A Very Good Year

Last night my boss surprised my co-workers and me with a gift card to Nordstrom and a dinner out at a fabulous restaurant. We only have 4 people total in my company, and we work on 100% commission, so our “work” outings tend to be different than most other people’s companies. So after our shopping excursion, I found myself sitting at one of the most fabulous restaurants in Chicago with a view of Lake Michigan and the city of Chicago sipping on a cool and delicious glass of white wine, a Reisling to be exact. See, I thought we were having our “summer outing”, but my boss said she was treating us because being on an August through July financial, she had just closed her books for the year and said we had just had “a very good year.”

“A very good year” got me thinking. If you asked me about 3 months ago, I would have said this was by far my shittiest year. I lost my baby that I had been waiting for so patiently (and impatiently),and it had taken months to heal from the physical scars and repercussions, let alone the emotional scratch marks it left on my mind. We paid out of pocket for IVF, so not only did I lose my sweet baby boy, but we were looking down the path of IVF again, and having to dig deep into savings. All of our “life” plans have been put on hold, such as buying a house, and deciding our next move for our future. This was a lose-lose situation all around.

But a very good year? In spite of all I had been through, could I have possibly had a very good year as well? Yes, I am not sitting at home with my baby boy in my arms, but I was sitting in the nicest restaurant in Chicago, happy and healthy and even enjoying myself. I came home to find my husband on the couch and a pup so excited to see me, all 75lbs of her practically crawled up in my lap. This year I learned I have the best family anyone could ask for as they supported me, held me up and ate pizza with me during my darkest time. I live in one of the coolest cities in the world and have been enjoying every inch we can squeeze into every second this summer. I also have a job to boot, and a boss and co-workers who are great to work with every day.

That being said, this probably won’t go down as my very best or favorite year of my life, but a very good year? Indeed it is…and next year can only get better.