Tag: 2024

2024 – Farewell, my friend.

New Year’s eve for me has always been a day to reflect and if I could, I would reflect in complete silence. This year I need it more. A friendly year, that brought with it some serious attitude and a constant reminder of how fickle life is.

2024 – you have been a Khichdi of emotions; the splash of joy, the overpowering sourness of silent pain mixed in with a handful of resilience, topped with a dash of faith, brought back the smidgen of courage and the flavors began to balance out.

Khichdi - a mix of cooked rice and lentils with spices.
Khichdi – a mix of rice and lentils when cooked right is comfort food, when cooked wrong, is a very unappetizing meal, but it can be fixed easily with a dash of ghee and spices, much like life where seemingly simple moments mixed in together can bring in the most complex negative emotions, and yet, the same moments when expressed with kindness can bring in smiles – implying that life is a combination of highs and lows, all coming together to form a complete experience, called “living a life”

Rare and exotic courage wasn’t easy to find – Vulnerability had to step out, stand amidst a herd of familiar faces, break the silence, speak louder than it wanted to, and only then did courage emerge. Grateful and thankful for the courage.

2024, riding with you, I learned a few things:

  • When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, lemon pickle, lemon chutney, lemon rice and if the lemons keep coming, then at some point, you have to start catching them and let them sit on the countertop – the Universe also needs a sign, that you have had enough. Take that pause and show some grace to yourself.
  • As a society, we continue to look for exclusive inclusivity. We want the connections but we want them to be ours alone. There is value in the individual conversations, however the shared experiences are what makes us human. As a society, we are working very hard to create those exclusive inclusive moments – and yet we complain of the isolation many are feeling today.

  • When familiar faces move away, the Universe brings in complete strangers in your path – give these new faces a chance for they will help you get your groove back.
  • When I look back, Life has very clear highs and lows and everything in between was when living happened. This in the moment living is the hard part. If only we knew 🙂 The wise say “The world is your oyster. Find your pearl oyster” If so, then more than ever, we need to remember that when the oyster is injured, the tear, is what makes the pearl possible. Without the pain, without the injury, there would be no pearl.

Dear 2024, I bid you farewell with a smile. You brought in many joys, and for that I am very thankful. You brought in sorrows, and for that too I am thankful (I admit, I was also very mad) but as you move away, I have learned my lessons and I bid you farewell with a smile.

Dear 2025, the world needs kindness, empathy and the honest human connection. Bless us all, so we can continue to live a life beyond the “I” and move forward with the “we.” Personally, give me the strength to be the daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, teacher, woman, and myself so I can continue to support my family and all who I meet. Let me continue to believe in the magic of the Universe. Bless me so I can continue to surround myself with kindred spirits, and continue in my journey of education and doing all I can for my students.

Dear 2025, I welcome you with a smile and hope. Be Kind!

Adieu 2023!

2023, it’s going to be hard to forget you, and yet, I can’t wait to say Goodbye. I am happy it’s 2024. 2023 was a year of gratitude and learnings.

Gratitude for a second chance. At the age of 50+, when many are thinking about retirement, it is nothing short of crazy that I am starting a new career, and if I had known the truth about how difficult the credentialing requirements are in CA, maybe I would have never set foot on this journey – so there is gratitude for not knowing, and gratitude for a classroom that is my safe space. My students may not be understood by many, but I love their quirkiness, attitude and all the crazy stories I hear.

I love that they fight life everyday and show up to school. They inspire more than they will ever know.

Gratitude that the Universe continues to direct me in the right direction. Last school year, my position was cancelled, and as one door closed, another opened. I walked into the new role, very nervous, and today, I find my calm in the new role. The learning curve is steep, I burn the midnite oil often, and amidst all the chaos, I know this was the right decision.

Gratitude for a few colleagues who have made my journey possible. These are the few folks who believed in me and answer the zillion questions I have. Through one colleague, a wise one, I learned to zone out the noise and just do my thing.

Gratitude for ASAP – ASAP is life and I am thankful for the three reasons I have to keep moving forward with the learnings of 2023.

2023 was a teacher unlike any other – it was brutal, and the kind of teacher who shames you in front of the classroom with the belief that this raw honesty will build stronger nerves and it did. Because of 2023, I learned that even the most honest friendships – you know the kind you share your weakest moments with, the kind that you nurture, can change, the truth becomes a story, and before you know it, you have lost one or maybe a few good friends. Every relationship I cherished, shook me different ways, and I learned that no matter how honest or strong, relationships are just as fickle as the mind. It doesn’t take too much to sway them.

I learned that I cook too much, I am too emotional, I overdo the inclusivity, too enthusiastic, too many celebrations, have had a very easy life, and apparently, I have too much time on my hands too.

I tried changing it all, only to realize I can’t, and so I cook only for those who understand that cooking is my meditation. I express emotions only where I know there is understanding and no judgement, and I try and include to the best I can. I still have to go back to being too enthusiastic and continuing the celebrations.

2024, the plan is to just be, redirect the energy to those who understand it – maynot appreciate it, but atleast understand it with kindness and empathy. COVID was supposed to make us more empathetic, and here we are getting more ‘i” centric and wanting that inclusivity with exclusivity.

2024, let me give back to this world more than what I have received. As humans, we want world peace, and I do believe, the easiest way to achieve this is not through politicians, but by just giving back in tiny amounts to the world we live in.

2024, remind me the learnings of 2023 so I don’t take everyone at their face value. Remind me that in today’s times, if something doesn’t fit into an agenda, that thing or person is kicked out.

2024 – my prayer is to keep the magic alive. Let me continue to believe in my Utopian world, surround me with people who say the truth, but also understand and empathize with kindness, and most importantly, let me continue on my journey of education.

2024, I have cried tears of joy and many tears of sorrow in 2023, help me, so these tears can water the seeds of hope I am planting. Seeds of Hope for a kinder, more inclusive community. Hope for more acceptance. Hope for everyone just celebrating each other and finding joy in the smiles of another.

2024, I welcome you with Hope.

2024 - a year of hope.
2024 – I welcome you with Hope.