Two thousand and thirteen is coming to an end and I feel compelled to join the crowd and say how wonderful this year has been – how I feel so blessed and excited to venture 2014 with open arms, how I feel so eager to embrace new opportunities that may come my way.
But if I’m really honest, perhaps that’s not how I really feel. Upon embarking the journey to the unchartered territory, I feel… scared. Excited, of course, eager, yes, but truthfully, I’m scared too.
Most people have posted photos and statuses about how magnificent 2013 is. I want to join the crowd, but I don’t know what to post. Like, I go through my album photos and I don’t find something truly extraordinary. Everything is just usual. Everything is just… ordinary. 2013 is another year, and I am not even sure if I’ve done it justice.
My friends finish Master’s degrees this year. Others finish Honour’s. Another one opens his own start-up business. Some know exactly what they want, and are on the right paths to realise their dreams.
Me? I hold short-lived jobs. Made some mistakes. Don’t actually hold some amazing, mindblowing accomplishments. It’s just another year, full of mistakes, lessons, happiness, and other ordinary things that make me who I am today.
Yes, there are some things I am proud of. Being published at The Jakarta Globe and Thought Catalog for instance. Actually holding a day job. Finding grace. But all in all, perhaps 2013 is not my best year.
Perhaps you feel the same way.
Everytime I think about the New Year I have always remembered Robin at How I Met Your Mother. She said on national television on New Year’s Eve that she could really use a fresh start. I think I need that as well.
Perhaps you do too.
It’s weird isn’t it? It’s as if we need the New Year to give us the permission to change.
Nevertheless, I’m grateful of the gift that New Year has given.
Two thousand and fourteen will be a new journey altogether for me. Perhaps it’s a new journey for you too. I will be sailing a new ocean and honestly, I don’t know what I’ll do or what I’ll find. But I will enjoy the journey no matter what.
Happy New Year 2014 to you all, and may you find joy in living ordinary lives.
As we enter 2014, let’s ponder on these wise words of William Martin. May you live a life you’re proud of.
