Lucky number seven they say. I cannot believe that I have been here for seven years. The journey has not always been easy, with so many things in life happening all at once, it justifies to take a momentary breath.
So much has happened.
The biggest things happening this year was that I asked my girlfriend of two years to marry me. It happened much quicker than I anticipated, as I only planned to ask her parents (out of respect) for their daughter’s hand in marriage only by this time. If all went according to plan I would have asked her in January or February 2025. But life never goes according to the plans you draw. We cannot dictate life, we can merely follow her curves.
I also did not manage to find the elusive job Inwas searching for. It has been a turning point in my life, the decisions I make, and the way I move forward. Jobs in my country is not a sure thing, with many things contributing to making it increasingly difficult for younger people to find work. (One such fact was that they employed a retired professor for 10 years after he retired; why make it mandatory in the country and academia that lecturers should retire at the age of 65 when you ask them to stay on after that? Now, they are scrambling to appoint people and no one seems to fit the bill…)
But I am still here breathing increasingly more with ease, as life is becoming lighter again. I have achieved so much throughout this year; from publishing in the highest ranked philosophy journal in my country to having been asked to write a book chapter for an upcoming book project. I still have to submit my PhD but the thing is complete, there are only minor edits that need to be implemented. It has been a gruelling couple of years writing the study and I really hope to be finishing and defending it soon. What a day it will be when I successfully defended the PhD and they will call me “dr.”, I will look forward to that day, but there is still a lot of water needing run into that dam.
And on here, I have drunk so many beers, wrote so many poems yet again, sharing the model I call my fiancé, and achieving so many goals. I could not have done it without the help of so many people I cannot even begin to list. A community of likeminded people who support tremendous growth on so many levels. These seven years have been some of the most foundational to my world, as I can breathe here, share my ideas, and in doing so influencing my life even more.
Now, I am beginning to write new chapters, new twists and turns, new stories that have yet to develop characters. On my side I have my soulmate walking this journey with me, the open possibility of so many things, and the desire to change the world even if it is only by planting one simple mustard seed that can grow into a plant that produces more seeds. Change comes from one small step.
Each year when I write this birthday post, I look back and forward, inward and outward. We write so much, trying to capture the fleeting moment of reality, the present that always seems to want to run away, and the myriad of opportunities that unfold in their unthinkable ways. And we can only say thank you and be appreciative of what has happened, what will come, and how we will reap and harvest the rich soils that lay in front of us.
Alas, we can only smile, be grateful, and thank everyone that crosses our paths, to try and bless them, and make this world a better place.
Happy writing, and keep well.
All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit inspired by the reminder of my Hive Birthday. The photographs are also my own, taken from various posts throughout the year.