Dear 2010,

Greetings to the first year of a new decade! You must be excited! Or are you feeling pressured?  If so, don’t worry. All things considered, we are more flexible and have fewer expectations than we did last year.

That doesn’t mean we don’t have plans for you. On the contrary, we’ve got some big plans! But what’s different from last year is that we’re not limiting ourselves to our own expectations. You see, I learned something this past year. In my letter to 2009, I wrote that, among other things, we were expecting a “problem-free trip to the Grand Canyon.” We did make that trip, and aside from an attack of acrophobia and a massive bloody nose inside the Canyon, it was “problem-free.” But what I couldn’t have foreseen when I wrote the letter was that I would have the opportunity to embark on another trip last summer. I would journey to Nepal for two weeks to work with families with autism, and it would be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. There was no way I could have expected that wonderful trip to happen! In addition to that, there were countless other experiences throughout the year that have enhanced our lives and helped us to learn what we needed to know, whether we expected them or not.

And so, 2010, I’m leaving my expectations open this year. I’ve learned that things can turn out way better than I could have ever planned or expected.  Yes, we’ll still make plans and set goals and do our best to achieve them. And if things don’t work out the way we plan, that’s okay. We know that you’ve got something lined up that will work out even better. So, Welcome, 2010! We’re really looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us.

Best wishes,

The Teen Autism Household

Image credit: the_franz