I always wonder how much people share in entirety on social media. In that, surely I am not alone. No one has a “perfect” life always, yet it is easy to create picture book stories with the click of a few buttons. Social media culture could create opportunities to make it look as if it’s all that. If folks, sometimes in great numbers and all at the same time, do have the “picture perfect” moments to share, such as during the holidays, this creates much opportunity for some others to feel left out.

Yet, no one is doing any of this in awareness or intentionally. Here’s to becoming more aware and to hoping that the traps are well lit and marked for anybody, young included, to keep remembering.

Life is so much more inclusive.

Life is not all about posting only happy moments to say “I, too, am happy and doing well, living what I deserve, see?”.

Life is equally not only about sulking over tragedies and hardships alone.

Life is also, for sure, not about compartmentalizing the “happy” people with “normal” lives from the “unfortunate” ones who have been touched by death, illness and the like.

It is up to all of us to remember lighting up the path and exposing the traps that may otherwise get some people sink into a deep abyss, feeling lonely and left out. It is up to us to remember and remind others.

As we continue to keep the very honorable seat in our lives for all our gratitude, could we also become more fearless and inclusive to balance it, by sharing all that our life is about?

May there be wonders all through our days.

May there be courage and compassion to be with all there is.

May there be joy to keep us resilient.

May there be unity, sincerity and welcoming among all.

—Yasemin Yamodo-Isler, Dec 31, 2018