Another Year. Forever Thankful.

It’s the evening of Monday, 23rd September 2019. It is all but dark as I look out of my window, save for the remaining lights peering through trees and office curtains. The last of my staff has just walked out, hurtling down the stairs for her Safe Boda that has just arrived.

As I sit here all alone, in the company of crickets chirping and servers humming, I am forced to reflect on another year gone in my life whilst waiting for the new one to begin in just a couple of hours.

As I grew up, turning a year older was always exciting for me. It was a race to become taller, stronger, faster and more mature than many – especially my parents – thought of me. It was a race to prove others that you are more than just a number.

Fast forward (post-30) you really do not look forward to another birthday. Because your over-ambitious soul has forced you to think that it is not yet time to turn another year over since you are not done doing what you were in the last.

You see, time is the most precious resource we have at our disposal. In fact, the two most powerful warriors in this world are patience and time. Powerful because you cannot force it (in the case of patience) and once gone you can never reverse it (in the case of time).

And so as I reflect on the past year – a year which saw me achieve some dreams I had planned a while back, a year which saw me overcome a few things I had never imagined and a year which taught me some deep and painful lessons – I just can’t help but thank God for the gift of life, family, health and abundance.

As the new year begins, I have three prayers:

1. I pray not for an easy life, but for the strength to endure a difficult one
2. I pray not to win every day, but to remain grateful even when I don’t
3. I pray not for more, but for satisfaction with whatever that I have

Here’s to another year. Looking forward to more memories, more lessons, more celebrations. May God guide me in this path called life and may I remain grounded in staying humble, staying hungry and staying foolish! Amen.