What's your priority next year?
mine is high-quality experiences
Hello hello,
I'm writing this newsletter while drinking coffee at home, and my heart is filled with so much joy this holiday season.
I grew up not celebrating Christmas (for religious reasons), so I usually don't have the same joy or stress that people get at this time of year.
To me, Christmas is just another day on the calendar.
But this year's holiday season is different because I've gotten a lot of blessings in the last year, and I really wanted to cherish and share the joy with my family.
So, my husband and I decided to host a small gathering for our family.
Hosting this event felt a little sad, but at the same time, it was joyful.
It was sad because it made me miss my relatives in the Philippines and my friends in the Dominican Republic. We moved from the Philippines when I was 10 and from the D.R. when I was 13.
So, ever since I was a kid, Christmas has been celebrated in different places, in different ways, with different people. In the Philippines, Christmas was a magical place. You would set up picnic-like tables in front of your house, drink beers with your neighbours, and laugh until you could no longer understand each other. Of course, I didn't do it, but that's how I saw it.
In the D.R., we celebrated Christmas with the friends my parents made in that country. And sometimes, the celebration was attending a corporate event in the all-inclusive resort my parents worked at.
In Canada, Christmases were spent at work because I worked as a nurse, and you could only pick one holiday (Christmas or New Year) to be off. I always picked New Year's to be off.
In short, I never had the traditional Christmas celebration where you "go home" to celebrate with your family, like in the movies.
Regardless, I'm super grateful and joyful that I got to celebrate with my family this week.
And honestly, it just reminded me even more of how important family is.
Even though my husband and I live in this nice house now, it's honestly nothing if I don't get to share it with my family or people I care about.
A lot of the joy I experience today is my ability to share everything I have with my siblings and parents. And I believe that this happened because I decided to pursue a path of living on my terms.
As we approach next year, I'm quite excited because, for the first time in a long time, I'm clear on my priorities—like spending quality time and having quality experiences with my family, among many others.
What will your priority be next year?
And once again, thanks for being here,
I appreciate you,
J ❤️
And btw, if you need some help in your journey, here are 3 ways I can help you: