It’s going to be my birthday in a couple of weeks, and it’s the first one since my marriage registration in September. This year is a year of happenings, of leaps into the unknown and of overcoming fears and adversity.

It has been a year of growth.

I’m moving into my new home by December. I now write for a few magazines and a newspaper and I have more than enough to help me through each month. I have a few wonderful projects in the pipeline that makes me anxious to start each day. I made a lot of new friends offline and online, and I’ve learned how to think more creatively ever since I’ve had to depend on myself to put food on the table.

It wasn’t easy, and I’m so grateful for all the help I’ve received. I’m sure there will be trying times ahead; roadblocks and disappointments aplenty. No one is immune, and certainly not me. But I’m finally beginning to settle into my new routine and enjoy my very packed days after the first few emotionally confusing months. Leaping off the proverbial cliff was one of the biggest fears of my life, but I know now that jumping off was the only way I could learn how to fly.