2024 Was Filled with Promising Opportunities

Each year begins with a sense of hope and forward thinking. Hope for change. Hope for a better self. 

The start of the year is a chance for a clean slate to make new goals. 

When I started this year, my goal was to experience more opportunities. Such a goal would prove to be fitting for the entire year. I've always strongly believed that we should make goals throughout the year, not just for the start of the New Year. 

The year is soon over and the new one is just about ready to begin. It's time to reflect on what this year has brought and start thinking ahead with the new year. 

Here is my 2024 year in review

I celebrated New Year's Eve out for the first time

I am one who strongly favors staying home to celebrate the New Year. I don't mind watching the Times Square ball drop from the comfort of my living room with a warm comforting drink of choice at hand. 

This past New Year, after some mild convincing from a friend, I decided to go out to my town square to celebrate.

"Who wants to stay in on New Year's Eve and do nothing?" My friend said. 

Ummm … me? 😅

I had an amazing time! My New Year's Eve involved listening to music and dancing on the town square with others and just enjoying the moment. One memorable moment during my time out celebrating the arrival of 2024 was having a martini for the first time. After some debate, I decided on a chocolate martini. It was delicious and a way to indulge just this once. I'm glad I got it. This year, however, I'm going back to staying in!

I voted for the first time in person

Sometimes, we don't do things because we're afraid of how complicated they might be. This past November election, I went to vote in person. Each election prior, it has always been by mail. I was pleased and surprised with how easy it was to vote in person. Furthermore, it settled my concerns of in person voting being complicated and made me feel grateful for my right to vote. 

I visited some new coffee shops

I love visiting different coffee shops when I get the chance. One particular coffee shop I visited for the first time had a spooky yet fun year-round theme to it centered around Halloween. It's called "Ghouls and Grinds". When you first walk in, you're greeted by a friendly looking skeleton and the drink names have a fun and spooky twist to them. 

The drink I got, an iced latte, was called "cookies and scream" (dark chocolate, mint, and vanilla) a spooky twist on cookies and cream of course! Other fun flavors included "Vampire Slayer" (white chocolate and raspberry), "The Bride" (White Chocolate, almond, and caramel), and "Horror-Chatta" (vanilla and cinnamon).

I will definitely be going back for another spooky sounding drink! 

I became a published author

Throughout this past year, I've been writing some short paranormal horror stories. I never really wrote any horror until then. After working on one short story after another, I self-published my collection on Amazon KDP and am now officially a (self) published author. I created it with the help of Amazon KDP, Reedsy, and Canva Pro. Here's to more published books in my future!

For anyone curious, here it is:

2024 was an eventful year. For many, the past year has had its highs and lows. I've reached my goals in experiencing plenty of new opportunities. I hope others had the opportunity to experience some wonderful opportunities as well whether it was going to new places or learning a new hobby or skill. Here's to a promising 2025!