We’ve had Christmas time (many of you will have enjoyed the mistletoe and wine I’m sure). We’ve had that weird time in between Christmas and the New Year where life seems to slow down, leftovers and chocolate feature in every meal and the TV is still full of repeats. And now its time to welcome the New Year.
For a lot of people this time of year is a busy time. Between visiting friends and family, popping to the shops to grab a bargain or two and planning how to ring the bells at midnight, many people feel like they need to get back to work for a rest. Not me!
I used to always be busy round this time of year. Whether it was working, travelling to my folks house and then back home to meet friends to celebrate hogmanay in (what we thought) was style! Now though, its a much more peaceful time of year for me. Not sure if that’s completely down to my ME or more to do with age.
This year didn’t end well for me. I was signed off work for December and not due back until mid January; I missed my works Christmas lunch for the first time ever (although my colleagues did video call me which was sweet of them) and I missed out on going in to Edinburgh for the Christmas fun with the markets and rides.
But I have managed to get festive – definitely more festive than Scrooge anyway. A friend of mine came over and put my Christmas decorations up (in fairness she’s been doing this for years after I didn’t do it once!); another pal came to stay for the weekend and we watched Christmas movies and played the Santa hat game (with chocolates not shots for those of you that know it!) and wore my Christmas jumper on the big day itself.
I’ve spent most of the festive period down at my folks house. I won’t lie, I’ve not done much other than sleep, eat, stare at the TV, cuddle the dogs, eat and then sleep again. Its been great and just what the body and brain needed. Needless to say, our Hogmanay isn’t going to be over the top. As I’m writing this I’m in my joggers and slippers, sitting on the couch in front of the TV and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.
I don’t have the energy or enthusiasm to be out in the cold trying to enjoy myself anymore. I can’t drink alcohol so I’m not concerned about a hangover, but I know that trying to do something more “exciting” will cost me a couple of days energy so I’m glad I’m not bothering and might not even stay awake for the bells. Now I sound old!
This time of year though does mean that most of us reflect on the year that’s just been and what the next will bring. For me, 2019 had some highs and lows.
My first high was getting back to work last January after 4 months off – I was really chuffed I managed that and that my ME let me. This year I’ve managed to get my pain under a bit more control which is good and I’ve definitely stuck to my promise to myself to not get stressed about the little things in life and be more laid back. I’ve tried some new hobbies like macrame (a lot of my colleagues and friends got some lovely bracelets from me) and photography (having some great fun getting out and about taking random shots!); I’ve been working away on my blog (granted not very often!) as well as my social media which I’m really enjoying and I’ve connected with a lot of people in the same boat.
There were some lows too. Some friends of mine went through some tough times; my mobility hasn’t improved like I hoped it would and I’ve been signed off my work again. But in all of that, I’ve tried to keep my positive hat on and keep smiling so don’t feel like this year has been all that bad.
I’ve decided though that 2020 is going to be a much better year! I hit a big milestone birthday in a few months so I want to make sure that this year I enjoy myself more, get in to the big outdoors more and generally do more this year that makes me happy. I’m obviously going to have to take my ME along on all my adventures, but that’s ok – just one of those things. I feel going in to the new year, life is brighter and I can see more opportunities for me and my ME.
2020 is a year I used to try and imagine when I was a kid – mainly because I used to think “I’ll be so old then – I’ll be 40!”. Now though, with my older and wiser head on, I know its going to be much more than I ever envisaged as a kid. It’s going to be fabulous!
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