23 Things I Learned in 2023

 I feel I'm not the only one here, but oh man, 2023 was a challenging year, not an easy one, there were so many ups and downs that you barely had time to catch your breath and sit for a while and not get dizzy in the process.

From taking extremely hard decisions to face uncertain situations, 2023 was a colorful year, and not always in the good way. But one important thing here is that beside everything, I had the support of those close to my heart. I have a lot of laughs, and moments that I cherished. 

On reflection, these are the 23 lessons that I learned in 2023, probably there were more, but these ones were the ones that came to my mind highlighted.

1. Things can change in a second, so enjoy every single moment with your loved ones.

2. Don't take things and people -specially people- for granted. Cherish them and tell them that you loved them at every opportunity.

3. Sometimes you have to say goodbye to those you love, and make the hard decision for them, just give them love and let them go.

4. When one of your loved ones or your partner is going through a hard time show your support and encouragement, let them know how important and valuable they are, how much you admire them and respect them, and how proud you are of them.

5. Difficult moments can separate couples, but also can bring you closer, communication is key and a true love with kindness and comprehension too.

6. Trust your intuition. If you feel uncomfortable and don't want to go to a place, don't go! Pay attention to what your intuition is trying to tell you, that gut feeling means something, so don't doubt about it and simply don't go.

7. Let people help you when you are in need, don't feel bad about it, this is not a weakness, so accept their kindness. You also will know who are your true friends in those moments of need.

8. When things don't go your way and you get delays and bad situations, it's because there's still a lesson that you must learn, don't close yourself due to pain and frustrations and fear, ask yourself what I'm learning from all these.

9. There's still good people in this world, truly good people who stops when they see a stranger crying and ask them if they are ok, and listen and wish that everything go well and give you a word of support and even a much needed hug.

10. Always remember that after the night, the sun will shine again, things always improve, so don't give up.

11. House keeping is a full time job, you must embrace it with love, is not a punishment even when at times it goes underappreciated and you feel frustrated.

12. A clean house brings you peace.

13. Drink your coffee early but skip the middle of the night cup if you want to rest and don't wake up every hour to go to the bathroom.

14. Your furry babies feel you, they know when you are sad or angry, they just want to give you love.

15. Even when your senior dog is still full of vitality, remember that things are changing and you need to adapt to their own needs.

16. Every day is an important day, if you cannot celebrate Christmas or you have to spend New Year's Eve alone, it's ok! The important part was sharing a moment with your loved ones, maybe a lunch together instead of a fancy celebration as the old days.

17. Be patient with those who have a different way to do things, specially your mom.

18. It's ok not to put the Christmas' decorations if you don't feel like it, specially if you lost one of your furry babies and it's the first Christmas without him.

19. Don't keep everything inside. If you want to say something or express something do so, it saves you from weeks of throat ache and cough.

20. Sharing a bedroom is not enough, you need to give space to your partner so he can feel it's his bedroom too. Be flexible, even if things need, must change from what you were used to.

21. Listen to other's opinions, YOU ARE NOT ALWAYS RIGHT.

22. Learn from your mistakes and don't be so insecure.

23. It's ok to do nothing and take some time for yourself, it's ok not to be ok.