So what did you do this year?
At this time of the year, some of us are lucky enough to be on holiday. The rest of us are still hard at work earning our daily crust! Whatever time of year this is for you, I sincerely hope that you find yourself in a good place.
I started this post yesterday and am only publishing it today Christmas Day. If you are honouring this blog with your presence, I hope that your day was filled with peace and love and that 2010 will be your best year ever.
So often, we tend to bemoan our lot in life and take so much for granted. If we would just take the time to look around us we would realize that almost without exception, we have SO much to be profoundly grateful for. Let’s make the time to think on that and celebrate our many blessings in this world we live in.
Like most people, I usually have a couple of ideas about what I want or would like to do in a coming New Year. I cannot recall ever going so far as to write down any “New Year’s Resolutions” and that’s no doubt why I have so often failed to achieve desired outcomes! So let me re-phrase the first sentence: I have a few things I will be doing in 2010 building on my achievements in 2009. More about those in a later post.
As we reach the end of 2009 (can’t believe it!), I have decided to take a light hearted look back on a few recent happenings in my world. For the first time in my life –
• I joined a gym and finally realized that no-one gives a damn how old you are, how overweight you are or what clothes you are wearing! Everyone is there because they care about some aspect of their health. I have also yet to see any narcissistic poseurs; just some eye candy now and again passing by on his way to the weights!!! 😉
• I had my ears pierced and now can finally wear some of the Swarovski crystal or freshwater pearl earrings I love to make and not give them all away! Now just to make time to re-connect with my beading hobby.
• I let my grey hair take over and did not take fright or start re-colouring my mop as I have done in the past. I am lucky that the grey is actually a sort of silvery colour inherited from my mother. My hairdresser has seen me precisely twice in 2009; sadly for her employer whose annual turnover dropped several thousand rand as the result of my absence. I was so sure that with my usually bare face I would look all washed-out but that’s not really the case. If I make the effort and apply full warpaint I can still turn a few heads but that’s another story! My kids might read this! L.O.L.
• I followed a fairly healthy eating regime for the whole year. Having always been very l-o-n-g- on good nutrition theory and short on appropriate action, I am quite proud of myself in this regard. I go into 2010 just over 16kg lighter than the same time last year! I still have an awfully long way to go but it is great fun surprising folk I have not seen in a long time. I can also fit into a few of my ‘ bank manager clothes’ which I have not been able to do for years.
Several things I did for the first time in my life following the creation of my ‘bucket list’. Yup, a list of things to do before I kick the bucket! Inspired by the 2007 movie ‘The Bucket List’ starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
• I climbed to the top of the lighthouse at Cape Agulhas. One of my bucket list wishes was to visit the southernmost tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic oceans clash – violently! The highlight of a super trip was when I decided to climb to the top; following Marc & Julia up the wood steps while WJJ locked himself in the car – horrified at what I was about to do!
We reached the 4th level and the original timber steps became a very flimsy looking ladder (also the original 1848 timber) which would take us to the level just below the lamp. I watched Marc and Julia scamper up the ladder and I was left behind paralyzed with fear. I looked out of the little porthole type window down at the midget buildings and the coastline so far below and then contemplated the single plastic chair that someone had thoughtfully put up there. Marc was urging his Ma to ‘come look at the incredible view’. I still don’t know where the courage came from but I ascended that ladder – scarsely breathing and not daring to look down…. At the top of the ladder, Bredasdorp Tourism has installed additional steel rails so that one can haul oneself up off the ladder and onto the tiny circular concrete floor. I have never been so scared and never so triumphant and exhilarated as when I climbed out onto the circular steel platform just below the lamp. A further climb up onto the VERY narrow flimsy steel platform surrounding the lamp is the final hurdle and we all posed and agreed that we would all try to look terrified as by that time the three of us were giggling like lunatics. We shouted and screamed and leant over the flimsy rails trying to get WJJ to acknowledge us up in the sky above him still locked into the car! He never heard or saw us!
The pictures herewith give some idea of the great experience it was for me and on that ‘ high note’ I leave you to answer my question, ‘ So what did you do this year?!’
Eileen's Odyssey 