In 2022, we’re not holding back.
Tucked away in closets are the beautiful, glittering dresses with the tags still on. The high heels wrapped in paper, carefully placed in their box. The gourmet spices in the cupboard, untouched. The travel itinerary on the bookshelf for when the time is finally right. The never-lit candle. The pristine white novel. The undecorated apartment.
All my life, I have meticulously planned the perfect time to do everything I’ve desired. I could hold off on happiness until my timeline allowed for indulgence. Never be too hasty, too spontaneous, too impromptu. If I could plan ahead, I could guarantee future happiness. When a pandemic swept me off my feet, my plans for the future vanished into thin air. Months of unexpected monotony dwindled for months as all of life’s pleasures were put on hold. Our most feared reality had come true and every day thereafter was left unpromised.
As we crawl back into what feels like an “old life,” I have a plan to do things differently this time. The hindsight of seeing life from a crystal clear perspective.
The isolation of the pandemic brought the realization that each day is a new opportunity to choose to be happy. To indulge in all of life’s greatest pleasures. To seize opportunities as they come and savor the cherished moments. To wear the expensive dress, to plan the vacation, to burn the candle, to savor the spices, to fill the pages of the novel with messy notes in the margins and dogear the pages.
The only guarantee in life is that there are none, and we are armed with the pivotal knowledge of how rapidly life can change in the blink of an eye after COVID-19.
Waking up on Jan. 1, 2022 to a clean slate and a fresh start, I harnessed the perspective of savoring each day as if it could vanish beneath my feet. A few months later, I can confirm that this journey has changed me for the better. I have basked in the sunshine on a casual Wednesday afternoon because beautiful days don’t fall according to academic calendars. I have burned the expensive candle, smelling the aromas dancing through my apartment. I’ve worn the fancy dress and taken the shoes out of their box, feeling more beautiful than ever. I’ve stayed up for late night chats knowing that the lack of sleep will leave me bleary eyed the next morning. I’ve booked the trip of a lifetime with my best friend and left all else behind. I’ve embraced vulnerability, being truly honest with myself and loved ones and wearing my heart on my sleeve while disregarding the “what if?”
The understanding that joy can never be anchored leaves me relishing in the fleeting joy that floats through seizing life’s opportunities and indulgences as they come. We never know what tomorrow brings, and I chose to live each day as if tomorrow remains unpromised. So now, I urge you to consider what your life might look like if you embraced each of the opportunities of joy that come across our paths on a daily basis and indulged in all of its goodness. You never know what you might find.