Looking back at 2023 (Yes, we have GIFs)

 On Dec 31st, 2022, we decided to “pregame” by taking the kids out for a car ride before going out with the fam for dinner.

It took us forever to reach the petrol bunk near our house, phone signals were bad, so paying using our phone took forever, and in the midst of all this, the twins decided to bicker loudly (and very effectively, given their limited vocabulary at that time).

This was a preview of how 2023 would be! 

By that, I don’t mean that 2023 was a bad year. It was quite good. 

What I mean is, 2023 turned Kartik and me into experts at conflict resolution and we put out a zillion fires every day, and basically, we are superheroes! 

And like every superhero movie/comic, there seems to be something happening every single day!!

2023 was the year of things happening. 

(Caution: This post has sub-headings. I have been working too much, and it shows)

The kids:

I am like a Scooby-doo villain now, cuz I am thwarted by a bunch of kids all the time. Either it is hugging my legs and making me trip, or it is throwing my own rules back at me, or it is just sheer cuteness, I am often left seeing stars!

I'll say this a million times, the toddler years may be difficult, but they are wayyyy more fun than the newborn stage. They are curious, they learn so fast, and they are also learning to navigate the world better, it is such fun to watch. We have bought books by the dozen (quite literally). 

Little Shyama who could only get books from the library is jumping in joy that she is now rich enough to BUY books!

All this book reading has transformed stoic Kartik into an animated storyteller. It has also taught the entire family more than they ever knew about rainforests, dinosaurs, and sharks.

They also did a few short and long trips, experienced their first flight, and sported more hairstyles than their dad has in his entire life.

Us: 

2023 finally turned Kartik and me into the married couple often portrayed in movies and TV shows. We lost our cools quite often, and fought about things like clothes strewn about and muddy footprints and towels on the bed. But unlike movies, we didn’t need an external do-gooder or last-minute runs through the airport. Good old talking (and those conflict-resolution skills) helped. 

Basically, two toddlers, aging parents, jobs, and lack of sleep can wreak havoc in your life. But you just got to find your vibe! 

We bonded over OTT movie night, went for dates, hi-fived each other on parenting achievements, and snuck out for quick chais… we had our moments, and at the end of the year, we came out stronger!

We also realized that we were missing out on things we liked to do. Trying to do them together meant we couldn’t do them at all. So, we finally got out of each other's pocket and became a tag team, one parent staying home while the other gallivanted about town!

Family and Friends: 

2023 gave me more time with my cousins. We visited each other and went on trips and got so much time to just talk. Long, rambling conversations at 3AM over bocconcini and ginger beer, and sleeping under the stars are definitely going into the core memory archives. 

There is something about hanging out with people who are part of the same family that hits different. 

I also managed to meet my friends more, and even do two girls’ nights! It is a damn big deal when you all work, and have families and kids of your own. To draw from the movie universe again, every time we met, we felt like an underdog team that won in a sports movie.

Me:

I learned to bake bread! I also developed a new anxious personality with a very short attention span, but more about that later!

I did manage to read 53 books though. This, again, is something that I would proudly boast about to little Shyama, who had to wait a week to borrow a fresh set of books, even if she had finished the old set in 3 days. All my impulse buys are (e)books and I couldn’t be happier! 

Overall, 2023 was great. Despite the grey hairs showing up among the pink, it was great. 

It was tumultuous in all the right ways. It had enough small and large vacations to keep one going and enough slaps in the face to keep one grounded. 

So, here's to stumbling on into 2024. See you all on the other side!