Looking back at 2024

The word summarizing this year is bird’s eye view. I used it at work, and I am using it now to take some time to reflect.

Here are three things I learned in 2024:

1. I have no interest in drastic changes. I don’t want to invest all the mental energy required to make a big drastic change. I can handle small changes and forgiving schedules that favor consistency over aggression. My family responsibilities require a lot of attention and I can’t handle going full throttle on one more thing. Exercise was one of the things that helped me understand this. I exercise for health more than for fun, and prefer to do it in the mornings. Due to scheduling, I don’t always get the opportunity, so I decided to use my treadmill to walk on an incline while watching a show, either evenings or mornings. I get my exercise done within my constraints, which is the priority.
2. You need to meet people where they are at. In different scenarios I want more out of people. I am a transparent person who enjoys wearing her heart on her sleeve. Unfortunately most people aren’t the same way, or might not be at a point in an area where they have room for a different experience or point of view. The distance the imbalance creates is very painful to me. The realization of the difference makes me not be resentful and in change, that makes me be grateful. It is an ongoing process to accept the different perspectives because I catch myself craving more, when I start to go over what that person doesn’t understand. I am learning to accept people where they are, and let go of desired change for my behalf.
3. Don’t take things so personal. Whether it is a spill, someone being late, a complicated way of getting something done, leave the frustration at the table. In other words, observe, don’t absorb. Yes, our feelings are important, and yes, we need to validate them, but living by them consistently is exhausting. Let it go. My daughter at time has bad mornings, and keeping things going makes the morning go better than screaming at her (trust my test). I reflect on opportunities to decrease the frustration and leave the bad morning right there, in the past. I recognize that I can easily get flustered when things don’t go my way because there is too much on my plate or I don’t like it. Life is passing and it won’t stop for me. No need to live in discomfort if I can learn from it to improve it or leave it next time.

These are the good old days, and I don’t want to live in regret. I am understanding that I live within bounds and when I recognize and respect them, I am free.

I am getting older and that is making me loosen the chains of other people’s thoughts over my life. The experience has been about lifting burdens and not about dismissing others. Let’s see how that unveils in 2025.