The End of a Wonderful Year & Top Posts of 2013

I always have the tendency to look back into the past around New Years. Two years have passed since the events I wrote about in my Sea of Regrets post. As I read my words over for the first time in almost a year, they seem almost foreign to me. Initially I am brought back into the cold, scared and heartbroken. Images that would only appear in a nightmare of mine were once real, live moments. But, having been determined to move forward once and for all, I am warm again, completely protected, safe, and happy . . . and I have been that way ever since.

The post truly marked a significant change of emotional events in my life as I had moved forward and on with my life without looking back. I must post the quote that is my absolute favourite, as it’s now becoming a little tradition of my own to recite it every New Years:

Never let old shames keep you spinning in a stagnant sea of regrets. And never, ever let them sink you. Life didn’t show you your mistakes so you could stay stuck in misgivings. It showed you where you went wrong so you might patch your vessel, pick up your lessons like oars, and row yourself down a more trustworthy route to happiness.

Regrets are not opportunities that have ended, or doors that are locked forever. As I like to say, perhaps regrets are keys that open up even bigger doors with even bigger opportunities. 142 posts after I shared that quote for the first time, the year of 2013 has come to its close.

Here are my top 10 posts of 2013:

10. Camel Love & Kisses for the Sphinx

9. Travel Excuses – Why People Don’t Travel and Why People Should

8. Heart Fluttering Romance of Dubrovnik

7. Queenstown – My Bungy and Skydive

6. The Grand Bazaar – Truly a Feast for the Senses

5. Goodbye, Jorge Selaron

4. Christchurch – Rising from the Rubble

3. Alli in the Andes – Hiking the Inca Trail

2. The Feasting & Drinking of 6 Continents

and my most popular post of 2013 . . .

1. Empty Streets in Cairo – The Festival of Ramadan

The year of 2014 will be undoubtedly doused with posts of my experiences in Southeast Asia along with the many adventures and changes I know are coming my way. To sign off the year of 2013, what can I say other than how lucky and happy I am? I have seen nothing but good health for my family and me. I have ventured to gorgeous New Zealand. There is still so much more I expect of myself, so much more I want to achieve and accomplish. My New Years Resolution always remains the same: I will never stop exploring and finding adventure.