What 2016 Taught Me


December 31 2016; Looking back at year ending today - by Wambura F Ngari

 


I liken 2016 to a “Mystery bag”, no idea of what will come out of it. The good, the bad and the in between all dished out this year. However, my highlight is that I will remember 2016 as the year I traveled by road from the slopes of Mt Kenya to Cape of Good Hope (In Jan & Dec) and somehow the wide, open road has helped unwrap my mind to a wider vision, a realization that possibilities exist beyond the horizon. So what lessons am I taking out of this “Mystery bag”?
  1. To love with honesty and to genuinely care. Never to assume that I have another year, you know, that thought of “arrgh, tomorrow is another day, I’ll make that call …” I don’t have forever, this is the moment. I lost cousins and close friends in the most sudden way I can imagine. One day alive, the next, gone! Just like that! So let us tell the ones we love how much we love them. To family, friends, colleagues, the waiter at the favorite café. Smile, give compliments… there are countless ways to do it.
  2. To embrace life. To grab it and soak myself in it... simply put; to live! In January 2016, I travelled by road back to Pretoria and later, this December, from Pretoria (via Port Elizabeth) to Cape Point. 5,965 kilometers, 7 days if I were to total the distance and time taken in both instances. “Are you sure? Is it safe? Wont you get tired?” These are some of the questions I got. But I took the journey anyway. I loved every minute of it and I’d do again it and again …this time, exploring new frontiers.Life is short and the only moment you and I have is NOW. Take risks (and I don’t mean you jump into it when you feel like it – I mean CALCULATED RISK). How? Money can be borrowed, time/moments can’t. I got this small book that kind of sums it “Dance First. Think Later” – 618 Rules to Live By by Kathryn & Ross Petras.
  3. To chase that dream and to find a way to make it happen. Circumstances of the past few months have taught me to step out without fear and pursue that which I have been reserving with a notion that I have forever. I kill time; I pass time and get through the week just like … that. There is no reason and if I gave one it is like I am excusing my behavior.That business, that course, that visit to the zoo … You know, that which scratches within your heart everyday begging to be let out, especially when you are stuck in something you do not like that much. That TV program and WhatsApp chat can wait. Find a way of dealing with it without a worry of “what if I fail?” I have to “Be in it to win it”.

I acknowledge that life is not only short, it is also extremely hard. I just need to live it NOW with all the strength and passion I can master. to Love. To Live. To Laugh. Those are my wishes for you this new year and beyond.

Cheers!
Wambura

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