Things That I am Grateful for in 2017

Assalamu'alaikum wr. wb.

Today marks the first day of 2018, thus 2017 had officially ended. 

I think it feels great to have a feeling of starting anew again, since 2017 was not that great for me. I personally think that I didn't accomplish that many things last year, and it really made me feel bitter; empty and unsatisfied. However, as life goes on, I need to move forward and turn the bitterness of 2017 into lessons, while still being grateful of the little things in 2017 that made me feel happy. So, here comes the list of what I am grateful for, and in the next post I will share the things that I wish I did differently in 2017.

I am grateful that I was engaged.

Back in early April 2017, my boyfriend told me that he would like to talk to my dad and ask him if he can marry me. This did not come off as shocking to me because I knew that one day that time would come, but I did become a little bit emotional when I actually saw him talking earnestly to my parents about wanting to marry me. At that point, I felt like we have actually grown up into adults, and it got me teary-eyed. Since then, we have been preparing our engagement and our wedding day, and we were happily engaged in September. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and involving many ups-and-downs, but I am glad that we have gone through that. Now, I am both excited and nervous for the big day that's coming up.

I am grateful for being able to drive a car.

Alhamdulillah, after years of numerous "trainings", I can finally drive a car. I have started to learn how to drive since circa 2010, and after 7 long years, I can finally get myself behind the wheel. The journey was not easy because I am such a paranoid person and it always made me feel anxious whenever I hit the road. To make things even worse, I had a terrible trauma because I almost hit a child back when I first tried to get my car out of the garage in 2010. However, because my boyfriend was consistently nagging me about this matter, and with the extra urge from having to be extremely mobile due to wedding preparation, I was finally able to suppress my fears. Of course, this is also with the help from my family (especially my auntie) who risked their life being the first few passengers of mine.

I am grateful that I left my job for things I value more than money.

My first actual job was amazing with its unique challenges, awesome colleagues, and great rewards. All in all, one of the best. The only thing that sometimes bothered me with my last jobs was the fact that the business itself was against my personal religious view, and as a marketing person, I had to promote the business all the time. I would say that it is hypocrite of me to only leave the job after working for two long years there, but our faith has its own highs and lows. I sometimes feel extremely okay with the job itself, and some other days I really felt like I would have to stay out of it. Turns out, Allah opened doors for me with new opportunities and I decided to leave for the better. Even now, I sometimes feel like it was a wrong decision, but by remembering the reason why I did it, I can say that I'm proud of myself for staying true to what I believe in.

Well, I guess those pretty much covered the best things that happened in 2017. I am grateful that there were many big things that happened, as well as little moments in between, and I am grateful that 2017 taught me many lessons to become a better person this year.

Wassalamu'alaikum wr. wb.