Happy New Year! I have always loved a new year and the opportunity it brings to reset and refocus on what’s ahead. I love to set goals, create intentions, and feel inspired as I enter the New Year! I also love the opportunity the New Year gives me to reflect on what has been and what I’ve journeyed through… and wow, 2022, what a ride!
2022 started off with so much anticipation, excitement and anxiousness…. we were finally going to meet our babies! Revie and Roo were born at the end of February, and honestly since that moment, the rest of the year has felt like such a blur. I feel like I blinked and it’s over, but it has also felt like an eternity at the same time. It’s so hard to describe! All I know is that with their arrival I have never felt so fulfilled – yet my identity completely shifted this year as I started to embrace my new identity as mum to our precious babies, as well as learn so many new skills on the fly while juggling work commitments and trying my best to manage everyday stuff too. If I’m honest, at times I’ve found all of that really hard. It has been a year of survival, and I’m so proud of Dave and I for doing exactly that… surviving! We made it through! This year has easily been the most rewarding and special year of my life, and I can say without hesitation that it’s easily been my favourite year that’s ever been – but behind the scenes there have also been some really difficult moments we have navigated privately too.
Dave and I were put through our paces as new parents (like I’m sure everyone with a new baby can relate), and one of the most difficult parts for us was learning who was there supporting us, and who wasn’t. We had to make some tough decisions about who we would allow into our inner circle, because we were quickly discovering that some people who should have been there supporting us, had expectations of us that were unfair and unrealistic. Even when we asked how we could meet those expectations we were told verbatim that we “should know” …except we aren’t mind readers. No one is. How can you meet someone’s expectations of you, when they themselves don’t even know what their expectations of you are?
And with that, I learned a valuable life lesson: you can’t please everyone. Thank god for that, because honestly, it’s not your job to please everyone or meet everyone’s expectations of you (even if they are made known). It’s also not your job or responsibility to help those who don’t want to be helped, even if they desperately need it. We are all on own path, and it’s okay to send someone else love, but at the same time to stop allowing them to have power over you so that you can focus on what you need to put your energy towards.
If something, or someone doesn’t lift you up, or benefit you, then it’s okay to let that situation go. Guilt and obligation makes it feel hard to do that at times, but trust me, with time you’ll feel lighter as the burden is lifted – and it allows you to put your time and energy into the things and people that fill your emotional tank too. That’s important, because you deserve to be supported… healthy relationships are when people give and receive. You deserve to be given support in return for your support too.
I’m closing out 2022 with a very thankful heart. Thankful and grateful for my sweet, beautiful, gorgeous twinnies – and thankful and grateful for my wonderful husband, Dave. Together we have gone through some really challenging and difficult moments in 2022, both as first-time parents, and also navigating a host of other hard situations life has thrown our way. We have also experienced the most incredible and wonderful moments of our life together, ones that can never be topped. 2022 only brought us closer, strengthening the bond that was already there… and for that I am so so so thankful.
I hope that you are ending the year on a positive, and even if you too have navigated or are still navigating a tricky situation, my wish for you is that the fresh year brings with it a new perspective on things.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy New Year! See you in 2023!
