2024 – The good, the not so good and the learning.

I know it’s still a couple of days before the year actually ends. I like to spend these few days in quietness, finishing it gently and restfully. Even if there are goals still on my to do list, I don’t hurry to finish as much as I can before the year ends. Instead, I let go and give myself the space to just be. I take this time to reflect on what has and hasn’t been, lessons learnt and people and things I am grateful for. I like spending the time in quiet meditation, recharging my spirit and soul, spending time with loved ones and setting intentions for the next year.

An overview

While 2024 was in progress, it felt overwhelming and frustrating. I felt I had too much on my plate and no way of getting it all done.  Some things has been planned well in advance, but the year also threw a lot of curve balls my way in the form of illness- both mine and my mom’s, depression and extreme anxiety.

However in spite of all this, I realised I have got a lot done, gained a lot and have a lot to be grateful for.

The Good

1. This year I had three full batches for my story writing camp for kids during the summer vacation. My students amazed me with their imagination and creativity.
2. I spent my 60th birthday conducting a writer’s retreat in Matheran, a hill station near by. It was the best birthday ever. The whole experience surpassed all my expectations.
3. I worked with my illustrator Gyana Geeta to complete my series “English Adventures For Little Learners”. This is a set of four books containing 6 stories each which help little kids (aged 2 onwards) read, enhance their vocabulary and speak grammatically correct English. It comes with a parent’s guide to help parents get the most out of the series. I am thrilled at the way it has turned out. Now all I have to do is market it the way it deserves to be.
4. I have written a lot this year, thanks to the writing accountability group I started with Corinne Rodrigues.  When we started, we were just the two of us. Now we are seven and hopefully will be more by the end of 2025.
5. Another thing that has brought me joy, are the offline and online meetings of my poetry group, You, Me & Poetry. I love this because it is a group that is an accepting, cheerful group that energises me for the rest of the month.

The not so good

1. I did not finish writing Muffin & Midnight, though my readers are clamouring for this second book in the Muffin & Mamma series.
2. A health scare in November made me take a good hard look at how I was abusing my body and forced me to add certain habits and routines to my day. My daughter, Nakita, has taken up the mantle of accountability partner for this and each night I have to send her a message detailing all that I have done that day.
3. The whole month of December was fraught with tension as my passport and visa got delayed. I was to fly to Singapore on the 16th of December, so that my daughter would not be alone at Christmas. Instead I got my visa only on the 23rd. I was lucky to be able to fly out on the 24th morning and be there just in time for Christmas. But the whole three weeks of wondering why my passport and visa were delayed, added to my daughter’s disappointment, hung like a huge weight around my heart.

The Learning:

1. 2024 taught me the dangers of procrastination and how my actions affect not just me , but others as well.  I put my daughter through a lot of distress and anxiety which could have been avoided if I had seen to my passport and visa a little earlier.
2. I learnt that a lot of people love me and root for me. My family, my friends are all there for me and I am blessed to have them in my life.

In conclusion: 

Going ahead, I will be working on my Word Of The Year based on my experiences and learnings of 2024. I will be writing a blog post on that soon. So do check it out. See you in the New Year! May 2025 be a fantastic year for you!