The Rainbow After The Storm

Guess whose glasses are these?

I took this photo while I was touring in Japan a few months ago, and I thought it was apt for a post about reflections.

2023 is coming to an end, and boy, it has been a year of two halves for me.

The first half of the year was unfortunately bogged down by multiple misfortunes, or rather, "challenges", I was stretched very close to the limit of breaking down on a couple of days. There was a lot going on in my personal life, and on top of that, I had to juggle with workload where I was tasked to take care of some important projects, and then my family members caught Covid and I was the primary caregiver. It felt like the perfect storm at times, and my resilience was put to the test. I tried my best to play multiple roles to the best of my ability, the filial son, the reliable colleague, the independent self, and somehow, the issues just kept coming. Right after I resolved something, another problem would just crop up. I recalled that I was on the verge of losing hope but thankfully I had my network of friends to support me, be it just lending a listening ear or just checking on me to see if I was okay.

On the contrary, the second half of the year, at least up till now, has been pretty smooth. There were lesser issues, lesser misfortunes as a whole, and everything seemed to fall into a perfect equilibrium. I mean, there were still some stresses at work, but they were not major in the grand scheme of things. I also had the chance to take some time off work to travel to a few countries and I thoroughly enjoyed the trips.

Looking back, I thought both halves of the year have taught me valuable lessons in life.

The first half of the year tested my resilience and I emerged from the challenging period stronger as a person, both physically and mentally. Like what people say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Now I feel more confident to handle future challenges in my life.

The second half of the year taught me that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Again, like what people say, there's always a rainbow at the end of the rain. Times like these allow me to regain optimism about life, pursue my passions, and treasure these moments dearly.

Life is indeed magical sometimes. And if you haven't guessed it, the pair of glasses belong to Harry Potter! It's taken at "Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo - The Making of Harry Potter". ;)