Last year was one of the most trying years of my life. 2019 did not treat me well. While my undergraduate degree was tough, I felt like I could always see my way out and I continued to excel. Medical school was not the same. It felt like a tsunami hurling towards me while I doggypaddled my way out. In my personal life, my family dynamics changed significantly. With a death in the family, one family tree was cut off at its roots. On top, a divorce occurred in the family that just felt like bird poop landing directly on me as if a bird targeted me and hit bull's eye.
2019 was also a time of immense change for me. I moved halfway across the world to pursue a degree in a different education system. I moved in with my partner and experienced all the growing pains that a relationship goes through during that transition. I made new friends and some not so good friends. I learned to love but also to let go. I learned to be happy but also appreciate my sadness.
Growing up. That's what it felt like. And it was tough.
But, the good news is that we only have a handful of days left before the start of a new decade. It feels like I have been forged in this fire and reached my tipping point before doused into the cooling water of a new year. I am excited for what this could bring for me.
I am grateful for the end of this year where I am surrounded by love and given room and time to recover. I am grateful for all that I have learned and all that I have absorbed in the past 10 years. But now it's time to let go of this old shell of myself and shed this skin. It's time for me to approach 2020 with a new mindset and find my own happiness.