Things I learned in 2017
- I am surrounded by beautiful radiant souls that are supportive and worthy of support
- [cis] [white] [straight] [male] privilege is gross and needs to be abolished
- change is inevitable
- have no tolerance for bullshit
- address toxic and problematic behaviour
- leave behind toxic situations as fast as you can if it doesn’t change
- nobody is an island
- work on the things that need to happen [being proactive pays off]
- love fully and without regret, but don’t lose sight of your boundaries
- SAY NO TO MANIPULATIVE BULLSHIT
- communicate open and honestly
- trust no boy who says his ex is “a crazy [evil] [immature] bitch”
- practice radical self-care
- some people do not deserve your energy
- not all men, but definitely a lot of them
- do not change for another. change for you.
- toxic masculinity affects us all
- budgeting is actually really useful
- it is worth it to fight the injustice in this world
- the Dutch insurance system is really ridiculous
- life without plastic is possible
- nothing is permanent
- having your own place is amaaaazinggggg
- there is life beyond what society maps out for us
- sleep is important
- compassionate living is on the rise
- invest in what lifts you up
- being an actually decent human being is the most important
- take time to mourn
- veganism is spreading
- Antwerp is pretty cool
- it is extremely liberating to allow yourself to be who you are
- thirty isn’t that old ;P
- listen to your intuition
- there is no need to be ashamed of your shark
- stretch well
- stay hydrated
- consider the coconut
- it’s not crossing the finish line, it’s all the little steps on the way
- my personal self-worth is not defined by outside factors
- you can do things that appear scary
- it’s okay to start again
- you are worthy
I keep saying it, but… If you had told me in December 2016 that this is what my life would look like now, in December 2017… I wouldn’t have believed it! A lot of things happened this year. Most of it for the better, luckily! I’m glad I had no expectations for December this year, because it made everything easier. Life is in flux, and it changes every day. But December is especially tough. Life, death, celebration, mourning.
It’s exactly twenty years since December 31, 1997. It’s been an adventure to say the least. But I am happy to be where I am today. I picked “growth” as my word for 2017 and I feel that I really connected with that word and worked hard towards that growth.
I hope that the work in the past months can become the foundation for many new things to come in the next months. Of course, I have no idea what the future will bring, but I feel confident to be able to deal with it, whatever it is. I want to thank everyone for the support, whether with work, moving house twice, bros, fragile toxic masculinity, running… I appreciate it and I wish you alllll the besttttt ❤️????
I LOVE ALL OF YOUUUUUUU
xoxoxoxo