Stepping into the unknown.

By Dianne Danquah

The end of the year is always daunting. Not because I don’t want to enter a new year - a chance for do overs, a chance for exploration and growth. But because it also means a chance for the unknown to sweep through before you can find your feet.

It’s funny how numbers dictate our understanding of what a year is. The simple switch from 31 to 1, and 22 to 23, seems to bring about a mindset shift. Though we have experienced thousands of seconds, the one between 23:59 and 00:00 incites something.

For me it incites the unknown. Though we have 19 days left of the year ( as I write this on the 12th of December), I feel like I know 2022 entirely . There is safety in that. I do not know 2023.

Though, there is resistance to the unknown. I know I will welcome it, just as I have welcomed every year. But I guess next year is a little different. It’s the first year, there aren’t milestones set for me such as moving to the next stage of education or graduating, like this year brought.

I will create my own milestones. This is magical but also daunting.

Remember the lady that has been used since the beginning of time, to represent stepping into a new year. That picture is only what we hope and pray for. A seamless and manageable step into the next year. But in reality for some people that “step” is a steep drop or too high for them to climb.

I hope this piece does not aid in fear mongering about the future but a simple reminder that the unknown is not all bad but rather adventurous. When you think about this year, half of the stuff was unimaginable at the end of last year.

Happy New year in advance and embrace stepping into the unknown!

Post-writing thought

We embrace the unknown every single day. Even though we may plan for things, a day is always a mystery.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely necessary to plan in life, of course. But the older I get the more I realise why God laughs at plans, and I always end up laughing at mine too.

Once again happy new year!