Well, how was your Christmas? Hope it was full of food, fun and family and that many happy memories were made! We had a quiet one as usual, but it was lovely all the same, and Oscar wore a bow tie. This pleased me immensely, as he won’t let me dress him up! If it wasn’t so good for you, sure it’s only another day and there’s always next year!
Any favourite or unusual presents this year? I’d love to read about them in the comments below! Deserving or not, I was spoiled and loved every single gift!
We’re in that nondescript period between the festivities of Christmas and the run up to New Year when many of us start to reflect on the year that has been and plan for the year ahead. The difference for me this year, is deciding to blog about it and not just keep it to myself.
The Year That Has Been
2017 started off like any other for me: knowing a certain amount of what would come and hoping “The Unknown” was pleasant, or at least manageable. It had its ups and it had its downs but, on reflection as a whole, I won’t be sad to see it go. This is for many reasons that I won’t go into, but suffice it to say, the only way is up!
On a more positive note, I learned some important lessons this year that I will take forward and that will continue to shape me as a person.
- I can stand up for myself when the time is right.
- I can say exactly what I want to say, when I need to say it.
- I can be brave.
- I can cope.
- Some people aren’t worth my time or my tears.
- Relationships are a two way street.
- Doing what is right for me is just as important as doing what is right for others.
Take from these lessons what you will. I won’t be forgetting them in a hurry and whilst this past year hasn’t been my favourite, it has been beneficial and it could have been a whole lot worse.
Ready for the picture highlights??
Simple pleasures with hubby, family and a whole lot of walkies with Oscar (a blog and a new hobby thrown in for good measure) but highlights for me all the same. I never claimed to be an ‘all singing, all dancing’ blogger type now, did I?
The Year To Come
I hate the beginning of a new year. With a passion! For most people it spells new beginnings, fresh starts and lots of change. If you know me personally or just through this online platform then you’ll realise, I’m not comfortable with any of those things!
Monday 1st January 2018 must be treated like any other day for me, or the impending weeks, for whatever reason, can feel rather daunting! As a planner and an organiser I like to know what’s ahead and don’t like the prospect of “The Unknown” that a fresh annum brings forth.
I’m not naïve enough to think I can plan all 365 days to avoid the inevitable anxiety, so instead I focus on what I do know for sure. We have a trip to Cardiff planned, weddings (including my not so little brother’s) and the big 3-0! How am I 30?? And how is my little brother getting married? Time flies!
These are the things to look forward to and focus on, to distract my thinker from “The Unknown”.
I’d like 2018 to end with a sigh and a smile, a feeling of satisfaction, of fulfilment and a sense of “we did well.”
I’d like both myself and Russell, everyone for that matter, to look after ourselves better and make that a priority.
I’d like to not feel guilty for wanting to do things I want to do, and how I want to do them.
I’d like to take what I’ve learned this past year and (move on, yes) grow stronger as a result.
Superficially speaking, I’d like to finish the kitchen and tile the bathroom. You know you’re married when…!
Are these things resolutions? NO!! The only resolution I’ve ever made, and joke about each January, is to stop smoking. (By the way, I don’t and have never smoked a day in my life, so I’m totally nailing that one!) Realistically these hopes may not all come into fruition but, hey, that’s how things go!
On a personal note, thank you so much for taking the time to read some of my musings, for clicking that follow button and for leaving comments or sending messages. It has meant more than you’ll ever know!
However your 2017 has been and whatever you feel at the precipice of a new chapter, I wish you all the very best of everything in 2018!
Happy New Year!
J x
