2023 has been quite a year. And that is what I’ve been saying at the end of every year for the past five years. But unlike the other years, 2023 was a little different. Maybe it was the people, or maybe it was moving a little out of my comfort zone that made a difference. And when I spoke to my team at work, everyone had something to add to the narrative. So, here’s what we tried in 2023 that makes it a year worth looking back at.

1. ‘I rode a bicycle after ages’

Not to dive too deep into details but I have developed a legit fear of riding bicycles ever since I fell from one and scraped my knee pretty badly. I still have a permanent scar to serve as a reminder of how awful my balance is. But this year, when I got the chance to drive away my fear in a pretty pink bicycle that had a basket in the front, I took it. It was scary at first and I was gasping for air, but soon enough, there was wind in my hair and my balance didn’t feel awful. So, yeah. This experience has encouraged me to get my driver’s licence in 2024 because how bad could that be?

2. ‘I turned into a vegetarian after loving butter chicken all my life’

Vrinda Kohli is a hard-core Punjabi who loves her butter chicken and naan. And no, Vrinda didn’t leave eating chicken because of a random change of heart towards the environment and the well-being of animals. It came from spending a week in a hospital tied to tubes to keep food inside of her after a really bad case of food poisoning. All it took was one undercooked chicken sandwich at one of the biggest movie chains to make her realise that she could survive on salads and that veg momos rock.

3. ‘I took a chair dance class this year’

Aarati is someone who loves experiencing things that require a certain amount of commitment, dedication, and confidence that other people who have a 9-5 will easily give up. But her passion for living her life beyond work led her to a chair dancing class this year. It was an extremely exciting and empowering experience for her to let her body loose and sway to the rhythm. She hasn’t signed up for another class yet, but as they say, firsts are always special, so kudos to her for that!

4. ‘I went for a hot air balloon ride’

Sukhmani isn’t your usual ‘run a marathon and call it an experience of the year’ kind of person. Sukhmani likes to live her best life and makes us religiously envy it twice or thrice every year. So, this year, she woke up at a god-awful hour in the morning to experience something as exquisite as being on a hot air balloon. The sky was painted with colours and made her feel like she was on top of the world, quite literally.

5. ‘I experienced Koningsdag in the Netherlands’

This year, Pravika experienced Koningsdag in the Netherlands. Koningsdag (Kings’s birthday) is celebrated throughout the country with music festivals on the streets, dancing, and loads of BEER! Now that’s the kind of spirit I want to borrow from Pravika and take into 2024. Maybe her trips and experiences will serve as motivation for me to venture out of my room and go experience the world that awaits me beyond my mumma ke taane and papa ki gaaliyaan.

6. ‘I started eating better to improve my health’

Ufaira is someone who has some seriously unmatched determination and the will to say ‘no’. So, when her physical health started affecting her day-to-day activities, she decided to do something about it. And when you’re living alone, eating healthy is a dream that no one achieves. But Ufaira made chia seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds her new besties and saw a significant change in her health.

7. ‘I went paragliding’

Kavya is just getting out of her cocoon and tried paragliding this year. Her fear of heights made her give the worst side eye to the handler trying to push her off the cliff. But she took the leap of faith and didn’t have much of a choice but to hoot. She still doesn’t know if it was excitement or fear that made her scream but she did have a good time, so she might give it another go, hopefully not soon.

This is what we tried in 2023, folks! Let us know something you did this year that made 2023 memorable for you.

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