In 365 days I went from this:

The "we're getting discharged" look:

To this:

From sitting in a hospital bed a few days after brain surgery to finishing a half-marathon at Disney World, 342 days after brain surgery.

I’ll take it.

This year has taught me a lot. I say “no” more often. I am learning how to balance my time & energy. I see things differently. I feel like I’ve pushed myself in a lot of different directions; trying to figure out what it is that I want. Most of the time people think I’m nuts, but it helps me recover. Pushing myself to run wasn’t easy, my doctors really didn’t like my plan to go from nothing to 13.1 miles – at all. My body was, and is, still recovering physically. But running helps me mentally – never in a million years did I think that I would ever say that. Running helps me face each day and stay positive. With some prodding and promises to listen to what my body was telling me, the doctors slowly, ever so slowly, gave their consent.

Most days I wish I could ignore my brain and forget the past year even happened; but big honker makes sure I remember him – usually at the most inconvenient times. I cherish the freedom of quiet days without symptoms, and I love the days that keep me in bed with my puppy by my side -  as happy as he can be. I’m still scared of what the future may bring. No one really knows what I should expect, unless you want to rely on the 1980′s study that studied 7 whole people.

I’ve decided I’ll think of the past 365 days as a little dip in the road with several exceptional peaks. From now on, 2011-2012 is going to be about: My mom’s two week visit to DC, I got a new MacBook Pro (RIP DeskBook Pro), Started Old Town Suds, I finished a half-marathon and I got a REAL LIFE PUPPY. So thank you to the last 365 days for proving to be kinda awesome.