While our social media has been pinging us with scores of posts about bringing in the new year and reminiscing memories of 2017, I've been thinking of a good way to summarize our 2017. If I had to pick a word to describe our year, I would say 'INTERESTING' would be a befitting term. Most in our shoes would be thanking their stars for making it out of a rough year in one piece. However, I refuse to cave in and negatively dismiss a whole year of our life in a rush to embrace the positive hopes of the new year! Here's spending a few reflective moments as we think about our journey through 2017- the joys, the sorrows, and our personal growth along the way!
2017 was a year of great learning to say the least. It was a true test of our relationship, endurance, and our ability to stay calm and positive in the face of unexpected twists and turns. We are grateful for being blessed with many wonderful joys that melted our hearts with warmth. One such great memory was from Valentines Day. I remember sulking in self-pity while being stranded at work in the middle of a crazy snow storm. My car broke down and refused to cooperate with my weekend getaway plans. My Valentines weekend was ruined and I curled up into a little corner at home, wishing for the day to end. And just past mid-night as I lay asleep on the couch, my doorbell rang and there came Yang! It was the best feeling ever and the best surprise I could hope for! To put this in context for those of you that this makes no sense to, we live in two separate countries in a long-distance relationship. Our immigration woes have been never-ending. So Yang showing up at my door step across the border was no easy or expected feet! It was a true fairy tale moment- one that makes me blush and smile from ear to ear every single time (#sleeze alert) :)
The above scenario kind of laid the theme for the rest of our year. We were shoved into the dark pits of worry many a time this year and eventually made it out victorious and happy, always holding onto that deep faith in the Almighty and in each other. Every time we thought it was finally over, something unexpected and unnecessary came up throwing a curve ball our way. We felt challenged with relationships, with family and friends, with keeping calm, and finding some much needed peace of mind. There were times when I worried about running out of happiness projects to keep myself focused on the positive. We kept chanting our positive vibe mantra- "...even this will pass" and "nothing is permanent- not joys, not sorrows". As a wise friend shared, "Stars can't shine without darkness"! Such a beautiful saying and so very true.
Even today, as we close our eyes, we see blurry visions of times spent in and out of the hospital with the sounds of peculiar machines beeping away in the dark nights at the ICU. Our hearts sink with worry and the uncertainty that comes with the 'what ifs' drown us as we try hard to swim against the tide. And then we see ourselves at the top of mighty mountains that we never thought we could climb, gloriously wiping off our sweaty faces, determined to fight against all odds. Such is life- a sweet mix of great experiences and tough learning moments that test us and teach us to become stronger.
Our travels within Canada, the US, and South America this year came as a positive savior amidst the chaos of our daily lives, providing us with opportunities to recuperate, bond, and make special memories to last us a lifetime. We spent some much needed time with each other as we reflected on life, our goals, and our vision of the future. We kept our commitment to documenting the good times on our blog to spread the love and positive vibes. We built new friendships along the way and strengthened the old.
The highlight of 2017 was our 'Fam Jam' times! We stuck together through tough times and laughed with heartfelt joy at amazing gatherings with loved ones.
An aunt of mine lovingly called Yang and I an 'ALARMING COUPLE' because of our notorious habit of leaving our loud phone alarms on for eternity with no awareness of its existence, while we lay sound asleep in bed. Ha ha! True story! I'm going to take that sweetly coined name and create our goals for 2018!
In 2018, I hope we can be:
ALARMINGLY POSITIVE
ALARMINGLY MOTIVATED
ALARMINGLY IN LOVE, &
ALARMINGLY INSPIRING
I hope we can create some ALARMINGLY good memories as always!
Wishing you all a very happy new year filled with whatever your heart desires lovelies!