Crossed off the list 27/01/2012
Wow, this has definitely been a big two weeks of reflection for me. The 16th of January marked one year since my ex-husband and I commenced our so-called ‘trial’ separation, and yesterday, Australia Day, marked the one year anniversary of the day he ended our marriage for good, making our separation a permanent part of my life. While both of these days roused a mixed bag of conflicting emotions inside me (sadness/joy/anger/acceptance), it also caused me to pause and reflect upon how far along my path I’ve come…
The saying, “Everything happens for a reason” used to annoy me – like, really? What kind of stupid sentiment is that? But I’ve come to realise that it is actually true and I am now a firm believer that every obstacle we encounter in life is designed to lead us to a better life, if we only have the courage and conviction to rise to the challenge, overcome it, and learn from it. Whilst 2011 was probably the worst year of my life, in many ways it could also be said that it was also my finest – I was thrown major curveballs by the Universe and I met them with courage and dignity. If this had never happened, or if I had been too weak to rise to the challenge, my life may well have been very miserable and I would never have experienced the amazing things I did.
During those 365 days (which I initially thought I wouldn’t survive), I continued to excel at university (maintaining my record of nothing less than a Distinction for another 2 semesters); went overseas; got a tattoo (something I thought I’d never have the guts to do!); met new people and made new friends; moved out and lived on my own; continued to be a loving ‘mum’ to Muguay; managed to lower my anxiety levels; set goals and worked on achieving them (i.e. my list); and generally forced myself to deal with being outside of my comfort zone. Whew! What a year!
At the end of the day, I know that I am exactly where I am meant to be; that is, I am living the life that the Universe intended for me to live, not the one which I assumed I would. Reflecting upon my journey thus far has allowed me to be proud of what I’ve done, be grateful for what I have, and to be excited about what the future holds. After all, if I achieved that much in the worst year of my life, one must ask: how much can I achieve during the best?
let your joy rise 