The year that was -2018

What A Year it has been – 2018! It was year of many professional and personal high points which I hadn’t envisioned in the beginning. It was an extremely fulfilling year for me. And thus it felt as if the year just flew by.

There have been multiple occasions this year when I moved out of my comfort zone. Today as I look back I feel content yet motivated to better myself in 2019.

I was looking for the word of the year for me in 2019, and I feel it has to be self-belief. I achieved all that I could because I believed in myself.

My First e-book

My biggest achievement this year has been writing my first e-book and being a published author.

It is a matter of great pride for me that I could write a memoir and chart out a plan for my Midlife through this book.

I also wanted to get the the paperback the e-book Decoding Midlife published, which I couldn’t do because I wasn’t satisfied completely and I wanted to better it. I think 2019 will be the year for it. So that’s one goal for 2019.

But I did my give my first interview as an author this year itself.

Sub-editor of My Paper

I gave up being a full time teacher when I chose to start a family and be with my daughter. But I kept missing the time I spent with my students in school. I always felt being with my students gave me a chance to relive my childhood. So 2 years back when I got a chance to being associated with children by joining the team of My Paper- a monthly newspaper for children, I grabbed this opportunity.

It gave me a chance to interact with children when we visited different schools.

2018 has been special because my contribution was appreciated and I became the sub editor of the paper.

Just recently I had taken my daughter to a swim meet where a girl came up to me and said, , ” Miss, you are the Sub-editor, My Paper , right ? I read it regularly and like it a lot”. This made me so happy and proud of the content we curate for children.

Being a part of the team of My Paper and seeing my name in print every month in the issue as the Sub editor gives me great joy.

2018 was a year of new beginnings

This year I felt a need to change the name of my blog. I was trying to write on varied topics and my blog name ‘About Parent and Kid’ was primarily a parenting blog. So it became Aesha’s Musings in February 2018.

I thought I will have to start all over again but my readers enjoyed coming back to my blog to read my short stories, fitness posts , self care posts and more. This motivated me to write more and I was able to be consistent in sharing my experiences. And when it was least expected my new blog Aesha’s Musings was Listed In The Directory Of Top Indian Blogs.

More recognition & appreciation

Also my article “I Am A 37 Year Old Mother. As I Re-Discover Myself I Believe There’s A Lot Within ‘Me’! ” on Momspresso- a leading blogging platform in India was appreciated the most by readers in the year 2018. It was the post which received the maximum likes amongst the 18000 blog posts that were written in the year

That made me achieve one more milestone in my blogging journey.Personally also this year has been exciting.

Proud mother

Mishti successfully swam 1 km in the sea. She was praised for her achievement but I was praised as a parent to have this guts to send her into the sea. But I have learnt to be fearless from her. I cannot transfer my anxieties into her. Because children can sense your feelings. They look up to you for encouragement.

Mishti made me a very proud mother.

A Healthy Lifestyle

I pledged to get back to being fit & healthy this year. By fitness I don’t mean losing weight and dropping sizes.

I felt I was losing stamina and so I joined the gym back after a break of a year. And I tried the CrossFit workout. It has made me built strength and I look leaner as well. Now, I do not like to miss my workout session at all.

Devil’s Circuit

My biggest fitness high has been to attempt the Devil’s circuit which is a 5 km obstacle race and the toughest one in India. And yes, I could complete 10 out of the 15 obstacles. I would like to thank my fitness coach Brian for being the reason for this achievement.

To sum it up, 2018 has been a great year for me. And I hope with self belief, 2019 will be even more exciting and satisfying.

I leave you with memories from 2018. And hope to see you more in 2019. Aesha’s Musings wishes you a very fruitful & happy 2019.

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