‘Taking time’ is a well-known phrase that describes one’s preferred pace or time to do something or slow down from one’s usual activities or daily routines. Unfortunately, in this fast-paced world where everything requires haste and immediacy, taking time for some people has become a mere idea that they would want to savor, but loads of work to do won’t allow them.
On the contrary, many people have also cherished the essence of taking one’s time. Gratefully, I am one of them. I have found the beauty of taking my time off, which is the reason behind my hiatus from writing. You may notice my temporary break from this social media platform for a year. But now, I’m again facing my laptop screen with my slightly shaking hands on the keyboard. I have never been this exuberant before, now that I am back!
Well, if you’d ask, how did I take my time? I took time for the most essentials in life. I took my time for my family, for my immersed tasks with my amazing clients, and mostly, I took my time for myself. Coming out from the shell of agonizing, life-altering events, I took time to heal before I could finally do it.
No, I wouldn’t talk about how bitter these experiences are. Instead, this writing intends to impart the beauty of such incidents and how they have shaped the kind of woman I am today. I want everyone to know that bitterness can be savored, especially when one has gone through it thoroughly. That is no wonder why they call life a bitter-sweet journey. You’ll never taste its luscious sweetness when you haven’t tasted its acrid epoch.
As a woman in the business, I started knowing that maintaining it is much harder than building it, but I didn’t foresee how radically torturing it was when it happened in the actual. So I confidently deemed I was ready, but I was entirely not.
Spending my years in the business, I understand that there are people who will come into your life as friends and, at the same time, trusted colleagues, but eventually, they sadly end up leaving you as foes. After their leave, a void will start to kindle in your heart. Unfortunately, it’s a void that can only be filled by the people who have caused it. You will question your worth and capability countless times, and you may find yourself staring blankly as you shed a tear, regardless of how hard you fight it.
The memories and the wishful thinking come to you at night, and the worst thing, it comes to you even when you are preoccupied at any time of the day. It’s like a brute that never stops haunting you and consuming your sanity and all the rights to be happy.
The hardest part about this is that it becomes a daily basis. Healing will never be easy. It takes a deal of time. The amount of time may last months, years, or even decades for you to feel whole again.
But trust me; it’s worth the wait and patience and the sleepless nights and heavy-hearted days. It’s like a beautiful flower that withered but flourished again, just like a kid who stumbled from running, stood up again, and fixed his wounds with band-aids. If you could go back to those free-spirited childhood days and hypothetically heal that bullet hole-like wounds with band-aids, you can’t, and that won’t ever happen.
So, you stand up again, but now you’re firmer and more confident than ever. Gracefully, as you accept your flaws, mistakes, and painful experiences, you must stand up as a full-grown woman. Fix your crown and rise so you can shine again.
All those words enlivened me within those years that I had killed all my hope. Truthfully, I had a thousand reasons to fall, but I thought, ‘Why would I if I have a million reasons to be determinedly strong and continue to fight this battle?’ I focused on the silver lining in front of me, not the drawbacks lurking behind me. I owe my glimmer of hope to my loyal and great clients.
Another source of courage that I have held on to is the real friends that have become my family. They have never stopped believing in me and remained with me through thick and thin. You’ll learn who your real friends are when everybody else leaves your side, and these great people don’t. So, among others, my family is my real source of strength to keep going amidst the stumbling blocks.
To summarize some of my challenging years, 2018 was all about losses. I lost a lot. I lost people I have treasured, opportunities I have protected, and some pieces of myself. But 2019 turned all the tables around; I gained a lot more. I learned a bunch of awe-inspiring lessons. Most of all, this enlightening year has taught me to trust and love others and myself again. Finally, I could gracefully put all the pieces that these bitter epochs broke me apart. And now, as I face another year in which I had no idea what was ahead, I am cherishing blessings and more to come. With all these experiences, I am stronger enough to face the challenges ahead of me.
Here’s the point; it takes time to deeply know your flaws, your strengths, and the whole of you as a human. But as I say, take most of your time doing what you love and what’s good for your soul. And at the right time, you’ll see how handling time patiently fruits the most beautiful blessings.
As of now, I am the happiest to say that I am back in the business and ready to take all my time to face all future trials with a wiser mind, a hopeful heart, and a head in the clouds while feet on the ground.
