Welcoming the new// Goodbye 2014!…

First things first,

Happy New Year! Hope the holidays have been good to you all and Santa brought you nice gifts. Santa didn’t visit my household this year. He must have got the memo that I was over six years old. What a bummer.

I love the start of the year for many reasons. All that inspiration to be a better version of oneself, the goal setting (mine is always, always weight related, what a female), the sheer happiness the holiday season brings – it all makes me happy.

That is, until work resumes and I realise that winter really respects no one, most especially pedestrians. Since I have yet to be entrusted to drive unaccompanied by at least four people my driving instructor (who most certainly regrets the task he accepted by now given my utter inadequacy), I fall under that pedestrian category. Ergo, I am forever freezing.

‘Tis a sad, sad thing I tell you.

Anyhoos. 2014 was a good year in many, many ways. Whilst reflecting on my year, I came across this journal entry early on in the year which made me smile, and I thought I would share it on here. It is rather long, but really encapsulates my thoughts on the year altogether. So if you get to the end of this post, you deserve something. Maybe a chocolate bar. Or a hug.

Here goes;

Sunday, 9th March, 2014

Dear Self,

Remember that your parents love you sooo very much. They may not have said it as often as you would have liked them to growing up, but you can see now just how much they love you. Never lose sight of that.

Remember also dear self, that you don’t need an audience to elicit change. You are enough. You can make a change. Not because you are better than anyone, or richer, or more knowledgeable. No, you have a lot to offer the world, Oluwaseyi. Your dreams are valid; necessary.

It’s alright that you’re twenty three, in a job you don’t particularly enjoy, still hoping that your situation changes soon. It’s alright that you don’t really know what direction or route your life is going to take. It’s alright that sometimes, you have fears and doubts about the future of your career. It should inspire you to seek your ‘destiny’, hone your skills and find your passion. Search for it earnestly, your passion. Don’t let the whirlwind that is life make you forget that you will forever feel that emptiness and uselessness if you don’t keep trying to find that ‘thing’ that excites your pacemaker (Even if it is being a starved writer on the streets of Pimlico (?)).

Stop sweating the small stuff. Just stop it. Move on with life. You’ll get over whatever it is.

This is certainly the most important one. When life is overwhelming, when work is stressful, DO. NOT. FORGET. GOD. Remember. Always remain grounded. Try to remember that you were in a place which was perpetually dark. Where you were insignificant, and your spirit was damn near destroyed. Somehow, you pulled through. You overcame. It’s still hard sometimes, and you’re a bit screwed up because of it, but you’re still here, still okay. Always remember that this narrow escape from insanity was not by chance. You owe that to the big guy up there. Please, if you forget everything, never forget how God has always come through for you.

Finally, Oluwaseyi*, always remember that you can achieve ANYTHING. Whatever you set your mind to is yours. You’ve been blessed beyond measure by a God who, in his infinite love, wants to keep blessing you. Use that to your advantage, USE IT!

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 I completely forgot I wrote this and revisiting it made me so emotional. It is said that the power of the written word often goes unnoticed because we try so hard to write in a particular way and with a particular voice other than our own, but I guess I wasn’t trying to be ‘Miss Writer Extraordinaire’ when I wrote this – it all just flew from mind to pen to notebook. So glad I took journalling more serious last year than I’ve ever done, and excited about documenting 2015’s experiences! So here’s to more writing (more carefree writing, that is), more experiencing, and an even greater year than the last!