Lessons to learn

A new dawn has arrived. The calendars will be replaced. New planners and diaries will make a customary appearance on my desk. Some more resolutions made. But there is a conscious awareness of the artificiality of this transition. We are still flowing in the same sea, experiencing the ebbs and tides, doing our best to stay afloat.

The year gone by has left us with lessons to learn. It took me a while to realize that I was sinking. Something deep seemed to drag me down. Until I had enough and decided to take charge. It takes guts to ask for help when you need it. And gradually you stand up and fix the world around you. Correction. You fix the world within. The exterior will always be in transition. It is the insides that you need to stabilize.

There is a beautiful feeling about being able to bounce back. Each time you are thrown down. They call it resilience. It is heady to discover that strength within yourself. To change things the way you want them to be. To spend your time doing what makes you happy. To design the little niches that allow you to explore your own creativity. To understand your body and your mind. To know pain. To know peace. To know your limitations. To accept them. To be the version of you that you want to be. Not tailormade to suit the outside world.

The year gone by might have been tumultuous and turbulent on the exterior. But it taught me to still the ship of the mind when the waves went beyond control. Lessons that are to be received with gratitude. Grateful to be alive. Grateful to be surrounded by the people you love. Grateful to be able to do the things I find joy in. And contentment with what cannot be changed.

More strength to everyone as we begin another cycle of orbiting around the sun.

(Featured painting is an oil on canvas by Victoria Horkan)