IT’S THE SMALL THINGS
I write this a week into turning 31. Since then, I have safely experienced and endured a 7.2 magnitude earthquake here in Mexico City, and I have also visited beautiful Monterrey. Such is life – some days are better than others, and ultimately, only God knows what the day brings. Not a bad, and literally a rocking beginning to what I hope will be another blessed year despite the uncertainty the pandemic brings. But as I full blaze towards 31, here are 31 things, snippets, flashbacks, random ramblings, lessons, learnings and marked memories in no particular order, or format, about the year that was I want to always remember, and that I want to share with you all: 1. The smallest of celebrations take up the biggest place in your heart, mind and memory bank.
2. Family is everything. It is more than the word and the concept – it is a feeling of home, security and warmth that only certain individuals are able to give you.
3. I got married. Twice. Both civilly and in church. Add the number of guests during both celebrations together and you get a whopping 19.
4. God always knows what is in your heart.
5. You can plan all you want, but in the end, surrendering to God’s greater plan will always prevail.
6. Stop sweating the small stuff.
7. Beautiful things make me happy, but beautiful memories, and being a part of them warm my heart.
8. Leadership can make or break a nation. Good versus poor leadership spells out and makes all the difference.
9. Never underestimate the companionship and love a dog is capable of giving you.
10. While goodbyes are never easy, not all are forever.
11. Be the friend that you want your friends to be to you.
12. Respect choices, decisions, and opinions. Understand that people now think very differently as they may have in the past. This is what the pandemic has done.
13. Building a home is a never-ending process, and something that you work on everyday.
14. A cold is no longer just a cold. It can trigger paranoia and fear of the unknown. But, this pandemic has also made us more self-aware of personal hygiene.
15. Similarly, this pandemic has shrunken our circles and has made us realize who are worth taking the risk for.
16. Hope is what we cling on to at our most uncertain moments, but false hope can also be a pill of poison we want to avoid. Face reality.
17. People’s choices and decisions are theirs to make. Your unsolicited judgment and opinion are not always needed.
18. Home is certainly where the heart is.
19. Now more than ever, we must continue to remind ourselves that charity begins at home.
20. Our everyday actions can affect the common good – be mindful of them.
21. Register to vote. And vote! Each one counts! 22. God is always there. He listens even when you are not asking.
23. Prayer is a dialogue, and is as much about giving thanks as it is about asking for your desires to be fulfilled.
24. And sometimes, prayers are not answered in the way you imagine because a better route is planned for you.
25. On the day you were born, God too knows when your last on earth will be. Too many lives lost and too many gone too soon, but we console ourselves knowing that their mission in this world has been fulfilled.
26. Everything happens for a reason.
27. Timing is everything, and there is no time more perfect than God’s good time.
28. Will the world ever go back to the “normal” we once knew? 29. Wear a mask. Wear a mask. Wear a mask.
30. An attitude of gratitude will start you off on the right foot.
31. Social media is not always the truth. It is the filtered truth.
I hope this list, or at least a few points resonate with you. After all, we all went through similar (albeit in different ways) times in 2020 as we were all locked down (some longer than others) at some point. That is not to say that life does not go on though, because it does. And life just happens. It is short, and it is fleeting too. So yes, carpe diem and seize the day! Make the most out of every moment, and make it all as meaningful as possible.