23 things I learned in the year 2023
This morning, I saw a thread come alive in the writers’ group that I am a part of. A friend, inspired by another, had posted a list of lessons that she had learned from the year that had gone by. Reading the lists and the conversations that surrounded them, opened something inside me. I opened the Keep app on my phone and started typing my list of lessons. Before I knew it, I had 23 clear and crisp points appear in front of me. I shared them with the group, feeling safe, knowing how my words are always lovingly received there. What I didn’t expect was that their response to my work would encourage me to share my list with others.
This is what love does. It gives us the courage to put ourselves out there and share who we are, fearlessly. The journey of an experience from thought, to memory, to words, to expression, and finally to sharing, is a long, arduous one for some of us. But I see my little boat of writing, being gently nudged forward by the encouraging waves of acceptance and witnessing that my writing group brings. And it is to them that I dedicate this year.
Inspired by
and , here are 23 lessons I learned this year.1. Afternoon naps make us better human beings.
2. A woman who rests is a woman who loves herself.
3. I don't have to heal or fix everything. I just have to know where it hurts and ensure I avoid getting hurt there.
4. I take my intuition for granted and it deserves better from me.
5. Good relationships and deep relationships are two different things. A relationship can be good and deep, or good and superficial, or deep and very difficult. I am allowed to have both!
6. Job, money, looks and most importantly, other people's good opinions of me don't define who I am. So even without these, I am Parool. I am the cake and the icing on it too.
7. Change is my friend. I can trust it even when it feels uncomfortable. I can take its hand and walk into the unknown. It comes to help me move forward.
8. People change. This fact can make me cry. It can help me be hopeful.
9. Time is the magic we all have access to. In the larger scheme of things, I love what it has done for me. I know all it asks of me is patience. And it is a gift worth giving.
10. Love will survive like cockroaches in a nuclear attack. You don't need to worry about that.
11. Everyone has a different way of giving. Some give more and some give less. What matters is that what you give out will always come back to you. I am letting life take care of the "how", "who" and "when".
12. Laughter is my tonic. I must know what and who makes me laugh. It shifts my energy faster than prayer. Even God has a sense of humour and I must learn to cultivate it within me.
13. It is okay for my writing voice to change. There are many voices inside me. They all want to get their turn to come out and speak.
14. Everything I am learning is for the present. Not for eternity.
15. Silence is not a bad thing.
16. My prayers are working but not in the ways I expected. The universe loves a twist in the story.
17. Learning new things, listening to people's stories, and sharing what I have are three things that help me expand and become lighter. Like a balloon!
18. I trust the magic of fleeting moments more than promises that become heavy with time.
19. Slow and steady wins the race, heals for real and shows others the way to do the same for themselves.
20. When I feel grateful for all that I have, I feel rich and fulfilled.
21. I want peace more than the things I thought I wanted.
22. The more I let go of how I thought life would look for me, the better I feel about myself.
23. It only gets lighter and brighter from here.
Thanks for reading this post. And if the thought of making your list crossed your mind, please do it! I promise you, it is the best New Year’s gift you can receive from yourself.
Happy New Year!