It seems as though January 2019 was just a few days ago right? I mean all too soon it’s that time of the year again, the festive season is here and we’re all trying to take in as much of the moments as we can while we get ready to enter into the new year.

“We’re not doing so so and so anymore in 2020”, “we’re leaving such and such behind” and other such statements have already started popping up on social media platforms, in our daily conversations and perhaps in our diaries. Dare I even say that some of us have already written down our New year resolutions and are just waiting for the crossover to happen so we can just dive into them.

It’s interesting how the year seems to have happened in only a week but when you actually try to list down what’s happened you realise damn! It’s been quite the year. Some found love, others got heartbroken. There were marriages and divorces, graduations and matriculations, naming ceremonies and funerals etc etc. 2019 has been given many names and themes but the one that stuck out most must be ‘THE YEAR OF RETURN’. Africa as continent received many international celebrities this year who went back home to reconnect with their roots… On the lighter note, we were blessed with such movies as Captain Marvel, Avengers endgame (where Thanos finally got served), and we finally got to see the series finale of GOT. I mean “Scopatumanaa” even had it’s internationally run (lol). The highlight of it all, I started my blog this year too… yaay.

I know starting a new year feels like a great chance to “re” everything in your life but before we jump into the whole excitement of starting afresh and going full throttle on our resolutions, I’d like to ask just one question… how has your year been? In today’s post, I want us to pause for a moment and reflect on this year… let’s call it 2019 in retrospect. How has your year been? And I mean take a look at the molecular details of your year. What have you learnt so far this year? How are you going to take what you’ve learnt, experiences and all, into the process of you realizing your resolutions in the New year that’s fast approaching? Were you able to realize all/any of your 2019 resolutions?

Remember those sermons you heard that felt so personal to you that you decided to change some things in your life in response to that, how far? Or those motivational quotes and memes that ‘hit you deep’… how deep are they still hitting now? What about the friends you swore to leave behind because they weren’t influencing your life in any positive way, are you still friends? That business you were so motivated to start, how far?

All I’m trying to provoke in us with these questions is for us to be able to have some honest conversations with ourselves before we leap into the new year, lest we pour new wine into old wine skin. You know how when the motivation hits first and we feel so inspired to do something, or when at the brink of a wake up call we make some decisions about life, but as the year goes on, or when the veil comes off, excitement wanes and we come face to face with the reality of just how much work we need to put into things, we suddenly coil back into our shells of safety to avoid having uncomfortable conversations etc. Or sometimes life just hits so hard and we think may be giving up is the best choice.I believe that a careful reflection of how our year has been , understanding why some things didn’t work, thinking back on the wrong choices we made, appreciating our victories as well as our losses will better equip us as we make our resolutions and as we enter the new year.

My 2019 in a nut shell hasn’t been so bad. I started writing more, having open therapeutic conversations with myself and trusted friends. I’ve had a lot of scares and depressive episodes but I’ve also had enlightening experiences.I made a few new friends and formed better relationships and I’m ending the year more committed to life than I started. Of course there were times where I felt lost etc etc but thank God that I’m here now.

 I think one thing most of us can agree on as each year comes and goes is, we realize that at the end of the day everything will be alright, and we’ll survive whatever comes our way. We have had quite the year and yet nothing is wrong. There has been no waste and everything is unfolding as it should. At the end of our reflections I hope we realize that very little of what happened to us was an accident. Everything was for our growth and all was for our good.

So my dear lovely friends and readers before we settle down to write our resolutions or begin to commit to them, let’s take a minute to reflect on the rich experiences that 2019 gifted us with, let us remind ourselves of the lessons we learnt, let go of the negatives, renew our hope and as we enter the New year, let us remember to put in the needed work and celebrate the little victories. And above all, let us give thanks to theAlmighty Father who has faithfully seen us through another year. I wish you and your families a smooth crossover into 2020. Now raise your glasses as we make a toast to 2019, and to whatever year it has been to us…

  How has your year been? Which lessons are you taking into the New Year? I’d love to hear your take on the year. Don’t be a stranger. AFEHYIAPA OO!

Xoxo

Yarh.