A lot has happened this year, we survived another year of the COVID-19 pandemic and we tried to make the most of living. I’d like to believe that I have been using this time to look inward a lot more and trying to make positive changes to my life as I try to live less yet more fulfilled. The thing about journaling is, it helps you remember what happened, and when. Unfortunately, I’ve replaced it with posting Stories on Instagram I only now realized made me forget a whole lot more. Anyway, here’s an attempt to write about the best things that happened in 2021.

• I met someone who feels a lot like home. Love/d.
• I went through a lot with my full-time job. After considering quitting for the thousandth time because of some disconnect with HR, exceptionally difficult stakeholders, and the frustrations that have been piling up, I managed to get another job offer. A job offer I refused because I decided to stay.
• I saw Brian Krans in person and met up with some of my best buds in San Diego.
• Started a partnership with my work wife and hired our 2nd batch of freelancers for YEB.
• Went swimming with whale sharks in Oslob.
• Had clam chowder and crabs in San Francisco and had an amazing time in California, in general, hiking, visiting the Midway…having a little bit of normalcy albeit short-lived.

In retrospect, this year is probably the hardest in terms of looking within and after myself, but there are still a lot of things to smile about. So, while I’m not giddy, jumping up and down as the year ends, I’m ready for the next chapter.

P.S. I wrote a newsletter yesterday, you can read it here.