New Year, New Me?

New Year, New Me?

Dry January anyone?

Veganuary maybe?

Grand plans in place to have the best year yet?

Dreams, goals, and hopes for the New Year neatly documented complete with a monthly planner?

Gym membership started on 1^st January?

The beginning of a New Year can feel equal parts exciting and overwhelming.

Well, Happy New Year 2022! We made it!

After yet another difficult and unpredictable year living under the shadow of a pandemic – which does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, we are here! And that is enough to be grateful for. Many of us lost loved ones in 2021 – to the pandemic and to other causes. But we still have the gift of life.

While 2021, was not smooth sailing for me, far from it, I still have a lot to be grateful for.  Here are some of my highlights/ wins.

I started journaling

This seems like such a small and perhaps unnecessary ritual. While I will not claim that it has been a game-changer, it has been very useful.  When I was contemplating starting to journal, my friend Chloe advised that if nothing else, it was a “brain dump”.  My other friend Jackee, whose focus is always razor-sharp (click on the link to check out her amazing work!) advised that journaling has helped keep her accountable to herself. So, I purchased a journal and started scribbling away (I should have been a doctor, my handwriting is atrocious).  I often revisited my writing to help identify patterns, and in the end some of my journal writing helped me make some changes. I would highly recommend keeping a journal – even bullet journaling is enough.

I left England and the UK (briefly!)

We all know how tricky travel has been for the last couple of years. Will I lose my money if the rules change? Will I be forced to spend a small fortune quarantining in a hotel if the rules change and I get caught out? Will the rules have changed by the time I arrive at my destination? How many tests do I need? Questions galore!

I had been fortunate to travel at the beginning of 2020, first to Geneva on a study tour for my MA and to Berlin to visit family in March 2020 – just before the poop hit the fan!

In June 2021, I made it to Edinburgh for a few days to celebrate my birthday – woohoo! What a stunning and beautiful city! I would absolutely go back. A highlight of the trip was a short hike up to Arthur's Seat . I won’t lie, it didn’t feel that short as I was panting and sweating to get to the top.  I was rewarded with stunning views and later, a sunburnt neck (yes, dark skin requires sun protection too and I do use it but I must have missed my neck).

In October, I flew out of the UK! There was some anxiety and uncertainty involved in planning this. But I was determined to make a break for it when I could! So I booked the flight and accommodation then kept everything crossed. And it happened! It wasn’t as painful as anticipated. I was fully vaccinated at the time – which made things slightly easier. We don’t know what being fully vaccinated means anymore but that’s a different conversation. The most painful part was completing the health declaration form for Spain, oh yeah, did I say my destination was Mallorca/Majorca? Getting through both airports, London Heathrow and Palma, Majorca was straightforward.  The health screening at Palma was quick and barely noticeable.

The weather was amazing even in early October, apart from one day when it pissed down. The food was finger-licking, loads of yummy, fresh seafood. The sangria was delicious. Manacor was a dream! Porto Cristo and Cala Ratjada especially were such a vibe. The former for a nice, chilled afternoon plus a lovely food market, the latter has an amazing evening vibe!

Yeay! I made it to the top! Picture taken just before I arrived at the summit, but deffo one of my faves from the hike.

 

  

Picture 1 Sea bass and views from Quince in Porto Cristo. Picture 2 Gorgeous Arta

Reunions

Not many mind, but even one is an absolute highlight. Macrina and I had not seen each other in over 20 years.  We finally caught up and enjoyed an afternoon of fine dining at The Ivy. It was like old times. We laughed and talked about any and everything. This was even more special as Mac suffers with a chronic illness (sickle cell anaemia) - she is very public about it and raises awareness around it, so she won’t mind me saying so.  I have far too many memories from our teenage days of her lying broken in a hospital bed – with a group of us praying and hoping that she would pull through. Many years later, it was fantastic hearing about her wonderful life with her husband and daughters.

Health

I had a couple of health scares including a breast cancer scare. Thankfully I am okay and fighting fit – just to clarify, it wasn’t cancer. Good health is something I am even more grateful for and working hard to hold on to.

New beginnings

I made a difficult decision and let go of something that was not fulfilling. It paid off! I ended the year on a fresh note which has filled me with renewed energy as we start the New Year.

So Veganuary and dry January? No to the former, lol, maybe yes to the latter.

New Year, New Me? Maybe not, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the year has in store for me and manifesting positive vibes galore. 

Wishing you all the good stuff this year (whatever that looks like to you) – peace, security, good health, love.