22 Lessons from 2022
What have you learned?
I read this post by the poet Sunil Bhandari whose poems I enjoy, and…
…it inspired me to compile my own list of what I learned in 2022! I hope it inspires you to jot down what 2022 meant for you.
Here goes my list…
Grief is love. Avoiding love is the only way to avoid all possibility of grief. But what kind of life would that be?
Grief doesn't end but over time it can show you how to live more wholly. It creates its own space and reason.
Anxiety is the fast train to losing your present, the here, the now. Don’t let it.
Anxiety of future loss is a kind of misplaced arrogance. Everyone has future losses in store for them. The universe isn’t singling you out.
If people cannot admit to or work on their anger, don’t own it for them. Refuse to play along. It’s not yours to bother with.
Parents are our original witnesses. Once they pass, there are no more excuses. It’s the final notice to fully own our lives.
Grudges and grievances constitute a kind of slow poison you’re drinking for others’ sins. Stop.
There is no later, no tomorrow, no postponement for love. It’s only here now. Love or lose!
Our kids are how we live on, as are our creations. We reflect in them what’s important to us. Yet we can’t control where they’ll go. Get comfortable with that.
Write. To hear yourself, even if no one else will. Or sing! :-)
Read. Read. Read. All the time.
Walk outside. Walking can help with almost every malady of the mind. And prevent most of the body.
Sunshine is oxygen. Even on days when the sun remains hidden. Get outside.
Yoga, for at least 10 minutes. No one can convince you intellectually of what it will do. Experience it yourself.
If you choose status over relationships it will soon begin to show. In the malodor from your relationships.
Minimize social media. Trade it in for nature. Gardens, trails, rivers, forests, beaches, mountains. Find your paradise.
Ask a sick friend if you can bring her food. If she refuses, bring her a flowering plant.
Find a cause or causes that appeal to you. Work at the grassroots, directly with people whose lives you can touch and help. Don’t confuse status-building- philanthropy with real service. The latter will leave you fulfilled, the former in a perpetual state of seeking more status.
Let go of relationships that stop serving you. Relationships are like the people in them. They grow and change, sometimes into something unrecognizable. Honor your needs by not second guessing yourself.
Distrust extremes. Distrust extremists.
If someone answers your honest questions with credentials, know you’ve met a charlatan. Don’t buy.
999 times out of a thousand, humanity and friendship are more important than professed politics. The 1000th instance where you must sacrifice the relationship over politics will be obvious.
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I resonate with: There is no later, no tomorrow, no postponement for love. It’s only here now. Love or lose! 9, 11, 12, 13 are absolutely true
Loved it. Thanks Reena. Lots I can relate to and others I can learn from. Hope to see plenty more in 2023.