End of Year Roll-Up: 2015

2015 might go down as one of my favorite years of my life yet! This year I  launched thatchillaxdude.com, had the opportunity to broaden my professional horizons while living in Western Africa for nearly six months, lived-like-a-local for a week in Paris, met some of my favorite writers / life coaches, toured the Great American Southwest – Pacific Coast Highway – Rocky Mountains – Black Hills on motorcycle, experienced the 75th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in all of its awesomeness with my closest friends, met some of the veritable rock stars in the TinyHouse movement at the first-ever TinyHouse Jamboree, actually helped build a TinyHouse, wrapped-up a three-week snorkeling – backpacking – motorcycling adventure in the Philippines with a family reunion 25-yrs in the making, and embarked on a fantastic and challenging occupational endeavor with superbly talented individuals. Yes, I know that was a helluva run-on sentence, but it was that awesome of a year! In an amazing answer to prayers, my mother received two kidneys from an organ donor after only thirteen months on the kidney transplant list, and no longer requires dialysis treatments. I finally realized the impact an organ donor can have on the lives of others; as a result, I am now a registered organ donor. 2015 allowed me to end unhealthy relationships, rekindle a handful of old friendships, strengthen existing friendships, as well as establish new and life-long friendships. I look back at the year, wonder how it went by so quickly, and can only smile. I am truly thankful for the special events, individual moments, people and paths that I encountered along the way. If I could do it all over again… well, I suppose I would drive a smidgen slower so as to avoid the handful of speeding tickets I collected. I excitedly look forward to what 2016 has in store.

What about you… what events, moments, or people influenced you greatly in 2015? And how has this year shaped you as a person or member of a group?