Instagram Break for the soul and goodbye to 2019 and the last decade!

Happy new year friends! I know I am only 10 days late.. but oh well. I have been busy with getting started at my new job, and also just settling into a new routine with back to school for liyana, leaving for work, cooking etc etc. You know how it goes.

I wanted to write a post for all you lovely people who are part of my little blog family. As you know, I am taking a bit of a break from social media particularly Instagram, but I didn’t want to let the new year slip by without some reflection. 2018 and 2017 were amazing years for me and 2019 was also one for the books. But this time, we are also saying sayonara to a whole decade. I mean, I’ve lived through seeing a decade end before, but somehow this one feels different and unique in its own way. It feels monumental for so many different reasons – professional, personal, emotional.

I got married in this decade.
I travelled 15 countries in this decade.

I bought my first house with my husband.

I became a mom.
I started AND finished a freakin’ PhD.

I moved across the country and single-mommed it!

I made some of the most amazing, real, whole-hearted friends in graduate school, residency, and surprisingly on Instagram. I found my people, and the friendship in which I had tied my worth down as a “friend” was renewed, because I came to believe that it’s alright to say “no, I will not be treated this way”.

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This decade has been such an immense time of personal growth, confidence, and also struggles for my family and I. We have struggled through not only marital difficulties, but also financial difficulties (being in school for 7/9 years of marriage isn’t easy), health care difficulties (my MiL was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Alhamdullillah is cancer free now), and so much more.

Usually, we share only the highlights or wins in reflecting on our past year, and now decade. Rosy retrospection, as some call it.

Alhamdullillah I’ve had a wonderful year and decade, but it surely didn’t come easily as it may seem, but also if I only looked at how “great” it was, I would lose the essence of reflection – GROWTH.

This coming year and decade , I want to continue to grow. I have some lofty goals for 2020 until 2030, and some of those include my professional goals, goals for my family and household. I appreciate YOU sticking around here, cheering me on and providing me with moral support that I’ve needed!

But more importantly, my word of the year for 2020, is SURRENDER. I know it may seem like an odd choice… but I want to share more with you about why I chose this word for 2020, than any other. Watch our for that blog post next week in your inbox.

For now, Cheers to a new year, and a new chapter of our lives!

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