02012013
WEDNESDAY
16:53
STREET 81
RETROSPECTIVE.
ret·ro·spec·tive (rtr-spktv)
Adjective
1. Looking back on, contemplating, or directed to the past.
2. Looking or directed backward.
3. Applying to or influencing the past; retroactive.
4. Of, relating to, or being a retrospective: a retrospective art exhibition.
oh, yes, that's right. we're looking back today. we're looking back not just on 2012, but the past few years. we're looking at all the mistakes, all the heartaches, all the celebrations and all the divine opportunities attributed to us by our Father.
I used to look back on my past with a sense of regret and sadness. Maybe if I had a different upbringing; maybe if I had better judgement; maybe if I had more money and so on. However, today I have learnt to look back on the past 18 years with a sense of pride, joy and gratefulness. You see, I have learnt one very important lesson in 2012: the importance of perspective.
Why does that make such a difference in my reflection, you ask. Well, in the past I used to focus and dwell on all my failures. I couldn't see the small successes in life with all that self-disappointment clouding my vision. I couldn't see how my family were, and still are, ever supportive. I was blinded, very simply, by my own fears and thinking.
Now, I focus instead on small achievements that God has given me throughout my life. My family may not be perfect, but it is still loving, nurturing and heart-warming. My job is a miracle unto itself - it has taught me so much in such a short time, and it still amazes me how much more I still don't know. School is a blessing, even if it feels torturous: it has taught me logical thinking, biomedical industry specifics, and it has taught me that time is too short to not pursue my dreams. I have wonderful friends and colleagues. They have blessed me with joy and great memories, and I feel really privileged to have met some of the dearest people in the world to me. I have lost some, but I have gained tenfold during this process of growth.
I have been so very lavished on all my life, and I have just begin to appreciate all of it because of 2012.
Thank you and goodbye. It will be sad to see you go, but I welcome 2013 with open arms and a wide-open heart.
Noun
An exhibition or performance of works produced by an artist over a considerable period.
As an artist, 2012 has seen me take my work even more seriously than before. I have taken new jobs, went to new events, and have learnt so much I can't begin to describe it here. I learnt make-up for my models, I have flown overseas and saw so much new sights. I have gone to new places alone, and together with friends, and I have learnt to see old haunts with fresh eyes.
No reflection is complete without thinking about the future, because that's why we have a past. We have a past to teach us how to go on, how to move better, how to love better, how to learn better. We are who we are today because we have learnt bravery, courage, emotion and dreaming from our history.
So for 2013, I do not have small dreams. I have huge goals, and greater passions. I'm getting certified in Journalism, and it is the scariest decision I have made in my life yet. I am absolutely terrified, but I have never made a more sure decision in my life. I have decided to try out for a National Geographic scholarship and I still feel unreal in every way.
I know 2013 will be bigger, better, and s much more memorable.
"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." - James 1:4
♥ I'VE GOT HEAVEN ON THE INSIDE OF ME.
peace and joy God has set me free.
peace and joy God has set me free.
