm not going to dwell on it today because I have a plan to deal with it, which I'll outline in my next blog. For now here's 2009, a recap of my most notable achievements:

1. Wrote the best book I possibly could and got it published. I penned Sunset Knight, as you might recall in a mad rush of inspiration, getting down the first draft in just over three weeks. I then spent a further four months re-writing, editing, junking, polishing, agonising, rewriting again and finally submitting the book, more nervous than I'd ever been over a book submission in my life. Why? Because this book actually meant something to me. The characters were like real people to me. There was a lot of myself in this book and regardless of how many or few copies it sells, of whether it ever gets another good review or if I ever (shock horror) write another book in my life, I can look at it and say, "I wrote that" and be damn proud that for once I conveyed exactly what was in my mind and heart. Big yay for me.

2. I learned how to design and upload my own website. Yes siree, I no longer need to rely on the IT expertise of hubby to update my own web space, I can do it myself! Not that it means updates will be coming any thicker and faster than usual but it's the principle of the thing. Samilee.com is, in more ways than one, my domain, baby.

3. I lost weight. A significant amount of weight, not just the few kilos that inevitably climb back on after the motivation dies down. I can fit into size 10 pants. Not since before I got married some 12 years ago (happy anniversary to me for today) have I even bothered picking a pair of size 10 pants off the rack at Target. Are they a bit snugger now than they were before Christmas? Yep. Am I confident I can shed those December kgs before January's out? Believe it or not, yes. My attitude toward eating has changed. I can look back and see with complete clarity how toxic my relationship with food was (chanelling Oprah here). I really thought I was hungry all those times I went to the pantry for a snack. I fully believed the Scarlett O'hara, tomorrow-is-another-day method of dieting would eventually yield results. In 2009 I finally admitted what I always knew. I was overweight simply because I ate too much of the wrong foods, and because I ate for all the wrong reasons, of which there are so many to choose from. If you look for them.

Now I can honestly say I don't look for those excuses anymore. While I don't enjoy excersise per se, I don't hate it as much as I used to. I know in the long run I'll feel better about myself and physically healthier if I workout regularly, that I might stave off diabetes and alleviate the lower back pain that has plagued me since my early twenties. And most importantly of all my lifestyle change means I'll pass on healthy habits to the Princess and the Cherub, for whom one of my fondest wishes is that they'll never suffer the weight issues I have. If they do, it won't be because I didn't equip them with the skills to do things the right way. That means the world to me.

So recent writing difficulties aside, 2009 was a kick ass year.

Sami