I’ve not been much interactive at all through any social media channels including WhatsApp. I never managed to even message some good friends to ask them how they are. I just hoped all was well with those ones and moved on. Most of my conversations was only about work. The exhaustive list of work pressures and things to-do that had crowded my mind is done now. I’m glad just that thought makes me feel free and relaxed now.

When there’s so much to deal with, my focus is usually scattered. However, I’m glad that I have made a few good ways to use my energy. Saying Yes to these have not only made things better, but also has kept me on the move.

Writing was that leisure holiday, that I never took. I could have at least had the room to myself for a few minutes or hours. After all, I am just glad to be here, finally writing something down. It definitely feels like a breath of fresh air. That tight grip in the head has loosened automatically now.

They kept me moving

These 7 things kept me going in 2024. I am glad that I used whatever energy I managed to gain and keep going happened because of these.

Work : This definitely keeps me going till date. We had the biggest Go-Live after working for almost 2.5 years in this project. The Live happened on my birthday. I moaned a bit about it, but totally loved the whole experience. This place has given me so many wonderful challenges as well as learning and the best people. What more can I ask for. I’ve worked hard to be where I am now. Having learned so much in the last 2.5 years about healthcare, I feel proud to work in this sector that has so much potential. I am happy to be cherished by the team. It has been a lovely journey so far to be part of such a wonderful team.

Health: If not for Shailaja and Saranya, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish whatever I did. I didn’t run a 5k yet, nor walked 10000 steps everyday. It’s not even doing the 108 sun salutations or eating the perfect meal everyday that I can call proud achievements. It is about prioritising to choose to move every time over choosing to sit-down and talk or watch irrelevant things. Health is not complete without adding good nutrition. It’s choosing that extra bit of protein and fibre in every meal. If I say, I re-tried overnight oats and loved it, it would be an understatement. Yoga classes have also been one of the best things that’s happened in 2024. Such a brilliant master, such amazing students and morning workouts – the best always happens in unexpected times. And of course, what would we 3 do without songs and dancing in our lives.

Family: What would I do without them. The vacation to India proved to be the most exhausting one, yet I loved being around my people. Just like time spent with children is never wasted, so is time spent with family. It was always any one of them. Now that I get the dose in moderation, I wanted to make sure I spent it well. Mum, dad, ammama, in-laws, uncles and aunts, cousins whom I managed to meet and all the amazing fun we had. I cherish this as I grow older and thankful to be blessed with such amazing family.

Friends: When all I need is a break, this is where I get it. Maybe we weren’t drinking beers and relaxing in a beach-house (maybe I’ll save that for later). It’s always conversing like there is never a tomorrow. I wished my daughter managed to come with me, but she’s wanting to next year. That’s my girls always, just being there is fun. Undoubtedly, I’ve got just a couple of close ones here. It’s always a pleasure to have some open conversations without having the slightest doubt of judgement, I’ve learned from them how to be.

Love: If not for my partner, there’s no way I could have managed it. Though we live quite diverse lives, the thing that connects us always is conversation. It has been quite a difficult one for him in almost every segment of his life. He’s always been thankful, always doing the best he can where he could, and focussing on the present moment. It’s been quite a journey for us where work has overtaken a lot of my time and conversation. Had I been in his shoes, I would have handled it differently. I must thank him for always choosing kind while only I try to choose kind when I want to. The best moments we spent together are definitely the walks we went together. Saying the Yes to walks was worth it.

Kid(s): If not for her, I wouldn’t be unlearning and relearning a lot about myself and life itself. From trying to stay calm while she lets out a screeching tone (amma), to trying to focus on the okay now that it happened, can we see what we can do next, she does the inner engineering for me. Above it all, she’s kind and she loves it when I am kindest with her (can do that only in the holidays, so far). She’s growing so quickly that it’s like by the time I get there, she’s already on the next step. I really have a lot of parenting catch-up to do. Now that she’s got two little cousins, she’s been a lot of I’m the older sister responsibility. My nephew is my very own and will always be. As my niece grows up, she’s going to be such a sassy queen.

Reading: I’ve managed about 10 books and I must say every read was a brilliant one. Yes, I spend more time reading books with her, reading to her that I find less time to read mine. I love the kids books, never managed to read them before, nor knew them before. The variety is encouraging and sometimes, it’s all pleasantly funny. There’s a lot of laughing out loud moments when I read to her. I like it. We do the voices, she corrects my accent, it’s Gabby not, Gaby.

Photo by Jayanthy Govindarajan on Unsplash

It’s been quite a journey in 2024. Looking forward to 2025, especially to write and be in touch with people. <3

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