The sun will rise for
the last time in 2012 in just a few hours and I suppose that many people around
the world are making the choice on how they wish to remember the year that is
passing by.
This is a choice we
all have to make each year and it is probably through this decision that we
create the base on which we set our expectations for the following year.
Most of us wish that
the year to come is to be better than the previous one, thereby always setting
the mark that the years that have gone by have negative connotations tied to
them. Yet, while it is very important to never forget the bad times, it seems
we have gotten so caught up with keeping score of them that we easily let go of
the good ones.
All moments, good or
bad, deserve to be remembered and used as a guide for the following years. A
year should not be defined either as positive or negative simply because there
cannot only be pluses and minuses in someone’s life.
Sure, there are periods
where the one side overlaps the other, but life is never flat. Think back on
the best year you consider you have ever had and I’m sure that if you dig deep
enough you will find moments that were full of negativity and bad luck.
Pick your worst year
ever and even though it might feel as a long stretch to discover a glorious and
happy moment, I’m sure again, that you will be able to retrieve one out of the
corners of your mind.
Personally, I have to
admit that 2012 has been the most difficult year I have encountered in my
entire life. I could call it the worst year, but I consciously choose not to, because
I believe that life just brings you difficulties. Difficulties that you must
learn how to overcome and accept in order to move forward.
The word difficult is
tied closely with the word challenging. Each year presents us with various
challenges, either good or bad, and we must embark on a quest to successfully
fulfill them.
There is really no
point with arguing with yourself or God on why you have been chosen to go
through certain things. You are not the first, nor will you be the last. Make
no mistake. You are not special in this department and life does not take it
out only on you.
It would be extremely
selfish to think that the universe, or whoever, is mad at you and you are the
only one facing challenges. Female or male, Greek, Chinese, American, or
German, black or white, we all have to wake up every day and be prepared for
what the future holds for us.
I happen to find that
when things get rough and bumpy, there is usually a lesson to be learned. A
lesson that can lead you to great personal gain as far as your evolution in
this life is concerned.
Besides, as one great
poet once wrote, it is all about the journey. «Σαν βγεις στον πηγαιμό για την Ιθάκη, να εύχεσαι να ‘ναι μακρύς ο δρόμος, γεμάτος περιπέτειες, γεμάτος γνώσεις.» Κ.Π. Καβάφης.
How will we be any
different the coming year if we choose to completely disregard of the long path
we walked on in 2012? We can wish all we want, but we will never be able to
cross-out the deeds of the past.
Life may bring us all
these challenges, but the way we decide to face and act upon them is entirely
up to us. So let’s face it. What we really want to cross-out are the ways we
acted upon various situations and not the challenge itself.
But, if you manage to
delete all the bad stuff and the wrong choices you have made, how will you ever
going to choose the right thing to do in a similar situation?
Each year that goes
up is stacked on top of the rest as a chapter of our lives that we need to
cherish and go back to whenever we encounter these difficult situations and
challenges in the future. It can serve as a guide and a map that will draw a
better path for us to follow.
Each year serves as a
marking point on who we are and who we have become over the years. So unless
you want to delete your entire previous existence, then you cannot forget about
the past.
Think of them in
difficult times and cherish the knowledge they have given you so you can move
forward to better years in the future.
The past is there to
guide you. The future will be whatever it will be. But the present is for you
to live fully.
So tonight do not
think of what happened in 2012. And do not daydream on how you want your 2013
to be like. Just relax, breathe and live every minute until this day ends.
You are lucky, my
friend, to find yourself on the borderline between these two years. Almost at
the absolute zero. Enjoy the peace of the one exiting and the one entering your
life.
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