Curtain Call
2010.
A year of tears - when several close friends are tragically lost in the earthquake in Haiti; the gray and gloom that hovered us many months after that constantly reminded us how fragile and temporary life is; the usual daily drama of life - betrayals/ reconciliations/ departures/ separations; a health scare that pushed me to make sure that in case anything happens to me everything is in order - that I have made the decision of NOT to be kept in a vegetative state, NOT to be resuscitated and NOT to have a viewing of my remains (people staring down on me while I lie in a box defenseless why the morgue gave me orange lipstick...ew... too vain for that!).
A year of discovery - that I can do yoga and that I can love yoga; that 20 minutes a day of quiet meditation - no phone, no computer, no tv, no music - is worth a a million less wrinkles everyday; that I can learn to eat vegetables and learn to love some vegetables; travel - that there is nothing in books that can take the place of actually being in another country - not as part of a tour group but for a brief moment as part of its people; a new appreciation for technology - once you go Mac you never go back.
Friends can get recycled - Thank you Facebook for connecting me to friends I knew back in the ancient times. And also because New York seem to be the center of the universe, everyone who stepped into New York stepped back into my life like there was never a 20/30 year gap in between. Lost and found. Friends from elementary school are now your grown up friends. And in some instances grown up friends revert or stay behind in the world you have just left behind when you stepped into adulthood.
Truth to the adage that when you love your work you never have to go to work a day in your life. And I do love what I do. So much that to date I have turned down 8 promotions since last year. I always defend that it is a 'once in a lifetime' kind of project and that whatever opportunity I get in learning new things everyday does not match neither getting promoted or the minuscule financial gain it brings.
Looking back I think it wasn't a very bad year. Still there were many instances where it pales in comparison with my other banner years.
Welcome 2011 then. No New Year resolutions because I think putting a pressure on myself to do something only brings out the rebel in me that makes me want to fail. Instead I pick up where I left on in 2010 - gathering my lessons learnt and bringing them forward like a studious coed in the school of life. There is endless optimism that a New Year brings and yet I believe everyday should mark a new beginning if we will it to be to tinker with our life to make it better.
Happy New Year everyone and I wish you all many pleasant little surprises along the way.
M
New York City
A year of tears - when several close friends are tragically lost in the earthquake in Haiti; the gray and gloom that hovered us many months after that constantly reminded us how fragile and temporary life is; the usual daily drama of life - betrayals/ reconciliations/ departures/ separations; a health scare that pushed me to make sure that in case anything happens to me everything is in order - that I have made the decision of NOT to be kept in a vegetative state, NOT to be resuscitated and NOT to have a viewing of my remains (people staring down on me while I lie in a box defenseless why the morgue gave me orange lipstick...ew... too vain for that!).
A year of discovery - that I can do yoga and that I can love yoga; that 20 minutes a day of quiet meditation - no phone, no computer, no tv, no music - is worth a a million less wrinkles everyday; that I can learn to eat vegetables and learn to love some vegetables; travel - that there is nothing in books that can take the place of actually being in another country - not as part of a tour group but for a brief moment as part of its people; a new appreciation for technology - once you go Mac you never go back.
Friends can get recycled - Thank you Facebook for connecting me to friends I knew back in the ancient times. And also because New York seem to be the center of the universe, everyone who stepped into New York stepped back into my life like there was never a 20/30 year gap in between. Lost and found. Friends from elementary school are now your grown up friends. And in some instances grown up friends revert or stay behind in the world you have just left behind when you stepped into adulthood.
Truth to the adage that when you love your work you never have to go to work a day in your life. And I do love what I do. So much that to date I have turned down 8 promotions since last year. I always defend that it is a 'once in a lifetime' kind of project and that whatever opportunity I get in learning new things everyday does not match neither getting promoted or the minuscule financial gain it brings.
Looking back I think it wasn't a very bad year. Still there were many instances where it pales in comparison with my other banner years.
Welcome 2011 then. No New Year resolutions because I think putting a pressure on myself to do something only brings out the rebel in me that makes me want to fail. Instead I pick up where I left on in 2010 - gathering my lessons learnt and bringing them forward like a studious coed in the school of life. There is endless optimism that a New Year brings and yet I believe everyday should mark a new beginning if we will it to be to tinker with our life to make it better.
Happy New Year everyone and I wish you all many pleasant little surprises along the way.
M
New York City