25

3 things I’ve learnt in the year I turned 25 –

1. Living well every day is the single hardest challenge. I aspire to be “the best I can be.” Easier said than done. I can think of stretches of time when I was far from the best I can be. Thanks to various reasons, I was largely irritable and wrapped up within my own problems. I know I didn’t turn out my best work on those days and neither did I give energy in my personal relationships.

In our lives, there are definitely more failures than successes. This makes living well every day as big a challenge as any. I’ve learnt to accept bad days but I’m still not at peace with bad weeks – that’s on the “take control and don’t let it happen list” for next year.

2. “And, whether or not it is clear to you, the universe is unfolding as it should.” This has been a lesson I’ve been internalizing very slowly over the past few years. It is an important one. I have struggled with impatience for as long as I can remember. And, at times, it is this line from “Desiderata” that has reminded me to keep calm and carry on.

And, there’s another line that I’m beginning to internalize – You don’t know if a good day is a good day. Both of these have helped me keep perspective when the chips are down.. and it feels like that has happened often this year. And, in that spirit, if you struggle with being hard on yourself and keeping perspective, marry someone wiser. :)

3. Work hard to create memorable moments. This is a learning that I’ve written about a few times here. As I think about the year right now, many moments pass by as snap shots. As time passes, I find more members of the framily scattered all around the world and it gets harder and harder to get everyone together to celebrate being together. But, it’s worth planning for these and it’s worth working hard to make these reunions happen from time to time.

I’ve also realized that even the seemingly mundane can be memorable. A simple moment at home can so easily become memorable with a bit of impromptu song and dance, a casual evening with friends can become memorable when you put yourself out there, and every meeting can be made special with a tight hug.

It’s our responsibility to make it meaningful and make it count. And what a great responsibility it is..