2021 Year in Review

Year in review

It’s been a crazy year but a better year than 2020 in some respects.

This year I ended my maternity leave and went back to work part-time. I put my son in nursery which about killed me because some nurseries would expect you to leave the baby you had during a pandemic into the hands of a stranger and not let you even go into the school for five minutes with him.

This year I had to decide to take a massive hit on our finances by not working full time (not to mention paying for child care) as well as loosening my grip on the job role that I really hold as a high level of importance.

This year I changed a lot in my acceptance that life is messy and oftentimes I have to just let things be. I stopped having word count expectations on my novel in progress. I stopped weighing myself every week and tracking my food intake (this is not a good thing and getting back to my SlimmingWorld plan is part of my hopes for next year). I stopped thinking I can be who I used to be and be a mother with an extremely active toddler. I stopped trying to control life and just let the days develop as they wanted.

This year I learned to appreciate the little things in life. A hug from my son, breakfast with Steve, a walk with the dog in the park, a hot shower, a video chat with my parents, a funny meme sent from a friend, a nap, a discount on something I’ve been wanting to buy, and anything that just made the day perfect in its own special way.

This year I had a lot of disappointments. I haven’t seen my parents in over two years. I haven’t been to Liverpool to see my in-laws. I haven’t lost much weight. I haven’t gone to the gym. I haven’t finished my management course. I didn’t get to have a birthday party for my son at his nursery school. I missed appointments and forgot a lot of things that depressed me because I’m a perfectionist at heart and pride myself on being organized. I haven’t read many books. I haven’t written much. I haven’t accomplished much at all, but, again, I’ve taken care of my family and enjoyed being together much more than I would have otherwise, I think.

What to expect in 2022

I don’t know what to expect, to be honest? Most of my days are running around like a mad woman trying to work, take care of my son, hang out with my husband, and rest as much as I can. The prospects of getting much done in the upcoming months.

What I can say is that I hope to do some things. I hope to get to America to see my parents. I hope to get back to SlimmingWorld regularly. I hope to eat more vegetarian options for mealtimes. I hope to be a weight where I’m comfortable with myself again.

I’d like to get writing done. I’d like to keep a blog going and update my podcast regularly. I’d like to do these things but, alas, I accept that I simply have things in my life that far outweigh my whims and creative aspirations. I feel like I put those kinds of goals in front of me every year and this year, finally, I understand that they aren’t really achievable (at least right now they aren’t).

Happy New Year!

So here’s to you all who are struggling to feel positive about the upcoming year. I feel you. But what other choice do we have but to step into the next year with positive vibes and hopefully expectations of great things to come.

Bring it in, 2022! 🎉