2023 Reflections
A bit late but it's never really too late to look back at the path that lead us here
Hello again dear readers! It seems I’ve gone on yet another rather long hiatus…well, when I first started this Substack, I did say I probably wouldn’t post that regularly, but I was imagining I’d be a bit better in actual practice…well, I’ll try to do better from here on out :)
I’ve been putting off writing this reflections post for a very long time. I had great excuses: year-end is always hectic for corporate slaves, plus I went to visit my family for the holidays so I was “too busy.” Then after I returned to work, I was “too exhausted.”
The excuses could go on and on, however, today I’ve decided to put my foot down and write. Sometimes the longer you meditate on things, the less momentum and willpower you have to actually start. As the Chinese say “萬事開頭難” or “everything’s hard in the beginning.” Once you force yourself to take the first step, you may find it’s not as hard as it seemed.
To be honest, this is probably the first time I’ve actually tried to write a reflection for the past year, I usually just let the years go by. I mean I definitely take time to reflect on the past, especially significant events, but usually I just focus on resolutions for the new year. However, 2023 was such an eventful year that I felt like it deserved a special commemoration.
It seems futile to try to summarize a whole year, 365 days, 8765.999 hours in a single blog post (especially with my short attention span). I guess the most logical thing to do is to write down the most significant life lessons I learned so that in the future when I look back at this blog post, I can recall what happened in 2023.
I learned the importance of forgiveness, I learned that letting go of resentment and anger was not just letting someone else off the hook, but letting myself regain inner peace and move on. Life is already filled with many obstacles to overcome, why make it harder for myself? Holding onto all those negative emotions was like grasping onto the blade that hurt me with all my might, not a very smart choice at all.
I learned that no matter how tough times got, how impossible the obstacle was, but “this too shall pass.”
I learned that kindness should be unconditional*, not just towards those we hold in good favor. *unconditional in the aspect that I should not expect anything in return when I hand out kindness*
I learned that pursuing/realizing my dreams was not some impossible task that I should just put off for “another life.” If I want to do something, I should just do it. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just move on.
I’m so, so grateful to all my dear friends, their kindness and understanding really mean the world to me. When I was in a crunch or a slump, I knew I could count on them to be my “safe space” where I could speak my mind freely and voice my woes. Thanks for being there for me, for cheering me on and applauding my small victories at every turn.
LOL, in the end I feel like I’m just rattling off an Oscar-award winner speech.
I feel like I’m forgetting so many things because 2023 taught me so many priceless lessons and left so many meaningful memories. Even though it was truly a tough year, I’m still grateful since overcoming those hardships has made me a better person.
To end this post, I’d like to share a new gem I’ve found, “Start Over” by Dreamcatcher :)
To a happier new year, let’s go 2024! Hwighting!