Originally Posted December 31st, 2014
“So, Ramy – would you say that 2014 has been a good year for you?”.
My father asked me this question just a few short weeks ago, as we took a walk around Bayswater in west London, on a cold, dry December evening.
On the surface of it, this was a seemingly simple question, with one of only two possible answers. And yet, in the moments that followed, as I pondered what 2014 had meant for me, I found myself at a loss for words.
Those of you who know me best are aware that I’m generally quite a reflective person; sometimes that tendency towards introspection can be a helpful, enlightening tool that helps you to discover new truths about both yourself and others – and sometimes, the only thing that all that over thinking achieves is leaving you feeling down, confused, or even frustrated. Personally, I still maintain that my self-reflective nature does me more good than harm (although, either way, as I approach the big 3-0, 18 months from the time I write this, I’m probably unlikely to change anytime soon).
Here’s a statement that couldn’t be further from an earth-shattering revelation (spoiler alert!): my life is not perfect. But – big whoop. So what? After all, whose is? Whether you’re a glass half-full or a glass half-empty kinda person, there’s always gonna be more that you could fit into that glass.
Unless, of course, you’re Will Smith; I’m pretty sure that guy’s life IS perfect.
One of my favourite songs from this year was a previously unreleased track by Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson called “There Must Be More To Life Than This”. I suppose, though, that how you interpret that assertion depends very much on what you’re hoping to get out of life. And, as the saying goes, the only way to move beyond where you are is to deal with where you’ve been.
Which brings me back to my father’s question…
As 2014 draws to a close, this is, when all is said and done, where my life is at right now. I have a wonderful and supportive family. My world is filled with awesome people that I’m privileged to call friends. I am – with a bit of luck – around 8 months away from completing my medical training, and finally embarking on the career in General Practice that I’ve been working towards since I was 14. And when I think about it like that, I realise that I’ve been blessed with more luck than most; you need only turn on the news to realise just how sad, scary, and lonely a place the world can really be for some.
I’m certainly not intending this note to be a kind of vain, self-congratulatory high-five to myself. The truth is that I’m as guilty as anyone of losing focus from time-to-time on what’s truly important in life, and I guess I’m slowly coming to the realisation that, if you don’t stop every once in a while to appreciate what you have, then you can very easily end up taking those things for granted; if there’s one overriding message that I hope this post conveys to whomever is reading it, it’s that.
“So, Ramy – would you say that 2014 has been a good year for you?”, Dad asked. I paused for a few moments, before replying: “Yeah – I guess it has”.
Ramy’s World 