As we are coming into the last week of 2017, here are my simple wishes for 2018:
• I wish that people would think twice before treating everything like a contest.
• I wish that people would stop belittling others for perhaps not experiencing as much suffering, for not being 'as sick' as them, for belittling anyone else's situation.
• I wish for people to show more compassion and more empathy.
• I wish for people to stop judging others simply by what they eat. For people to stop looking down their noses at those who eat meat, or dairy, or gluten, or sugar, or vegan, or almost anything else for that matter.
• I wish for people to be held accountable for their own mistakes, but that they also benefit from due process and not based on how many negative comments the news story accumulates.
• I wish for people to stop looking for the absolute worst in everyone - just so they don't feel obligated to show any compassion.
• I wish we would all stop belittling one another for making a few more mistakes than someone else - especially if they are truly mistakes and are not negligent, malicious, or ignorant, causing harm to others.
• i wish for the truth to prevail and to be shared and spark pride instead of sparking conspiracy theories and hundreds of opinions being touted as facts.
• I wish for greater accountability for horrendous and threatening behaviour and language in the online world.
• I wish that people would remember that the lives of others are no one's business but their own, unless it deemed dangerous to the public.
In essence, I wish for a kinder and more understanding 2018. For people in similar circumstances (like new mothers, or people dealing with disabling medical conditions, or victims of rape who have decided to come forward, or people in similar professions) to band together and work together instead of scrutinizing each other on every decision.
But MOST of all, I wish for my friends, my family, my acquaintances, for anyone I know to feel confident, to feel proud, to feel happy and satisfied with the lives they have and the decisions they have made, while we all strive to improve our decisions whenever we are able. And to feel loved, to be loved, to love, and that we all strive to be kinder in any way we can.
And I wish to remember all of this so that I can strive to be kinder, to let go of anger and resentment, to let go of guilt, to stop comparing myself to others, and to remember each day that although I am struggling, that it could always get better, and that it could always be worse - to help me live fully in the present and continue to find humour in even the most upsetting situations.