This post originally appeared here on Medium.
Get Ready For Another Round Of Adventure
Next Year
We are inching closer to the end of another year. Many of us are excited to cross over. We peek over the horizon, looking forward to a new start — new year, new chapters, new hope. We want to bury the past behind us and take that leap forward. I let out a sigh of relief. This year is anything but normal.
But wait. What exactly is normal? How do we define normal? Here I am on the precipice of a new year, waiting to cross over. Is that what I’m expecting — to have a normal year?
Looking back over the years, I recall what was considered normal vanished when I graduated middle school. From then on, everything is far from normal. Each year, the intensity and drama continue to escalate.
One thing, however, remains. Regardless of how difficult the situation appeared, I always made it to the end. The end of the year always arrives, and the end of next year and the year after that.
This year is no different, being the most volatile year ever. Yet I believe I said the same about past years. Next year, the intensity will probably move up a notch or two. Most of us thought the pandemic and the lockdown effects were the worst we’ve seen. As of next year, whatever we’ve gone through will be a thing of the past. The past prepares us for what is coming in the future. It has and will always be that way.
Like previous years, it will involve many emotional highs and lows. There will be circumstances that are beyond my control. Amid the chaos, I need to remember and focus only on what is within my control.
Life will continue to be hard. At some point, we have to pick our version of hard. When life rains on our parade and it will, don’t be shock. That’s the time to decide.
— Purposefullifenow.com
_____________________________
Photo by Ithalu Dominguez from Pexels
Life will continue to be hard. At some point, we have to pick our version of hard. When life rains on our parade and it will, don’t be shock. That’s the time to decide.
Are we going to spend a large portion of our time griping and complaining about how difficult it is or are we going to pause and refocus?
If we are honest with ourselves, a lot of what makes us unhappy are issues that are beyond our control. Acceptance is difficult because we insist life happens on our terms.
Why does the pandemic have to take place? Why does this person have to die? Why did I lose my job? Why do people betray our trust? On and on it goes. We won’t have all the answers. Asking why till we turn blue in the face will not solve one bit of our problem.
The next rational question should be, now what. Since we can’t change anything, how can we identify an alternative solution that supports our days moving forward?
Am I saying that we forget everything and pretend it never happens? No. Even if it’s the right and logical thing to do, it is not always easy. Humans are emotional creatures, and negative emotions affect us deeply.
Fortunately, life does not require us to know what to do every time. We don’t always need to have the correct answer because most of the time, there isn’t one.
— Purposefullifenow.com
_____________________________
Photo by Ithalu Dominguez from Pexels
There has to come a time for us to wake up and say enough is enough. No one is going to come and save us. We need to know when to quit waiting. To stop wailing, stop whining, and do something. Do we have a solution? The answer to this is almost always no.
Fortunately, life does not require us to know what to do every time. We don’t always need to have the correct answer because most of the time, there isn’t one.
When we are up against a wall, sometimes we need to rely upon blind faith. We need to remind ourselves how we got out of many tight situations in the past, and this time it’s no different.
No one can climb a mountain overnight. No one swims across an ocean to the other side. Often, we don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Most of us can’t take a giant leap all at once. But almost everyone can take one step. We only need to focus on the space in front of us. Feel for it and land one foot there. When we have done that, take another, then another.
Life continues to travel forward. We don’t feel it when all we see is the mountain in front of us. We thought pain lasts forever, wounds will never heal, or we won’t recover. While it’s true that many aspects of life are irreplaceable and the impact will last a long time, remember as the days move forward, so do we. Pretty soon, the problem will be behind us.
Original Photo by Саша Лазарев from Pexels
One day we will look back, as we always did, and think: it has been this long since that event happened.
I am sure there will be nights when I turn on my pillow and think of those moments. Each scene will appear vivid before my eyes. It will feel like yesterday when it happened. Regardless of what it seems, I have to remember who I am in the moment — a warrior, an overcomer, a survivor. That is exactly who you are.
There are lots of positive events waiting to manifest next year. Alongside that, watch out for the few nasty surprises lurking on the sidelines. They will explode like a balloon in your face, scattering confetti glitter everywhere, distracting your mind and vision. You will feel lost and disoriented momentarily, but don’t lose heart.
As you regain your focus in the coming days, remember to let life do its thing so you can do yours. If it seems different, or the challenges seem overwhelming, don’t stop.
Appearance is deceptive, and nothing is as it seems.
Flow along because you won’t be too far from another wrap-up. Soon, you will raise your champagne glass to the camera and dance once again into yet another new year.
* This post was originally written in December 2021 as we look forward to the New Year.
