CHURCH, LIFE, LOVE, LIFE, FAM, PARENTS

THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON I LEARNT IN 2018

51 Comments

2018… it’s almost done, y’all, and I’m still here…. yaaaaaaaay!!

It’s been an interesting year for me, full of challenges, intrigues, and mysteries (psyche! My life isn’t that interesting).

I have had fun living this year, and I can honestly say that for most days in 2018, I lived my life with intention, I followed my passions (baby steps), and I remained true to myself.

For most days….

I think my biggest achievement this year was being able to prioritize my loved ones despite how crazy busy my schedule got, or I wanted it to get. I managed to do this by completely turning my life upside down (šŸ˜®šŸ˜®šŸ˜®) in order to accommodate the people who mean the absolute world to me.

Okay, maybe I’m being a tad dramatic as all I did was relocate from the capital city to upcountry (in order to help my mum manage her farm- she’s getting old and she can’t keep traveling to and from the city in order to oversee farm activity) where I spend most of my weekdays.

On the weekends, I travel back to the capital city in order to take my darling nephews to church every Sunday (I’m a Sunday School teacher, and a deacon, remember?), and to spend time with my best friend, John.

My new lifestyle took a lot of adjusting, but, honestly it’s been worth it. I feel whole now as opposed to how I felt at the beginning of the year. The depth of my relationships with my loved ones has increased, and all I had to do was just be there, be present.

Take my mum, for instance, we’ve become absolutely inseparable since I moved to the farm, (and began to spend weekends with her in the capital city).

Before I moved, I had no idea how much her age and deteriorating health (she’s a 70 year old with high blood pressure and diabetes) was affecting her life and her mobility. Don’t get me wrong, she can still move around and stuff, but she has so many things to manage, and it’s becoming very taxing for her.

She’s also quite forgetful nowadays, and her eyesight and hearing have had better days.

There’s also the loneliness bit of it. Aging can be lonely, that’s for sure!

I would have never known the challenges my mum was facing if I hadn’t stepped out of my self-centric comfort zone.

But, I am so glad that I have gotten the opportunity to make her life, in her old age, much easier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable.

She relies on me so much nowadays (including mentally and emotionally), and it’s an absolute honour for me. This beautiful lady has sacrificed everything for my brothers and I to be where we are today- and, I am glad that I am physically close enough to her to be able to give back to her every single day in all the ways that I can šŸ’–šŸ’–šŸ’–.

I can say the same thing about my relationships with my brothers and my best friend. My bonds with these boys is considerably stronger than they were a year ago.

I’m here when they need me, and they know that- what a spectacular feeling!!

Here’s a pic of me, two of my brothers, and my nephews.

The quality of my life has also dramatically improved- I can’t compare to how I was when I was living alone. Don’t get me wrong, living alone was immensely fun mainly because

– I like being alone most of the time (my company is that awesome),

– I am a workaholic (it’s not a good thing)

– I don’t like sharing my time (refer to the first point)

– I love routines. I am sure I have told you this before, but I absolutely love routines. Living alone meant that I could follow and enforce my own routines without anyone judging me or interrupting me

– My apartment was my sex pad, and I could dictate my sex calendar (so liberating)

BUT….

………it was still empty. Why? Because I wasn’t paying attention to the people that matter, people that actually yearn for my presence i.e. my mother, my best friend, my father, my nephews and my brothers (in that specific order).

My spirit wasn’t at peace knowing that I wasn’t giving the very best of myself to the people who have loved me through EVERY stage of my life.

There’s something very selfish about spending all of your time alone when there are people that love you and would love to share some of your time. I have been selfish for a very long while.

This by the way is my biggest weakness when it comes to relationships (familial, sexual, or romantic)- I just don’t like sharing my time with others (probably why I am still single)

But, I realize now that this is not the way to live. Something about the way I lived my life had to change in order for me to be the best daughter, the best sister, the best aunty, and the best best friend that I could possibly be.

That something involved relocating upcountry and traveling to the capital every weekend (it’s only 1 1/2 hours away).

The best part is: I was able to purchase a parcel of land just right next to my mum’s!!!šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜

My biggest lesson learnt in 2018 has brought with it an abundance of blessings, and I am truly happy that I chose this path.

I have found fulfilment in sharing my time with the people I love; I have found balance; I have found purpose šŸ’–šŸ’“šŸ’–šŸ’“šŸ’–

And, you can too.. don’t wait until it’s too late!

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51 thoughts on “THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON I LEARNT IN 2018”

  2. I love how you started this, I am so glad it is almost over, I am ready for a new start! I totally get the balance for alone time and family time. I love my alone time but have to get in my family time.

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. How cool that you get to help your mom out like that! I’m sure she appreciates that so much and at the end of the day, relationships are the most important part of life.

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. What a beautiful read! That’s awesome that you managed to purchase a parcel of land just right next to your mom’s! Thank you for sharing your biggest lesson learnt in 2018, it is so inspiring!

    Liked by 1 person

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  14. I commend you for sharing your personal story! It is immensely impressive how you recognized that your mother needed extra help and just did it, while most are dropping their parents off at nursing homes and carrying on!

    Liked by 1 person

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  18. I agree. Sometimes we need to let loose of the busy schedule and make time for whatā€™s important to us. Somethings can wait, however, family sometimes need us and we should be available in certain situations.

    Liked by 2 people

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  20. I can relate to this on such a personal level. I moved back from my college town to help care for my elderly grandmother for a couple years before she passed last November. At 96, she lived such a long, prosperous life, and after all the care she provided for me as a child, it was my turn to return the favor! Your mom is a lucky woman to have you! Great that youā€™ve found happiness in stepping out of the comfort zone! Many blessings for your new year ahead!

    Liked by 1 person

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