The Book is called Opportunity...

Happy New Year everyone.

I'm ending 2012 the way I started it.  In peace... well 2012 started with me being very unwell and in hospital with a fever, but it had dissipated before the turn of the year.  Tonight, I just wanted to be in my own peace and reflect on the year that it was and just take a break from the world for a night.

So I did, and I find myself back to a familiar place - blogging about the year that it was and being grateful for the opportunity to share the year it has been.  So how has it been?  One word I suppose, as much as it has a negative connotation, I say it with the intent of sharing a year of learning and discovery.

2012 has been for me, in a word, bittersweet.



It has been one of the best years of my life, yet it's been hard work and I've struggled through many things.  Change and growth sound like buzz words, but they are the best I can think of.  I've discovered a person who is different, and may seem a bit more abrasive to some, more caring to others and I think that's because I've found a backbone underneath all my weight and I'm not afraid to use it.  I've found self esteem and confidence and I'm appreciating it.  I'm recognising behaviours that I have that are good and foundational, and some that need to change.

Bad behaviours... that's where the bitter is at.  For the things that are beyond my control, I've got the mantra that has taken a bit to grasp.  Shitty things happen, and THAT'S OKAY!  For the things that I can control, well that's what 2013 is for, to start over - to change it up and develop new ways that make the old extinct.  My niece, who has become a certified personal trainer, has a makeshift gym set up at her home now.  That's where new beginnings start.

And my anthem for this season is derived from a quote by poet, Edith Lovejoy Pierce...

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."

Beautiful.

Alright, let's wrap up 2012 like I've done in the past...

Best film for 2012:  Les Miserables.  Oh my goodness, a fantastic film.  A beautiful piece of theatre in it's own right and for it to be caught now on celluloid?  Magnifique!  Pay particular attention to the last 15 minutes.  Breathtaking!  I'm still speechless about it.

Best television for 2012:  Homeland.  It simply was 13 mini movies, a quality of drama rarely seen on television.  Don't believe the hyperbole about the series being frustrating to follow, it's trying to be as real to life as it possibly can and deals with all the physiological and socio-economic issues of the time.  It was compelling with every episode and I highly recommend it.

The concerning media moment of 2012:  I wish I could say the Best Media Moment of 2012, but I can't because well, there hasn't been much that has been notable.  The devastation of the continuing Palestian and Isreali war just doesn't rate to Kim Kardashian's latest antics with Kayne West.  Hurricane Sandy shook up New York, but it's damage to areas that can't help themselves like Cuba and Haiti are ignored by the media because not enough celebrities live there.  No, what's rating is Twitter battles between stars, who Tom Cruise is beaming up to space and anything else that can be glorified into a quick buck.  Shame Media, Shame.

Best personal decision of 2012:  To try new clothes, to buy smaller sizes, to be comfortable in a movie theatre seat, to walk through the supermarket and be comfortable at the end of it, to be able to catch up with the pace of a child and not feel like I was going to keel over, to come off warfarin, to wear bathers!  Ha!

Best last words of 2012:  "Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go." - Brooks Atkinson

To everyone, a very happy and prosperous new year.  Thank you for love, dedication and support.  The first stage is done, join me for more blogs in 2013 as we reach out for the final 50kg to lose.

With much love,

Nicky