Thank You Letter to 2016

Greetings all!

I am so excited about this post! I had the pleasure of attending a book discussion with my co-workers this week that was led by the director of our department. We read Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter and Holger Rathgerber. The book is based on Harvard's John Kotter's 8-step change model and uses a fable about a penguin colony that realizes their iceberg is melting. As a result, they are forced to change their lifestyle to survive. The fable is super cute and the book is a quick and easy read!

After we discussed our thoughts on the book, our director passed out 2016 stationary and asked us to right a thank you letter to 2016. I enjoyed this activity so much that I decided to share it here! What are you thankful for this year? Have you learned anything new whether it be a result of starting school or taking up a new hobby? Perhaps you learned something about yourself or about life. Are you grateful for new experiences? Share your thoughts via Facebook Comments!

Here is my Thank You Letter to 2016:

Dear 2016,

Thank you for teaching me about myself this year. First, you taught me that I am a survivor by allowing me to see you. I survived a car accident on New Years Eve 2015. Although my car was totaled and I was in physical therapy for 10 weeks, twice a week, I was ok overall. Thank you for my replacement car, a newer model that is fully loaded. The leather seats have been great for keeping Ginger odors under control.

Thank you for showing me that I can be self motivated. 2016 was the first year in my adult life that I was not a student. I no longer had the structure provided by being in school that cultivates motivation and in a sense sets goals for you. After completing graduate school in December 2015, I set new goals for myself kept myself motivated. This leads me to my next to points of gratitude-my publication and my job.

Thank you for allowing my capstone project to be accepted for publication in the journal of Health and Social Work. I was so intimidated by the publication process initially, but, with the help of my advisor and co-author, we were able to get it done. I was also accepted to present my research at the NASW-SC's annual Spring Symposium in 2017.

Thank you for my first "big girl job." I am so happy to work for a company with strong values that align with my professional and personal values. I enjoy my co-workers and teammates everyday. I am so grateful to use my clinical social work skills to provide direct services to my patients and my public health skills to address health disparities and to promote access to coordinated, holistic health care. I also have to chance to speak about how my job and the program that I work for address health disparities created by the denial of Medicaid Expansion in SC at the 2017 Symposium.

Thank you for showing me that I can be brave. I decided to move to Columbia, South Carolina for personal reasons. Thank you for showing me that I can take a risk for something that I believe in and value without compromising myself and my values. I have a great life in Columbia. I am enjoying my relationship with my boyfriend, I have a nice apartment that I can afford, my commute to work is amazing and I am starting to make friends. The cost of living is low and there is beautiful nature all around. Most importantly, I am financially stable and I am happy.

Thank you for teaching me about friendship. As previously stated, this was my first year out of school and I also moved to a new city. I felt lonely at times. I was used to having my friends and acquaintances close by and I did not know anyone in Columbia. Despite my loneliness, I did not know how to reach out to the friends that I missed so much. Thank you for helping me to get more comfortable with reaching out. Thank you for my friends that reach out to me. Thank you for helping me realize that some friends are seasonal and some friends were toxic. It is ok for those friends to not be a part of my life and it does not mean that I am a bad person because of it. Thank you for the new friends and acquaintances I've made in Columbia.

Thank you for allowing me to reduce my debt. I accumulated debt in grad school primarily. I admit to irresponsible decisions but also, periods of unemployment and underemployment made things tight from time to time. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to use my money wisely to reduce my debt and improve my credit score.

Thank you for allowing me to start therapy in the form of psychotherapy and getting back involved with yoga. I have enjoyed being on the other side of therapy as the client versus the therapist. I have learned so much about myself already. Thank you for allowing me to work for a company that provides 5 free sessions and for having an insurance plan that makes it affordable after those free sessions.

Thank you for fun experiences. I had the chance to go to LA with my friends, I went to DC to celebrate the opening of the first African American Museum with those same friends and I went back to DC with my family to tour the White House. I've made countless memories and enjoyed fun getaways with my boyfriend. I've also enjoyed time in nature with my beloved GSD Ginger.

Thank you for you ups and downs 2016. Overall it has been great. I survived the lows, worked hard for some of the highs or was just blessed beyond measure to see some of the highs. I am so excited for 2017!