As the year comes to an end soon, it is very normal for many people to begin to reflect on how the year has been. While doing this, they begin to reflect on the challenges faced and the victories won in the year. For many people, the season stirs a mix of feelings: relief that the year is finally ending, hope toward what lies ahead, and perhaps a good feeling that all struggles of the current year will soon be something of the past. But life, as always, goes on and reminds us one thing: life is full of ups and downs.
When does the daily grind really stop? Probably never, since we're fighting for our daily bread and trying to stand our ground in this ever-demanding world. For most working people, it's about reaching financial freedom or riches, which most people consider as great means of escape from life's burdens or struggles. We tell ourselves, "If I can just do that or get that, then we will finally be free." But even for those who achieve such milestones, different burdens arise, and new challenges always show up.
With the festive season just around the corner, we may look to the New Year as the opportunity for new beginnings. For many of us, we just want to shed the weights of this year and dive into the promise of a "better" year ahead. Some revel in the season intensely, believing that the joy of the season and holiday will really help them to forget the year's struggles, but the simple truth is, struggles of this life don't just end because the year is ending.
The challenges of this life have always been around, will continue to remain, and all we need to do is to always prepare well for them. If saying this will seem like a pessimist talking then that's not what I mean but I'm trying to be real here. In any situation we will find mtself in I remain hopeful because if joy is transient, so is pain. No matter how heavy the loads of this year have been, they too will pass.
Understand that each day is a chance to start over, embracing small moments of happiness worth living for and deriving strength for challenges that may remain. So as we wrap up this year, let's not dwell on the hardships nor pin all our hopes on the next. Instead, we can let the spirit of thanks from life lessons learned and optimism toward the unknown stay within us. It is, after all, the resilience we built through the struggles in life that have brought upon our paths, enabling us to open ourselves up to whatever comes after.
May the closing of the year be positive; may the forthcoming one bring along hope, peace, and joyous experiences. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
