On Friday, I’ll turn twenty-eight (!!), an age I probably thought was ancient when I was six and am now convincing myself is super young. Of course, with every year closer to a new decade, there are new worries and concerns, but I’m making a conscious effort not to let those thoughts suck the joy out of being another year older and wiser.
My twenty-seventh year has sneakily been filled with major accomplishments and milestones that I almost forgot about before writing a whole list. When I was jotting down twelve months of memories into my notes app, I realized that recognizing these moments and accomplishments is something only I can do for myself. In a season of life where “new chapters” like marriage and babies are most commonly celebrated, it’s refreshing to take the time to keep a tally of what I’ve been up to this year and how I’ve made the days count.
I’m looking forward to ushering in twenty-eight with lots of scrumptious vegan food (pizza and ice cream, anyone?!), a 60-minute massage, and hopefully getting at least one beach day in this birthday weekend. Before I do that, I’m here’s my top seven of twenty-seven (in no particular order):
I published my first book!
After four years in the making, Courageous Well-Being for Nurses was released! I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to have a real-life copy of my book when I was writing the bulk of it in 2020-2022 during the most painful and uncertain times of COVID-19. Now, I have copies in almost every room of my house and have held at least 100 of them as I signed them for readers. A few days after pub day, my Mom and Aunt hosted a picture-perfect party to celebrate the release, and I loved every moment of it. I’m so grateful to my co-author, Donna Gaffney, for joining forces on this project. Seeing our words' impact brings me so much joy.
I started writing on Substack!
This is the year I’ve started to come into my own as a writer, and that is due, in part, to this wonderful world of Substack. This space allows me to wear & share all my hats– the writer, the coach, the worrier, the wellness enthusiast, the dog mom, the cancer survivor. I love challenging myself each week to develop a new post for my readers and do so in an authentic way. It’s been so much fun perusing this new media platform and finding other writer’s substacks, too!
I was a Maid of Honor!
In December, I stood by my cousin's side as her Maid of Honor as she married her husband. I took on all the important parts of being a MOH, including but not limited to planning a sixteen-person bachelorette, providing unlimited emotional support at all hours of the day/night, and writing and giving a stellar speech to over 300 wedding guests (Irish Catholic family problems). It was an iconic and beautiful wedding, and we all lucked out when the weather was 55 degrees in December. My only regret is that I danced so much that I missed out on getting Kardashian-inspired photos in the photo booth.
I traveled to Europe for the first time!
While all my friends were studying abroad in Italy and venturing across Europe during my junior year of college, I was holed up in Poughkeepsie, New York, taking five psych classes at once and not having a single glass of wine all semester. Luckily, at least one of them fell in love with Italy enough to get married there, and I finally had the chance to visit Europe with a group of my high school friends. Traveling is good for the soul and intense on the body (all those steps!), but I am forever willing to take that trade-off. There’s so much to be appreciated when soaking in the sun of a foreign land and sipping on the locals' favorite beverages. A change of scenery always makes me feel more alive, and a change of culture even more so. I’m grateful my first trip there was with a bunch of European traveling pros, and I am eager to cross another ocean in the year ahead.
I met Chelsea Handler and Kristin Hannah!
This was both the coolest and most unexpected moment of 27! I wrote all about it in this Substack. I wrote into Chelsea Handler’s podcast in 2022 as I was writing the first draft of my memoir manuscript, and was featured on her podcast in February of this year. I had a serious case of butterflies when speaking to Chelsea Handler and Kristin Hanna and nearly blacked out from excitement and nerves. My biggest takeaway from this experience was that I am a writer and author, and while there will be doubts and challenges along the way, the best thing to do is to keep writing. Oh, and there are no shortcuts, not even Chat GPT.
I started EMDR therapy!
With my personal history of childhood illness and parent loss, I’ve been to quite a few therapists in my day to help support me through these times and the anxiety that has followed. When I experienced existential what am I doing with my life?! thoughts during my senior year of college, I started going to therapy regularly to address that anxiety head-on. After seeing a therapist for several years and focusing primarily on CBT skills to cope with my anxiety and OCD, I realized I needed a different approach to address past trauma, which led me to begin EMDR. I figured if it was good enough for Prince Harry, it would be good enough for me.
As with any healing process, it takes time, and there’s no “cure” to erase past traumas. Instead, the goal is to feel less intense sensations around triggers and learn resourcing skills to support myself when they do arise. Doing this work is both intense and tedious, and I’m proud of myself for being kind to my mind!
I became a better “dog mom”!
I was twenty-five when I adopted Ruby on President’s Day weekend of 2022 when she was a scruffy-looking 19-pound puppy. As a first-time dog mom, I’ve invested much time and effort in ensuring she has good manners, working with a positive reinforcement trainer, and connecting with fellow dog-loving friends through a dog social club. One of Ruby’s quirks as a puppy mill rescue is that she has pretty intense separation anxiety (think screeching for hours when I leave), and it’s been a struggle to manage and make progress. It’s been a roller-coaster of emotions for both of us! Fortunately, I found an amazingly supportive vet behaviorist this year who listens and understands the complexity of our situation. Ruby is making steady progress on her home-alone journey (no more panicking!) with the help of meds and subthreshold training. Not to brag, but she also knows some cool tricks like hug, paw, bow, spin, touch, and paws up! Oh, and she has way more two-legged and four-legged friends than I do.
Aays, thank you for reading! It’s your loyal readership that keeps me writing and it’s my plan to do so for many, many more years to come.
xoxo
Nicole
I love this, Nicole! I'm so grateful to have witnessed many of these accomplishments. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!