You may be asking yourself what the heck the title of today’s post even means… Vienna? I’ve never been to Vienna (not yet at least). But in 1977, icon Billy Joel released a song called just that (and if you haven’t heard it yet, right now might be a good time to listen to it…). Billy Joel – Vienna
Did you listen…? Well, whether you did or you didn’t, and whether you’ve heard of it or not, here’s what you need to know- Vienna Waits for You.
I heard this song for the first time this year, and upon listening to it I was overcome with emotion. To this day it still manages to make me smile and cry, while giving me the chills all at the same time. My favorite line of the song, the one which I also feel encapsulates my 2022, the one that carries the most beautiful lesson this year gifted me, would have to be this- “Slow down, you’re doing fine, you can’t be everything you want to be before your time.”
2022
2022 changed my life. It’s funny, a couple of weeks ago, with the semester in full swing, I was really down on myself- focusing on all of the things I didn’t do this year. I had set a lot of goals in place for myself that I didn’t quite reach.
I’ve always been a big believer in the idea that what’s meant for me will eventually come to me- that everything happens for a reason.
It was a year of learning, acceptance, and resilience.
I’m leaving this year a different person- a little wiser, stronger, and lighter. I started to learn to not take life all so seriously all the time. That sometimes laughter was the best medicine. I found the beauty in change and rejection.
It took having a conversation with one of my good friends to realize that 2022 was indeed not a failure… in fact it was quite the opposite. I think we all have this tendency to be so critical of ourselves- which isn’t always bad because we all need to do self-checks every once and a while- but in the midst of all of the criticalness, I don’t think we leave enough room for celebration. Now, in no way is this post meant to be me “tooting my own horn” on what I accomplished this year, but it is my hope that this can serve as a reminder to focus on all of the good that did happen, rather than the things that didn’t.
Before I continue, I want to preface by saying how extremely grateful I am for the opportunities I was blessed with this year. I am leaving 2022 with so much love and light in my heart and I wouldn’t be doing that if it weren’t for the people I am surrounded by.
Upon turning 20 this year, I really tried to embrace that whole idea of being young and filled with uncertainty- that life didn’t need to be as heavy as I was making it out to be. I started to look for the beauty of life’s journey rather than every little crack in the road.
I started the summer by traveling with my college to Los Angeles for a week. There’s a draft of a blog post detailing my trip somewhere deep inside one of my folders that still hasn’t seen the light of day. It’s been 6 whole months and I’m still not done reflecting on my experience there.
Growing up I was always enamored with the idea of Hollywood and LA. Movies like La La Land only grew my fascination, and on June 5th I hopped on a plane to what I always imagined as my dreamland. I traveled across the country completely solo, and was going to be showing up to a group full of strangers.
Little did I know, 3 of those strangers would absolutely change my life. I left Los Angeles different- more mature, but somehow younger hearted. It was the beginning of my realization that life’s too short to not do what you want. I learned to dance like nobody was watching, because guess what… they honestly probably aren’t. I started 2022 being so worried about what everyone else thought- what if they think I dance funny, or judge me, or… etc. Well, not anymore.
It was such a freeing feeling to let go and just focus on living. Upon returning from Los Angeles, the summer flew by, as time always seems to do…
This year, the McGuire family was a little more spread out than we had been used to, so August was a month dedicated to family. To piggyback off of the idea I started the post with today- August taught me to be grateful and cherish the moments we do have, rather than the ones we don’t. In a fantasy world, we would all be able to be doing what we what, where we want, but also still be able to walk to each other’s houses… wishful thinking, I know! I ended up discovering the beauty in the small and short moments we shared in 2022. It somehow made them all the more special.
Before I knew it, I was packing my bags to head back to Ohio for my junior year of college. I moved into an apartment and finally had a space that was my own.
August 23rd, I moved in, blinked, and now here we are… The semester is over. I have one semester left in Ohio, and then just one year left in my college experience. Woah.
Alright well let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. One moment at a time.
Here’s to 2022- a year packed with new people, connections, memories, and lessons.
2023, I’m ready for you.
