The countdown is finally on! In exactly 17 hours, 58 mins and 51 seconds from now, 2021 will be a thing of the past and in the rearview mirror forever. But oh what a year it was! From beginning to end, this year was filled with so many stories. Ones that I will share next year when I am ready to.
The words that come to mind when describing 2021 for me would definitely be horrific, nightmarish, and fearful. But, there were so many beautiful moments too. It is certainly a year that I would never wish on anyone, nor want to repeat again. It came in like a roaring lion but is leaving as a gentle lamb. For now, the war is over and it seems as though I have won, but the battle still continues.
They say that only during the most trying moments of your life will you ever find yourself, and I cannot tell you how true this is. But I wish there was another way that I could have learned all that I did. It was definitely a year I honestly never thought I would get through but I am slowly coming back to life, one day, one step at a time.
But this is New Year's Eve, and I don't wish to end the year on a sad note. Trust me when I tell you that there were plenty of those to dwell on. No, I won't do that. With anything in life, there are always two sides to the coin. We can sit still if we really want to but then we'd be missing out on a whole other side of things.
2021 was filled with lessons. Ones that will carry me through the remainder of my years.
And, I'm not alone. I am certain that we've all had our fair share of learning opportunities this year. But, as we move into 2022, let us reflect on how we can transcend from it all, rather than getting stuck in the same place.
I heard a beautiful quote this year by Robin Sharma that stopped me dead in my tracks.
" Don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life."
I immediately thought to myself, this is exactly what I've been doing. Each year, I have been carrying around the same old baggage and moving it forward to the next one. Why am I doing that? It's no wonder I've been so exhausted. When all this time what I should have been doing is learning from the experiences and moving on. Keeping it all with me wasn't serving my purpose. Thus, causing me to re-live the same old life year after year, after year. 2021 was the year that I realized that I have been taking the same old wounds, walking around with the same dreadful people from my past, allowing the same damn fears to govern my life each new year. Well no more. It all ends today. This New Year's Eve, I will be saying goodbye to old ghosts, thoughts, and beliefs - finally laying them to rest. Not an easy task and certainly not something that can be done overnight. It's taken an entire year but I am finally ready to move forward to my new life. I implore you all to do the same. If you are carrying around the same life with you, take 2022 and learn about yourself. Heal yourself inside and out. Next year, you may be where I am now, and I pray you are. For those of you who are ready now, let's do this!!
I am certain in the past that I have been drunk with excitement for a new year, but nothing matches the thrill that I feel this year. This year, I have my life back in a way I never had before. This year and all the ones I am blessed with that follow will be lived to the fullest!
There's always something so magical about new beginnings. A chance to start over, do things right. To move in a manner that was always intended for you. To find your true self and finally live your best life. Now, this is not to mean that there won't be upcoming battles or hurdles to tackle, because there always will be - surely we all know this by now. Some will beat our ass to the ground and some will just make us stumble for a moment. Either way, we have a choice to learn everything we can from each hiccup, become stronger, wiser, and move forward. But one thing is for sure if we let circumstances beat us down permanently, there is no way in hell that we can win. We all have one chance at this thing called life and it's worth fighting for to the death.
Whether you are in the season of fighting a battle or enjoying the win from one, no soldier should face a war alone. It takes a village as they say. So I hope that you all find the courage to voice your battles aloud and let others help you. You may think that you have to go it alone, that some things will just be a burden to your loved ones, or that you're simply too afraid to ask for help - but you couldn't be more wrong. Believe me, I felt the same way for years. I now know different. Find people you trust, who truly have your best interest at heart who love you, and let them in. Let the others go. With that said, I couldn't have gotten through this year without the love and support of my circle. You were all there each step of the way. You shared my fears, my tears, my high points, my low points, my losses, and my wins. There were so many moments throughout the year that I wanted to give up, but you didn't let me. In fact, you wouldn't hear of it. I couldn't have possibly faced all I did alone, and I am forever grateful to each and every one of you!
The most humble lesson that I learned in 2021 was that all the fear I had surrounding my circumstances was for nothing - because God is always with me. He not only showed me but proved to me that I can do hard things. Things I never wanted to imagine having to live through came to my life like an avalanche this year. He brought me the lesson, but he also brought the love. When I couldn't take much more, he allowed his voice to be heard deep in my soul that said, "Yes, you can! You must go through all of this, to see what I have for you on the other side of this pain." So I have faith in that. Regardless of his word, he fully surrounded and showered me with both heavenly and earthly love. He set up my support circle in human form so powerfully, because he knew that there would be days when spiritual love needed to be strengthened with the embraces of loved ones. But he didn't stop there. He also gave me the wisdom and the strength from strangers - who now have become family too. If I had to list a second most valuable lesson learned this year it would be that miracles do happen - even in this day and age. I know this for a fact because it happened to me. So I say to all of you, always have faith in something. Whatever it is, just believe. In your darkest moments, it will help carry you through.
I wanted to take this last bit of writing to say thank you to anyone and everyone who reads my stories and journeys along with me. Your support and love give me the courage to keep writing. I hope that the words you find here help heal and uplift you when you need them most. Love is my only purpose.
I hope you're all excited for this coming year. No matter what kind of life you've been having lately, remember that it's never too late to reinvent things - and that includes yourself. So make sure that you too don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life as I have done. Instead, this year, live on purpose. Live your life with so much intent, so much love that there will never be time for fear, hate, or regret ever again.
I wish you all so much love, happiness, health, joy, and love in 2022 and beyond. Happy New Year, Everybody!
