As another resounding year gets ready to write it’s final lines, I’ve realized, that I’ve lived, I’ve loved, I’ve lost, I’ve missed, I’ve trusted, I’ve hurt, I’ve made mistakes. But most of all, I’ve learned.
I’ve learned that life is what you make it. No matter what, we are going to mess up sometimes, and that is the universal truth! But the good part is I decided how to mess it up and I decided how to clean it up. I’ve learned to laugh often and love much. I’ve learned to appreciate beauty and find the best in others. I’ve learned not to judge others, and take opportunities for granted, and I still live and let live.
I saw rainbows as I passed along the path, came across tens of daffodils that touched my heart in more ways than one, weathered the rough skies and managed to get over the bumps along the way. I was blessed with meeting so many wonderful faces, that my album of memories is filled to the brink with colors of life. Some have come and gone, and some have held on fast to become a part of my journey to the end.
This year has filled me with more pain and sadness at the evil lurking in the shadows. Innocent lives at stake, but we find it more important to wage war against each other, assassinate other people’s character, control lives of other people and sit in judgment of other’s personal lives. It is disheartening to come across people who have no empathy for those who have gone through periods of hunger, roofless, alone and separated from loved ones.
So here I sit, more than half way down on this wonderful path called life, reminiscing about some friendships that fell apart, the distance and family relationships that cracked under pressure. I don’t regret that certain things have happened and I am trying not to confuse sadness with any regret. Choices have been made and perhaps my belief in fate and destiny pushed me slowly to this place, right now. There was no other way to get here.
And here I am, a different person, a different future, with some same faces who had the grace and humbleness to look beyond material gains and valued me as a person. Believing that things in life happen for a reason, I had to let people go in the small paths of my life. I needed to let the past remain in the past. I knew that everyone in my life can be a part of my journey, but only a few would remain with me until the end.
Lot of people, think that love is all flowers and good times. To me, love is a journey of togetherness, the bad with the good, the ups with the downs, the petals with the wilts, the patience with the understanding – together! And my mate indeed made his presence stronger than concrete and reclaimed the crown of my soul mate! And so have my special virtually treasured friends, who stood by me, night and day, rain or shine, moody or happy.
The beauty of living is the acceptance that life is a constant mix of surprises and changes, unplanned pit stops and unexplained roadblocks. So I pushed and shoved, moved with the punches that came my way, swallowed my pride and divided my dreams from the hunches.
As I enter the New Year with renewed dreams, I thanked the year gone by for its priceless lessons. As I welcome the New Year with hope and faith, I draw strength and courage from my husband and children, as they constantly remind me, “Keep smiling as you always do, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”
