Make Yourself Proud.

Almost exactly a year ago, I went for a late afternoon walk around the Charles River with a friend. It was one of those days we're so lucky to get here in New England from time to time; a crisp, brilliantly blue sky, the skyline sparkling and winking in the sunshine, sailboats crowding the river, Bostonians roaming about, soaking up the tail end of summer.

We were catching up on our lives and our friends, chatting about work and dating and books and in the middle of listening to her tell me about her recent vacation, I shut my eyes for just a few brief seconds because I wanted to remember it, to freeze time for just a second, to be aware. We were just two Boston dwelling girls out for a walk after work - nothing out of the ordinary, but it was perfect.

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about how my life and the lives of my friends are pretty extraordinary, in even the most ordinary ways. We're young, healthy, successful. On the whole, I'd say we make a pretty content, happy group. I knew, though, as I made my way around the river that day, that things wouldn't always be that way. Age and perspective will tell you that. People marry, babies come along. Friends move out of the city for new jobs or affordable homes.

This past weekend, in one fell swoop, I had three very close friends move out of Boston. One, off to Chicago for a new job, another back to her home state of Vermont with her husband and their little girl, and another up to Maine, where she and her husband just relocated.

I miss them already.

But you know? Last year, when I took a moment to breathe deep and remember an otherwise ordinary moment, I felt just the tiniest twinge of resentment knowing these changes would inevitably come. Now? I like to think I'm more excited, happy, and proud of my friends then anything else. I sit and watch one of my dear friends talk about her ever-expanding adorable baby belly and I feel so lucky to know this woman as she heads toward motherhood. I listen to my girlfriend talk about what sort of decor she wants to plan in her new home - the first she'll be in with her soon to be husband - and I'm giddy for her. And I get to see my life evolve too. I'm embracing my new job with glee, I'm trying new things, meeting new people, and really, truly, enjoying every minute. I don't know if this mindset will last forever, but right now? I'm reveling in the changes, the evolution of my and my friend's very extraordinarily ordinary lives.

I keep reminding myself to take those moments of pause, or reflection. I don't want to miss the present because it lasts for but a blink. And when I think to look down the road ahead? I see some big, looming changes for almost all of us. But instead of feeling melancholy or mourning the loss of what was, I like to think that things are just going to get better. I'll take my past, because it has made me who I am today. I'll enjoy the present because it is my now, my moment. And the future? Well, I'll just keep my eyes on the road ahead and see what unfolds...for all of us. Here's to it.