35
When the year began, it started with a weekend trip to Mexico City just after my birthday the previous Sunday. Trading the cold of NYC for warmth in CDMX. A sprawling city and the awe inspiring pyramids at Teotihuacan greeted us. Four days didn't do enough justice to our surroundings.
But as the 2010s ended, I needed to make a mark in the new year. I didn't see what was coming next.
As I brought the mail upstairs on one day in the first week of January, I came across the cover of Cathy Heller's book “Don't Keep Your Day Job". As I looked inside the book, I searched for her podcast on iTunes. I signed up for her five day, 20/20 Vision challenge. And that moment led to signing up for her program, Made To Do This. It would turn out to be the decision that shaped the rest of the year.
But it was a rough go, as I didn't have my thing. That didn't stop me from continuing as I wanted to make it through the 12 week program. Then in week nine, the breakthrough happened. As I had the conversation with Cathy during the coaching call on the night of March 22nd, something clicked. The notion that my words are the art. 12 hours later, I put my first post to Instagram and I was surprised by the reaction. I might have something here.
Later that same week, came the furlough due to the unfolding pandemic. Six years of safety gone in a week. I was devastated at first but the absence made me realize how wedded I was to my daily routine. It also gave me time to write. And as the spring turned to summer, the origins of my book, A Poetic Journey began to take shape with my colleague Jenniffer Rivera's guidance.
There would be a degree of normalcy as the furlough ended late in July. So was staying at home. I would find out that my trip to Italy was put on hold and I would later cancel it as the trip was the one of the things that I had on the cards when the year began.
I pressed on as summer turned to fall. The book was done and so was the new website. On October 27th, A Poetic Journey was unveiled to the world. I was overwhelmed by the positive reaction and unsure where to go with it next.
As the next year of life is near, all the uncertainty in it became a blessing in disguise. I've come across so many wonderful people as this year unfolded. There's been new experiences, from going live on Instagram and Facebook, to the podcast appearances. All of this wouldn't have happened if age 34 unfolded normally.
Here's to age 35 and all that's still to come!
