2010: A year about the family, starting with celebrating a coming of age in India, to a wonderful holiday in Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore with the extended family and a surprise from the parents and friends for the 40th bang in the middle of year! Bliss!!
2011 A year that started with health issues and then proceeded to go downhill from there. Learnt a lot about resilience, grit in the face of intense adversity and what honesty actually looks like. Life-Lesson!
2012: Returning to Melbourne to re-establish roots. Looking for the next challenge professionally and a chance conversation prompted returning to academic world in the shape of research into migrant experiences in retirement!
2013: Deep into the research project, finding that migrant challenges are the same everywhere and finding so many kindered spirits who want to change the status-quo. Learning that journey from an inclusion statement on the website to practice was wider than the Atlantic.
2014: Toying with the idea of continuing research to a PhD, the temptation to get that doctorate is high, but was unsure of my motivation. Working on developing training curriculum as a favor for an old friend and running trauma and grief groups as a volunteer to keep my registration alive were reminders of my first passion! Decided to take the passion seriously and set up my consultancy focusing on building cross cultural bridges
2015: An interesting year, with 2 part time jobs, one for $$ one for the passion project! A crazy year but immensely satisfying. With a son finishing high school, a daughter finishing Uni, it was a cruise until the next year started!
2016: Another year that challenged, tested and shook us a family. It made us re-focus on what really holds meaning for us, what is important and how we need to shed some of our extraneous, needless masks.
2017: Marking 25 years of a journey as a couple and family, it was an opportunity to reflect and count the many blessings in our lives. Time for big changes in supporting the daughter moving out and making her own way and letting go!
2018: Time for bold moves, deciding to quit work and put my faith in myself- time to stop talking and start doing. The first few months were nerve-wracking, waiting for that phone call or email with someone, anyone agreeing to give me a go. But the many meetings, coffees and long conversations with likeminded people resulted in work coming my way- in drips and drabs initially and then with thankful regularity. Life was kind!
2019: The decade comes a full circle. Immense sudden loss brought into forefront that while we chase our dreams, get lost in the busyness of life, we forget that our family’s who are thousands of miles away often don’t get to spend time with us or be part of all the small moments that make us. This year has been grindingly difficult, to process grief, while getting on with life and doing what needs to be done.
But if anything, the decade has been a defining one. Of love, of loss, of shock, of betrayal, of gifts, of kindness, of friendships and of learning that life is even more beautiful than I could ever imagine it to be.
To all the people who make my life what it is, has been and will be- THANK YOU
