Year In Review: 34

My Dear Dudes,

I know, I know, another year in review is hitting your feeds. Pero bueno, I promise this one is more about reflections than it is about accomplishments. Not trying to add to the inadequacy that seeing other people’s “failure-free lives” brings up on here…

So, I started 2023 grabbing two of my besties y regalandome a family constellation for my birthday. Asi, de una, diving deep into the deepest, darkest wounds of my family lineage at the start of the year. You know, subtle.

My 2023 intention of “Take the Time” included continuing to take the time to keep unravelling the baggage of my family and breaking with unhelpful patterns so I don’t pass that shit on to Eva. I think about the lessons of that constellation, especially the maternal healing that came from it, like once a week. It’s helped me put a more empathetic lens on the hard moments of this year. I’ve coped with the inevitable, difficult, work, family, and personal challenges that came up by feeling my feelings and coming out of the other side of conflict knowing what part of it is mine to own, and what part of it is the others’ own trauma showing up that they haven’t healed. Love that for me.

Now that you’ve attended my spiritual TEDTalk, Imma break down 2023 into my four main themes:

Theme One: I lived the year in seasons. It’s hard to align your rhythms with the ebbs and flows of nature’s flows in a season-less state, but, I managed to do it more, anyway. Springing to action when Spring sprung. Frolicking in all the Summer sun and plans. Cranking it out (while “Fall”ing sick) in the busy Autumn, and now, retreating into slowness and renewal as we cocoon for the Winter. It was good for my soul. I 10/10 recommend this cadence in case a new way to organize your year is calling you, too.

Theme Two: Quantity was matched with quality. As I looked back through my phone to reflect, yes, I went to D.C. five times for CHCI y a ver al tio Joe y la prima Kamala, but, it was all for meaningful relationship-building to strengthen missions with long time collaborators and friends. Not some empty networking pa’ décir que uno fue. Ew. Same with the time con la roomie Bovio en la casa, with the traditions with my people and the Pulso team. I loved that my photos and videos of gatherings, moments, and TV hits were mostly con los de siempre. Ties were deepened IRL, just what this love-language-is-quality-time kinda girl, needed. The perennial lesson here: time together is all we’ve got.

Theme Three: Will travel for my people. Whether it was two hours in rush hour to spend Halloween with La Gente en Weston, or to Atlanta for a few days empatando work trip with a primos trip. To Orlando un poco e’ veces for special occasions, or to Chicago for an annual reunion with the Middle School besties. To Italy for Julian’s trip with the crew, Barcelona a ver a mi Madrina y primos, and Broward way more than a Miamian would like pa’ todo con los de FOMO…y asi. This year was full of work travel, yes, but we also did a bunch of traveling all over for those we love. It was heart filling, and also, a little too much. In 2024, esta bien que La Gente comes to us, too—o que se anoten a los planes that we make pa’ que sea mas balanceada la cosa.

Theme Four: In case you needed a reminder, as mi suegra would say, “La salud es lo primero, el resto, se busca.” Our fall season was full of sickliness. Eva’s second week at school met us with a chain of una tras otra: a stomach bug, Scarlett fever, an ear infection, the flu…and probably more ailments I’m forgetting. This, of course, unlocked a stressful cycle of Eva missing school, Julián and I getting sick, the nanny getting sick, us getting other friends and fam sick, and countless trips to the doctor and the pharmacy to treat it all. Y lo mas cumbre, is if you saw Eva in the Fall of this year, she was, for the most part, her usual, vibrant self. Un angelito de pana. All of this detail to say, in case we ever wanted to take good health for granted, this season of the year reminded us our health is the most important thing, and good health allows for everything else. To that end, I feel loads of gratitude for the many privileges we have, which, without ‘em, would have made this saga much worse. Even with insurance, flexible jobs, lots of childcare support, and family and friends who are willing to help if we ask, I can’t imagine how hard it is to face health challenges without all of that in this fucked up U.S. healthcare system. So, I’m grateful it’s over, and, I’m saying extra prayers for our family and friends who are entering the new year without the same fortune or good health that we have.

The fourth theme really hit me as I said goodbye to two people this year. As a woman who notoriously has three and four plans in one day, two funeral services el mismo dia was a first for me, and I hope que eso no se repita. Making space here to honor Manolo Hidalgo and Andres Rivera, de lo mejor que ha dado Cuba, pal’ mundo. QEPD.

2023 was a hectic, really good year! I evolved, loved in action, and took the time. On the work front, I finally got paid what I deserve for speaking gigs, grew partnerships for Pulso, strengthened systems, came out of the failures stronger, softer, and wiser, went to Harvard (twice!), and expanded to new platforms. On the life front, I founded a personal Venezuela project, enjoyed delicious moments with people I love and basked in the greatest joy and honor: to see Eva grow and guide her along the way.

Except, I ended 2023 almost too tired to appreciate it all. And that ain’t it.

So we don’t end the new year coming up this tired, the word for 2024 is: DISCIPLINE. Not the hyper productive, hustle type of discipline, though. The kind I was talking about with my dude Samantha as we were reflecting a couple of days ago. Discipline, as defined by Abraham Lincoln: “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” What I most want, as I incorporate 2022’s “Love in Action” and 2023’s “Take the Time” in how I live forever more, is the discipline to pursue my purpose and live my values without sacrificing my wellbeing.

I already know what I have to do to make that happen, and I did it for a good chunk of 2023. I just gotta stick to it. You know, so we don’t burn out like we did in 2020 in what will be another eventful [election] year in the life of Liz.

One of the immediate ways I’m doing that is, for the first time since founding Pulso (and maybe ever in my life), I’m actually taking two weeks off as we end a year and start another instead of getting back to work right after my birthday. Also love this for me.

Here's to NOT starting the year with a BANG or in full swing. Here’s to the freedom that discipline will bring in 2024, and beyond.

Gracias, como siempre, por leerme y llegar hasta THE END.

Felijaaaaño, my dudes! See you on the other side.