12 months
52 weeks
366 days
8784 hours… GONE! 😉
Every January brings countless promises. We get from the stack of December some untouched dreams, some broken aspirations and some forgotten goals which we brush up once again to adorn the ‘to-do’ list for the new year.
Likewise we get a bundle of memories that fuse with our lives and become a part of our being. They weave our yesterdays into our ‘todays’ and add vivid patterns to the ever-renewing fabric of life. These memories are strange. Sometimes even the so-called BIG things fail to leave an impact and at times, even the small and insignificant become the sparkle on a dull night.
My Cinematic Escapades
Reflecting on the year gone by, the first thing that comes to my mind is my cinematic escapades. Out of all the stuff that I watched, four characters stayed with me. While Riley’s character from Inside Out-2 was a complete refresher course on the complex challenges adolescents in urban landscapes navigate, Moana from Moana-2 was the epitome of rustic wisdom and compassion with a sprinkle of tinkling humour. In stark contrast to these youngsters were the more mature characters of Lorelai Gilmore and Alan Shore.
Picking up Boston Legal after almost ten years, Alan Shore grew upon me with every passing episode. His eccentricities, his vulnerabilities and most of all his righteousness even at the risk of a lost court case taught me time and again to speak up for the rightful causes, however small they might be. And last of all, the most endearing character was Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls. The tenacity, witty charm and the beaming smile of this mother through her roller-coaster of almost 16 years serves as a reminder that life doesn’t have to be perfect for us to be happy.
My Students
The second thing that has brought me immense joy in 2024 is the success of my students. Being a teacher, my students’ performance is what gives me validation and I received it abundantly throughout the year. Be it selection in the ‘Selective test’, top grades in board exams or winning a literary competition, I reveled in many such triumphs of my students. Their upward graphs and commendable achievements made me look for more innovative ways to engage and challenge them in this enriching pursuit of learning. With them I read stories, watched web series (that I would have otherwise never watched), reviewed movies and googled several topics so that we could write meaningful write-ups for www.wordsimpactinglives that would actually make an impact.
My Angels
As the year rolled by, a few more events got nailed on my memory-wall. It was in March, when during a personal tragedy, I saw my elder daughter displaying a very mature front. She may be laid back in certain ways but when duty calls, she is among the first ones to dive into action and take charge of the situation, even if it comes at a cost. Autumn season brought along the blooming of my younger daughter when she headed certain events and proved her worth by beautifully orchestrating her personal efforts with teamwork. As a mother, my heart swells with pride when I see my two angels burgeoning into conscious and mindful adults. I know that now I can sit back and enjoy their journey as they walk ahead to write their own stories.
Some such cornerstones and a bit of nugatory made up the memorable stack of yet another year lived well.
Seasons changed, laughter rolled, tears flowed and days slipped by. There were days full to the brim and then there were those that yearned for some purpose. Just like all the bygone years, even this year came to its dutiful closure.
I am glad the world survived and so did I. 😉
Writer: Shilpi Haryal (Year 2025)
