Although Hogmanay is an artificial construct, who decided when one time period should end and another begin? Other cultures, religions have different ones to this. Teaching yoga for more than ten years has taught me that we have the endless capacity to make changes to ourselves, our lives. We can choose to remain or elect to move forward. I have changed hugely in the last eighteen months, I have regained some of the confidence of my youth and some of the playfulness of being young too. I swear a lot more, not necessarily a good thing but this is a result of throwing off the hang ups instilled in me by family mores that were ruled by the fear of what other people would think. I don't care what other people think any more (unless they're reviewing one of my books, then, I care deeply).
Having said all this, taking a moment to review one's life, to look back and peer forward is a good thing for everyone, as long as you don't get bogged down regretting things from the past and worrying about what may lie ahead. My husband has a long term degenerative disorder that will inevitably make our lives very difficult but I refuse to think about it. This isn't because I am burying my head in the sand, it's because I can only live in the now, only deal with what is happening in this moment in time. I'm not going to allow fears about the future to ruin the present.
And the present is great. I'm fitter and healthier at 52 than I was at 25 and I'm looking forward to the 5/2 diet taking me back to a pre children weight. I feel confident now to call myself a writer as well as a journalist. My latest book is selling well and has received some astonishingly kind reviews. I am the director of a children's book publishing company, Curly Tale Books and our second book, Big Bill the Beltie Bull was released at the beginning of December. I've just written a new Belties of CurleyWee Farm story which we hope to publish in May, a long awaited follow up to the book I did with Pauline James. Pauline and I will be working together in 2014, creating a coffee table style book about the lighthouses of the Solway Coast. I've just been asked to host a writers' retreat, I oh... that's enough blowing of my own trumpet.
But really looking forward to the challenges and joys of 2014. Wishing everyone a very happy new year.
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