firsts of twenty thirteen

Happy New Year, darlings! (Happy (almost) Birthday, Mom!) I'm personally very happy my favoritest meal happened to be my first of 2013 :). Earlier today, I sat--quite hungover--at a table for four in Penelope. Stories were swapped and updates were shared. One friend has been living and passion-projecting in San Francisco ever since a job promotion brought her out there late last year. The other is extending her roots even deeper in New York as she excels at her next professional venture. As for the third lovely lady who I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time, she begins her yoga certification training in just a few weeks.

Thoroughly impressed, I sipped on a pomegranate bellini between bites of salmon wrapped poached eggs. We're all in such good places right now, I thought to myself. And then doubt crept in. Unlike my remarkable dining companions, I know very little of what to expect from 2013. As much as I'm passionate about my graduate studies and life in Paris, I hardly know what I hope to happen next. What is the particular career path I seek? Do I want to pursue a thesis or an internship? Would I like to stay in Paris? in Europe? And if so, for how long? Not to mention... can I even afford to follow the answers to those questions?

And this is why my intention for the year is to embrace the possibilities. What is the purpose of preparing for a life we love if we become too overwhelmed to simply live it? It seems to me that pursuing our wildest dreams and biggest adventures takes just as much faith in ourselves as it does in every single force outside of us. No wonder the French often say bon courage instead of "good luck", huh? ;) Let's do this...