13

It’s gone away in a blink this year that was 2013. I admit in the pit of my stomach I did know 13 was going to be a lucky year for me, despite my superstitious dislike for the number in general. Nevertheless, unequivocally 13 was the year for Thoughts Translated. A dream that was a size and half too big for my petite structure has embodied me like a Lycra glove and kept me busy for the past few months and hopefully many more to come. Thank you to Him for leading the way and thank you to all those beings that smothered their energy all over me and continue to inject me with daily inspiration.

Aside from the obvious boom in my life, I like to reflect as we all do on a year that has gone by and offer my Thoughts to all of you.

As with all my years, 13 taught me a lot. I have often addressed friendships in my writing and given the highest regard to this relationship after family. I have lauded my own fortune and bragged about how lucky I am to have certain individuals in my life. 13 has possibly been the biggest test of my life as far as this subject goes. I have written about the theory that encompasses this relationship but 13 made me live a lot of what I actually wrote about. It’s been a live journey where I was the protagonist of peaks of pain and pleasure. I learnt that people don’t actually change; the truth is we just get to know them better. This is applicable in the good and the bad. In the end what I concluded was that one can never really know anyone that well and therefore you must never get totally naked for anyone unless they are prepared to accept and love your soul. I speak in a bitter tone, but in all honesty the truth is often a bitter pill, but once you’ve swallowed it, the effects it has on you as a person are filling you with peace and harmony.

Continuing with peace and harmony, I learnt in 13 that your mind and body need to be in sync. You cannot live with your body if your mind is not happy with it. I apply this theory to all aspects. If you feel you look fat, it’s your mind that’s sending those thoughts in you and therefore you mistreat your body to try and lose weight. You may control it in the short term, but eventually you gain it back because the mind is never completely happy. Similarly, if you are a sports person and push your body harder than it can handle, again your mind is playing the power game and it’s all good to push your limits and try to be super woman, but it’s also sensible to listen to your body and press the stop or pause button at the right time. You have a body that you must feed in the physical sense, but you must also feed it positive energy. This positive energy only comes from your mind. When the body or mind collapse, the other is left in the limbo and it’s very hard to survive just on one.

13 showed me that second chances are golden. We all make so many mistakes everyday, and we quite often learn from them too. Ideally one would not make the same mistake twice but a lot of us do. In our relationships we tend to hurt those that we love the most and if life gives you a second chance to remedy this hurt, consider it a blessing.

13 asked me to pay attention to the details and spend time alone. You know when magic occurs; it tends to occur silently and can either be at super sonic speed or at snails pace. Either way the key is to pay attention. I saw my nephew walk in a matter of seconds, I produced a book in silence, I went back to running by carefully analysing my defects. It is very important to spend this time alone and separate yourself from the solutions that the world offers you. A tailor made solution will always fit and last longer. Therefore, giving yourself this time alone helps you to create the magic for yourself and at the same time you can focus with your personal lens and not the universal world lens.

13 took off many masks. Positive thinking is paramount and I stick by it. However, often we engineer ourselves so harshly to believe in the positive of everything that we forget to actually believe it’s okay to not be okay.  This trap we fall into makes us wear a mask. Layers get added on until one day we actually collapse from the toxic layers of plastic you have applied on yourself. There’s nothing wrong in failing, because one only fails after they have tried, and trying is better than giving up.

13 was an extremely technological year for me, I mastered the art of being active on more than six social media networks and using their benefits to increase my blog followers. In this process I observed the artificial nature of online marketing and the disastrous effects it can have on inter personal relationships. I openly admit to loathing IM and all such forms of communication. I use it because otherwise I would be off the wagon of survival in this day and age. Nevertheless, I personally make sure I speak or have a face-to-face conversation with all those people who matter to me and find the time to do it.

13 taught me how to let go and forgive myself. Giving to others is my motto but I know I can only give so much. Therefore, I give what I can, take what they can offer me and forgive them and myself at the end of it. It’s a simple mathematical equation that in the end always leaves you with no regrets. Say sorry, say thank you and smile.

In 13 I discovered how knowing yourself better will help you to know others. I think I am still discovering myself actually; finally coming to terms with my real curls, my not so perfect figure, my weakness for old Bollywood music, my inability to have a cup of coffee at home and always at a coffee shop, my secret love for retro book stores, my desire to buy all the sports shoes in the world, the kick I get from defying my comfort zone and so many other unpublished secrets that each of us has.

All in all 13 started off slow and steady, gave me some good tests mid year, slowed down and relaxed me fairly well towards the summer, elated me so much in the autumn and simultaneously kicked me hard in the ass towards the end of the year. Thank you 13 for your lessons, gifts, warnings, eye openings and above all endings that promise new beginnings.

I read last week that the new trend for 2014 is not to have resolutions but to have a theme. A theme you stick by and follow all your plans bearing in mind certain thumb rules that qualify your theme. Can we all do that for 14? I will try my best and what I promise is to keep sharing Thoughts, good or bad. Happy New Year to all and thank you!

PS. 13 also taught me that 14 is on it's way and if you were not able to do something this year, don't give it up and pursue it in the new year. :)