by PRIYA MULJI
HAPPY 2020! I hope that you all had an amazing Christmas and a wonderful start to 2020. I wish you all a year full of abundance of health and happiness.
My first 2020 column is actually inspired by a conversation I recently had with a group of friends when we met up for dinner one night.
The conversation began with us talking about the regrets we have had in life. Everyone listed theirs, but when it was my turn I said: “I could say I regret not saving more money or spending less time pining over a certain guy, but what I have in return is experiences and nothing is ever going to take that away from me.
I may not be a homeowner, but I’ve experienced living with people from different cultures at the time I was renting and had housemates from China, Romania and Japan. I also spent money on travel and not many experiences are better than seeing the world. I may not be married, but I now know what I do not want in someone.”
I also realised that while the people around me do have more material goods, I have one thing and those are the words that I am sharing with you in this column. I want people to know that in this journey of dating and love, you’re not alone. This is my legacy, and I want everyone reading this to take a moment and think about what they are leaving behind; not a car or a fancy house but what are they leaving behind to inspire the future.
One of the things I realised was that while one group of people have items with large monetary value, another group of friends have amazing talents that they can pass on to future generations. I have friends who are singers, pottery artists, fitness experts and so on, and I love seeing what they do with those talents.
In 2020, I want you to focus less on the items you have and more on what you have to give back. Whether this is cooking, art, sports skills or anything else, give something back to the people around you. There are so many ways to do this. You can start by sharing your talents on Instagram (my mum is currently sharing dishes she has cooked on Instagram @RotiWithRanju) or you can start a blog. Maybe start a group in the community for new mums, single people or for those with mental health issues just to meet up to chat and support each other. Whatever you do, do something and share your strengths with the world.
I’ll leave you with something my friend, singer/songwriter Rita Morar tweeted; “It’s amazing how we all have our strengths and what we give back to the world. For generations to come, appreciate and adore. Love you all and power to everybody that’s making a change out there.”
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Rushanara Ali
Suella Braverman
Baroness Pola Uddin
Priti Patel
And ,the plaque honouring those who fought in the Battle of Kohima
