Victory: A Whole Year Of It

I feel tremendously victorious today.

Morning after,
just finished a marathon,
dance the speakers off the wall,
conquer the world,
victorious.

The first year is finished.
I did it.
A whole year of it.

I am not naive to say this next year will be a cake walk.
In fact, I have heard and expect that in some ways the second year is harder because the heart begins to thaw, the soul begins to feel, and one begins to wake up all over again.

But, in the past year, I have woken up each day and wondered how I would do it, get through it, make it back to bed at the end of the day.  The year's holidays stockpiled against me, one on stop of another, threatening me with their mocking dates with every turn of the calendar page.

I don't have to worry as much about those, because I've met them once already.  Now I know what to expect for Valentine's, birthdays, anniversaries, and seasons.  This doesn't mean I love it.  It just means I've smelled the dragon's hot breath, and I can withstand the heat.

And now I know that every single day, the best and the worst, only lasts for 24 hours.

Today, I feel victorious.  I did it.  A whole year of it.