Things I (Re)Learned in 2022

^{_{Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash}}

1. Try to take over the world every day. Not the whole world, just your world. Self-mastery is the way home.
2. Everything will happen to you. Be grateful that it does not happen all at once.
3. Just because you survived does not mean you were not hurt. Dedicate time to metabolizing or forgetting trauma.
4. Forgive people as quickly as possible or it will be like the pot you keep soaking that never quite comes sparkling clean because you skipped that initial hard scrub.  
5. Most of the time I thought I had a problem, I just needed to move, hydrate, or laugh.
6. Rest is a verb. Weighted blankets, feet up the wall or a nap are all worthwhile pursuits.
7. Boundaries, big and small, keep you righteous. It is also okay to have a boundary with yourself.
8. Distraction is a self-destructing weapon and sometimes fear on hallucinogens. Just do the thing you are supposed to do, especially when it is invisible to everyone else.
9. Some doors were meant to stay closed and bolted.
10. Playing is as essential as eating. If you never abandon the child in you, she will never abandon you.
11. Daydreaming is an acceptable form of therapy, entertainment, and self-care.
12. Declutter and tidy up regularly because austere, serene spaces offer beauty and comfort.
13. Aging is not for wimps. It will go easier if you prioritize health and fitness while collaborating with reality.
14. The heart is bamboo; it bends wildly under pressures, but does not break.
15. Living an inspired life involves sticks and stones. Build something out of the wreckage and bow at its altar.
16. Do not try to fix what you did not break or change what you did not make.
17. As an exceptional form of time and mood management, only do what is yours to do.
18. Be charitable, but do not over-give. Others need something to strive for too.
19. Never stop coloring or doodling. In a pinch, it also doubles as meditation.
20. On trying days, be quiet, sip tea and broth, rest. Sometimes you just must let difficult moments pass in the gentlest way possible.
21. Laugh, laugh, laugh.
22. If you tilt your head ever so slightly, you can often see a rainbow in a storm.

Love, light, and Happy New Year,

Nailah