What 2017 Has Taught Me | A Year-End Post



2017 was quick. It swept off faster than I have imagined it to be. This post might come a little bit late. I have tried, as much as I could, to produce a writing that I can call "2017 in retrospect", summarizing all those important happenings for the past year. There were a lot, of course. Meeting new people, losing a few, and knowing who to keep. Travelling solo, thrice. Watching two of my favorite musicians live, and feeling so surreal and awestruck by their musicality and talent. Starting a new hobby, and falling in love with it. But despite all these, my mind could not comprehend what my heart is lacking.

Here I am, three weeks into 2018 with my digital ink, tickling my brain and waiting for the right words to spill. I no longer believe in New Year's resolutions anymore (I guess I didn't believe on it in the first place). One does not need a new year to change. We don't need a strike in the clock to realize the need to do something for the better. So rather, I will look for the year that was and what it taught me. And hopefully so, years from now, I can be reminded on the journey that led me to these learnings.

  • Stop delaying the things you want to be/learn. Because truth is, the only person stopping you from achieving it is, surprise, yourself. I was my own biggest enemy, detractor. But I learnt, that more importantly, I should also be my own biggest supporter. As what the saying goes, you are far too smart to be the only person standing in your way.
  • Guard your heart, always. The bible tells us, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23)  I learnt this the hard way. Someone I thought I knew personally was not actually someone they perceive to be. I am the kind of person who gets attach and trusts too easily towards someone with the same interests of mine. And I am beyond thankful to find these kind of people. However, it is also because of this that I forgot that there should be a foundation, and a boundary in some sort.
  • Our life is like a toolbox, and you have to keep on adding to that toolbox. I think, no one really wants to be stagnant, so learning something new is a way from it. It may not be on an everyday basis, but perhaps within a period of time. To keep on improving ourselves. Master a new skill, pick up a new hobby, or learn something different as little as cutting an onion without tearing up or perfecting a sunny side up egg. We have to keep on adding to our own toolbox because we'll never know when it'll come handy.
  • Breath. I tend to get suffocated in the midst of my everyday life. Work and stress can sometimes get a hold of me. Whenever I feel like this, I remember to breath. Pause and rest, but don't quit. Although, admittedly, there were a lot of times that I really wanted to give up, so I can just stop feeling everything. But I don't. I try to look at my surroundings through a different perspective, and try to realize how much am I missing by dwelling with all the negativity.
  • Those people who really asks "How are you" and frees their time to catch up with you, keep them
  • No matter how many times I drown my own demons, they will always be there, following me, relapsing and learning how to swim. But what important is I get up, continue to fight and live, to survive and thrive and seek God's desire.

You see, we are made of million moments—from shallow, ordinary moments to life-changing important ones. But truth is, we'll only get to remember a few and within those few significant moments or circumstances, I hope and pray that we get to learn something out of it. Or perhaps, enough to make us realize how we all got here.

Congratulations, we made it to 2018. Another year to hoping that better days are coming, in God's grace, will and perfect timing. Meanwhile, let's enjoy life and choose to be better.


Always for love, all ways,

 Raine xx

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