Goodbye 2019

Goodbye 2019, my friend. You stood by me for a whole year. Constantly at my side. Teaching me, guiding me.  You were one of the best years ever!

My word of the year for you was Transformation and you took it to heart and gave me a million opportunities to transform into the wonderful person that I am.

You brought people into my life, who loved me, who hurt me, who taught me. You helped me grow into myself.

You showed me that I could face an audience of people I did not know and talk about my deepest feelings in OUATT. Thank you, Ilham and Ansha for giving me this opportunity.

You gave me a life coach in my friend Priyanka and with her help I got clarity in so many areas of my life. I discovered a new me and I loved who I was transforming into.

You taught me that sometimes, it is not possible to carry the burden alone and it is okay to seek professional help. And you gave me the best doctor and counsellor. Thank you Dr. Wilona and Mr. Kuldeep from IPH.

Sandeep More and his Manorang was a huge part of my year. I found my soul in acting and writing scripts for skits with them. You can read about my wonderful experience here.

I also lost one of my closest friends to cancer. But the grief is more in the form of memories which we took time to create while she was alive. A lovely weekend trip to Pune where we chilled out, with husbands and kids left behind. Just five friends having a lovely time.   And then we had a wonderful evening of Kishore Kumar’s songs where all of us danced with smiles on our faces and tears in our hearts, because we knew that time was running out. Neeta, you will always be loved.  I feel you Neeta, right here in my heart, along with my dad and other people who have gone on ahead.

This year I bonded more than ever with my Kick-Ass girls. Nilima, Supriya, Saumya, Priyanka, you add flavour to my life and the safe space that you give me to be just me, is so precious, I can’t articulate how much I cherish it.

The entire Christmas week was so much fun. Party after party with family and close friends. It brought out the true meaning of Christmas. The love, the sense of belonging, and realising how blessed we are.

So as I step into the new year, and I think of the year gone by, I recall William Wordsworth’s words,

“And oft when on my couch I lie,

In vacant or in pensive mood

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude”

I’m sure that is exactly what my memories and learnings of 2019 are going to be.