First of all, I owe my readers an apology. It’s been a while since I wrote last and that comes down to several factors, including lack of time, energy, motivation, and mostly, a foggy mind. A lot happened near the tail end of 2017 which somehow led to a divide between my thoughts and my ability to put them on paper. Here is everything I learned.
Patience
This was the recurring theme of 2017. The impending arrival of my 30th birthday was a reminder that life is too short – or is that just something I kept telling myself? I told myself I would accomplish it all, and started making lists of ridiculous things I wanted to make sure I did before the end of the year. Many of those things were unachievable (“I want to go to space”), others were disconnected from who I am as a person. Patience was required to allow myself to understand that everything will happen in its own time. As The Beatles said, there’s nothing you can do that can’t be done, and this was definitely the case. Eventually I was able to get a few aspirations ticked of my list, but this also came with the realization that these items really did not matter in the grander scheme of things.
Lesson: Everything will happen when it is supposed to happen. Trying to rush or find a loophole may make you believe you have won, but they are just shortcuts that will come back in tenfolds. Best to allow life to create its pace with the resources we provide to it.
Suffering
Lack of patience leads to an immense amount of suffering, and I spent many-a-days sitting in a corner, grouching, seeking someone or something to blame for my demeanour. I told myself “I will never get what I want”, which is the general tone I projected on to others. Here’s the interesting part, while I sat being grumpy, life continued. In the end, I still did what I was meant to do…this is where I asked myself a crucial questions – could all of this be achieved without any notion of pain? The answer is, yes.
Lesson: Suffering is optional, it always as been. Whether or not you know your path should not determine how you react towards it. If it is all bound to happen anyway, might as well accept it with a smile. Who knows, you may alter your reality and embark on a new journey – a happier one.
Love
The love doesn’t stop! In spite of everything I went through that led to impatience or suffering, the love was always pure and unconditional. This does not necessarily mean the love between spouses or family members, this refers to love that is all around us in the form of gratitude, happiness, and anything else that gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling. I worked on ensuring the love I gave was absolute with no strings attached, allowing it be genuine, as well as healing for those who needed it most.
Lesson: Here is something we do have to keep in mind, sometimes love comes to us in many different forms, many of which are not recognizable. Pay attention to when it shows up for you, and you will only feel it grow. Also, don’t be afraid to tell others that you love them, it does wonders and makes the heart glow.
Contentment
Growing up I suffered from envy, it was my weak spot. It’s what the kids are calling FOMO these days. This fear led to high levels of anxiety, unnecessary comparisons, and a whole lot of sadness. 2017 was a year where I was finally able to take a step back and be content with all that I had achieved. It is the same as finally being present in the moment, and surprisingly, it had nothing to do with any event or any new activity. It was purely based on the fact that I have come to accept my life, my circumstances, and my personality.
Lesson: We are exactly where we are meant to be in this exact moment in time. If there is something more that you want for yourself, you must first accept the cards that you been dealt and then decide if this is causing any suffering. If not, then what else do you seek? Will the next milestone make it all better? Instead, embrace who you are, and perhaps enjoy the present that is Life.
So there you have it, my 2017 in a nutshell. Of course, there was other stuff, a whole of adulting (I have a mortgage now…), but I also had a whole lot of fun and traveled to many new places. At the end of it all, every single day that I lived brought me one step closer to myself. Life challenges us in many ways, sometimes more regularly than we would like, but it is how we handle these situations that decides how far we may go. So best to smile and accept…and of course, don’t forget to breeeaatheee.
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