How do I measure a year?

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes     Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear     Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes     How do you measure, measure a year?"
- Jonathan Larson, Rent 

I start the first post of 2014 with this awesome song from one of my favorite musicals. It asks a great question, “How do you measure a year?”   
I personally don’t have a definite answer. A lot of things happened in 2013 and they will stay there, they define that year, and I will remember them as the stuff that made up a year in my life. I guess I could take a look back and reflect what the significant events in my life were in 2013 and see how I’d measure it.
As a fan, I have to note what happened in music this year that made a difference in my life… Agnetha released a new album and new music videos, and she performed live on stage for the first time in 25 years. Cher released her first album in 12 years and announced a new tour, which is coming my way in April. Lady Gaga Opened the VMA’s with her first ever performance of “Applause” and later on released her much anticipate album ARTPOP. Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton reunited for a new duet, which has been nominated for a Grammy. All of that was documented in super-excited posts here in my blog. All those listed above, and a few more, served as the soundtrack to my life in 2013.
The previous year, 2012, was measured mostly by trips I went on, new places I visited, and special personal milestones, but this last year was extremely different. Because I traveled a lot in 2012, looking back and comparing it to 2013 made it seem like I didn't do much. But I did, if I really think about it; I went to Mexico, and Las Vegas, as well as Michigan, Kansas and Oklahoma, all new places for me, and I also revisited Missouri during spring break. But the year as a whole was more about personal growth and inner exploration. I got to reconnect with people from my past, strengthen my connections with those present in my life, and even share my house with friends I had met online many years ago. It was also the first year I spent away from my mother (who lives in Brazil now), and that was definitely something to get used to. Relearning the whole family dynamics thing was definitely something I struggled with pretty much all year. I also did some spiritual searching, but not as much as I wanted or needed; my relationship with God was at a comfortable stand-by, and I’d explore it deeply for a while then leave it alone for months, which I considered playing safe. My personal relationships with people in my life also took unexpected turns… I had people I loved and cared about walk away from me due to circumstances that were (for the most part) out of our control. And there were people from my past who I thought I’d never see again that became such an important part of the past year that I can’t reflect back without thinking about them. Most interesting of all, perhaps, were the friends from my “outer circles”, like friends of friends and/or people I knew but didn't have a relationship with, becoming an integral part of my everyday life. It’s crazy to look back and see how much you grow just from little interactions with people… and then there were the intense conversations with old friends, exploring the deepest thoughts in our minds and even resolving past issues that threatened to be consistent in the future.
So all in all, it was an extremely productive year, one in which I learned more about myself and those around me than I thought I could, which makes me excited to see what more we can accomplish just by being there for each other. On top of it all 2013 was the year I met Shania Twain – this HAD to be noted. And I wrote on my blog in a fairly consistent manner, which was a big personal accomplishment.I could say I’d measure 2013 by interactions… conversations I had, fights I fought, thoughts I discussed, issues I resolved, questions I raised, and perhaps most importantly the answers I got. There were good times and there were bad times, some I wish I could relive and some I wish I could forget and although there are some regrets and some apologies that were never made, I would not have done it any other way.