Thank you 2021

It is time to say goodbye to 2021 and welcome 2022 with renewed vigor and hope.
It was a year to remember or to forget! Difficult to decide where it belongs. We may keep it in mind for many more years than needed due to the disasters it brought. But the question is, should we remember something that caused us trauma and keep revisiting those dreaded days to feel the fear we have faced? Or look for the good things that happened here and there, tag them to 2021 and treasure them?

Isn’t it good to start the new year with a clean state? When starting a new class in the classroom (olden days!), the first thing to consider is to wipe the board clean as it’s a new subject/chapter. What about the whole new year at the door? Should we drag ourselves with old baggage that makes us tired or take the lighter life lessons and skills that would equip us to face life and move forward?
What do we do while relocating to a different place or a new home? We carry the things that would be useful for the next phase of life, the things associated with good memories, or the ones that may come in handy sometime in the future. But, we leave/dispose of the unwanted things and garbage. However, sometimes, we may carry a few items by mistake. But we check and dispose of those things while organizing the new home.
Can we try doing the same with our experience, thoughts, and associated memories of the year 2021?

Spend some time to revisit your memories and check which files/content got added to your mind this year. We cannot do much about the unknown files that would have got added by the media & people around. We are not even aware of their existence. But spending some time alone in journaling or walking to recollect good or not good experiences/incidents of the year would be good enough to start. Write them down so that you are aware of those thoughts.
Once the list is ready, you may mark which one to keep and which to dispose of. As in the case of garbage disposal, this one takes some time and thought about how to do it.

Everything happens for a reason. It may not make sense now, but at the right time, it will.

As the quote mentions, we may need to leave a few things as it is and move on. Look out for any lessons we can take from the situation. Collect if you find any. There could be many instances that need the power of forgiving. It could be others who made you feel uncomfortable or yourself for not achieving/doing something as planned. In both cases, understanding that each one does their best with knowledge and the experiences that shaped them would make it easier for us to accept the situation.

Forgiving yourself or the other person is not easy as it looks. Getting angry or keeping it alive is much easier than forgiving others. It requires strength to forgive others. You may need more awareness and self-love to forgive yourself.

Forgive yourself for all the things you planned and could not do or the ones you did and wanted to avoid. Embrace yourself, give yourself some love and care. Pamper yourself and convince yourself to set things better for the coming year. Worrying about the past will not take us anywhere. We need to look toward the future with hopes and do whatever best we can do now.

So the best gift which you can give yourself for the new year is to be present at the moment, practice mindfulness, and take care of yourself.

—Anitha KC