Hello friends – it’s been a while hasn’t it? I can’t believe more than half the year has gone since I last wrote something and published it here, but that seems to be the way 2022 is going. Life seems to be very busy, and when it’s not the last thing I’ve felt like doing is sitting in front of a computer screen, so as a result my little corner of the internet has been somewhat ignored. But now I’m looking out of the window and am surprised it’s starting to get dark, that there are conkers on the ground and that somehow autumn has arrived. This time of year always seems to fly by and before we know it, it’ll be Christmas and another year will have been and gone.
Usually I quite like September as a time for a bit of a re-set. With the new academic year starting it feels like a time for new beginnings, and an opportunity to change things before we reach the end of the year. My reaction to that this year? To have a big cleaning spree at the weekend and sort through a load of tasks that have been sitting on the to-do list for far too long. That list is still pretty big (I blame being allowed to have a social life this year) but it was crazy the difference getting a few of those things done made. So I guess my resolution for the end of this year is to keep chipping away at the things I’ve been putting off, or actively find time for them if my excuse continues to be that I’m too busy. With any luck I’ll make a bit more time for this blog too!
So if I haven’t been writing, what have I actually been doing this year? Let me tell you – 2022 has been unlike what I ever imagined. If I thought the last couple of years had been tough then I think they were perhaps training for 2022. Don’t get me wrong, this year has also had some truly incredible moments and I’m so grateful to have had them, but it’s also been hard.
We had three bereavements in almost as many months, and family health and wellbeing has been a constant source of concern through the year so far. We’ve since had another family death which has made us reflect a lot on life generally. When you’re young death can seem quite far away and something that you don’t really have to face up to bit that’s just not true. Every day does count, but also we might as well try and see the positive in each day because wouldn’t you prefer to leave earth full of happy memories?
Work has continued to prove challenging and contradictory. I got a promotion which I’m incredibly grateful for and proud of, but it’s also led to a lot of confusion and more covering multiple roles which you can only keep sustaining for so long. Every time I get one step forwards I feel like I’m taking another three back and I’ve spent too much time outside of work thinking about work. However, I now have a full team for the first time, and I’m also very grateful for having access to a coach this year (through work) to support me through some of the many changes and challenges I’ve faced.
We’ve both had COVID – one of us right as we were about to go away for Easter and the other 11 days before our much postponed wedding celebration. Both the trip and celebration were able to go ahead (we postponed the trip to later in the year) but we could have done without the additional stress! Luckily neither of us were too ill with it, but the fact I didn’t really notice I hadn’t left the house for a few days was a telling sign I wasn’t ok (usually I can’t last a day without getting restless).
Whilst I wouldn’t want to go back to the way things were during the height of the Pandemic, in some ways having only one primary thing to worry about and everyone being united in that common worry meant that other things passed by unnoticed. I got bored with the news always being about COVID, but now I’d quite like a break from war, the cost of living crisis and climate anxiety which all just seem to add to the mental load we’re already carrying.
It sounds like I’m moaning, but as I said, it’s not all been doom and gloom. I’ve been so grateful to be able to spend time with family and friends again. We were finally able to celebrate our wedding and the day was absolutely everything I’d hoped for. We’ll treasure it forever. We were also finally able to get away on honeymoon which proved to be the holiday of a lifetime as well as a break from reality that we were both desperately in need of. This summer we went to the Commonwealth Games, have had mini-breaks and plenty of picnics. We’ve been back to the theatre, we’ve seen people we haven’t seen in years and we’re able to plan again which is great.
But despite that, a lot of the year I’ve not felt ok and that’s made it much more difficult to write. I try not to get too personal in this blog, but sometimes life just throws a bit too much your way and you need an outlet. However, I always feel like September is a great time for a new start. So maybe this month I’ll turn over a new leaf and carve out some dedicated time to start writing again. After all, I’ve got a lot of things to share about Canada! Watch this space…
Will you be starting anything new this September?
