Ahh, December 31^st. It’s that time of year when reflection runs rampant. The 365 days have been assessed and judgement has been issued: Well, I won’t do that again.

I began 2014 by ending an almost-20-year relationship. While I don’t regret the decision, I do regret how I did it. It was the first of many occasions for the year where I acted on the advice of others, forgetting to listen to myself, and the first of many things I got to learn in 2014.

Trust thyself

Learning to trust, and listen to, myself is probably the main thing I’ll take away from 2014. And I think, as the year, rolled on I became better at it. It was helped along by the things I did that gave me a voice – the 100 Happy Days photos, the 10,000 words of 100 Happy Words and the Wednesday Blog Challenge all helped me express what I thought made life worth living. It also made me appreciate the importance of self-awareness and self-knowledge. And to keep on writing!

Cultivate thy sangha

My sangha is my community – the people in my life who support me through the tough times, make me laugh and give me the opportunity to be a better person. They seriously make life worth living and the friendships need attention and nurturing. I can be pretty crap at this but being on my own this year has made me a little better.

Let go of thy crap (it’s probably not yours to keep anyway)

I’ve probably experienced the most emotional pain I’ve had in my adult life this year. Fortunately, with practice comes resilience and I’m getting pretty good at letting go of the crap. There’s still some residual stuff but I have faith it will fade away in 2015.

Long live the book

This year it became evident that the book is not dead. I have been reading throughout the year but returning to bookselling has reignited my passion for books and the wonderful little bundles of joy and change they can be. My TBR (to-be-read) cup overfloweth. It’s also good to be back in a bookshop, surrounded by books and people who love them.

Love thy body

It’s the thing that’s going to carry you to the finish line. I’ve probably spent three-quarters of this year’s 365 days at Greenslopes Hospital this year. Many people in my life are not in good health. It’s made me extremely grateful for my health. I’ve learned this year that our physical bodies, fitness and health are indeed precious. Oh and the physical activities (walking and the swimming) did wonders for my mental health …

Dance like no-one’s watching

Yes. I did. We did. (I had help) It was the year of Northern Soul for me and I had so much fun. I really got back in touch with my musical true loves – disco, dance, funk, soul … There were so many great new dance releases that I would have liked to experience in a club setting but hey that may be what’s in store for 2015 …

Happiness is here now

Right in front of me. Just waiting for me to take a photo.

Some End of Year Questions to Ponder

My End of Year questions are usually pretty basic:

• What worked? What are you happy with? What surprised you?
• What didn’t?
• What have you learned?

But here are some more questions from wise folks:

From Shirley Anderson:

• What are the 25 things I’m most proud of accomplishing this year?
• What were my disappointments and what did I let go of?
• Who am I most happy to have in my life?
• What is the most significant fact or area of personal growth for me?
• What would I have done differently, and what is the lesson I got from it?
• What 5 things am I most grateful for, and how will I show it?

From Dave Allen:

• Your biggest triumph?
• Smartest decision?
• One word that sums up your year?
• Greatest lesson learned?
• Most loving service performed?
• Biggest piece of unfinished business?
• Most happy about completing?
• Three people who had the greatest impact on your life?
• Biggest risk?
• Biggest surprise?
• Most improved relationship?
• The compliment you would have liked to receive?
• The compliment you would have liked to given?
• What else do you need to do or say to be complete with 2014?

Thank you 2014 and all players therein. It’s been, um, yes, been.

Onwards. Upwards. Sidewards.

Bring on 2015.