Welcome to the last few hours of 2023.

I don’t know about you, but boy did I learn some life lessons this year.

It was one of those years when I should be yelling that I’m so over this year, and that I’m just ready for the fresh start of a new one.

However, in Alisha fashion, I’m not.

As I sit here, with my random Amazon Music playlist going, I see photos on my wall of people and moments that meant so much to me this year. I just can’t wish that all away because it was a questionable year.

I see concerts, reconnecting with a friend from 15 years ago, new friends made, ANOTHER Dermot Kennedy show, Noah Kahan’s show filled with the most amazing energy I have ever felt at a concert, the fact that I got back up on stage and SANG with a band, I sat by the ocean (TWICE), I took photos, I felt like I had energy again for the first time in a year, I read a few books, I spent time with my dog, I got another year with my son. I got news my body is healing itself.

Another crazy good thing that happened is that Michael and I finally got to celebrate one of his photos I took that took me on a journey of my work really being seen–all because on December 30th of 2020 (I think–again, I have lost all concept of years since 2020), he spoke such encouragement over me about my work and what I deserved. This journey of working with him since 2019 was so fun! I don’t think there’s any way either of us could have known where these shoots were going to take either of us in the following few years. To say we have both had some waiting to do through it all would be an understatement…but here we are! Or should I say, here we were…celebrating over coffee yesterday! And you can bet we were planning our next shoot!

The heaviness of my heart just isn’t able to feel quite so heavy when I think of those things, you know?

Something I noticed this year is that people tend to wait until life feels a little more secure or happy to share.

I think there’s so much power in sharing in the WAITING.

Whew. Waiting is not for the faint of heart.

I have a lifetime of experience of showing me that waiting is not going to kill you. It may feel like it, but it won’t.

What it does instead is it gives you an opportunity for some serious introspection. It gives you time to heal yourself, time to take a very good look at how you got here…and to find out who you truly are.

We all have to wait for things sometimes. Don’t waste that time. It’s a gift none of us asks for, but it usually turns out to be this period of time that when it ends, we see tremendous growth…if we wait with GRACE.

Remember my first blog post here about climbing out of a cave? What a journey it has been since that post. What a beautiful, terrifying journey.

I am so grateful for the friends who welcomed me back into their lives with open arms, as if I’d never been in that cave at all.

My advice? If you’re also sitting and waiting, just know it’s a strange place to be, but use it to propel you forward. Get out of your head because guess what, you don’t have any control anyway. So, you might as well use your time wisely and get to know yourself a little better so when you’re all the way out of the cave, you’re not paralyzed by having to suddenly think of what you want from your life.

Happy New Year to us all. I hope you’re out celebrating with people you love and who love you! If you’re not, just know it’s just a day. Just one day. The time will pass and you will make it.

~Alisha