As one year ends...another begins!

As this year comes to an end, I thought it would be  a useful exercise for me to go through the past year and try and identify some of the positives of the last twelve months.

My inclination is often to focus on the negatives. Never mind the glass being half-empty, I sometimes even fail to see the glass at all. I am one of the original naysayers of this world, so changing the emphasis is new for me and seems like an interesting task.

In 2009 I visited New York twice and saw my friends, my brother and sister-in-law and family and my dad.  My father is suffering from Lewy Bodies Dementia, but was able to recognise me at times and seemed in pretty good shape all things considered. I went to San Francisco to see my kids for a few weeks and had a fabulous time, even finally getting to see Alcatraz, and exploring SF again - great city and great kids who made us more than welcome.

Thanks to the generosity of my friends and family, I again went to the Omega Institute in a beautiful part of New York State to spend five days at the Ecstatic Chant Weekend. Five blissful days of chanting, singing  and celebration that connected directly to my heart.
This has become an important uplifting part of my year. The kirtan and mantra singing is an easy way for me to bypass the machinations of my mind and is so healing and nourishing. 

I visited my friends at the Humaniversity in Holland in the Spring and again in the Autumn and just relaxed and enjoyed time with very old and very dear friends by the North Sea in Holland.

Big news for me was reaching 60 years old. I decided I wanted to have a party at home and being the control freak that I am, I organised a karaoke night to celebrate.  Ralph was doubtful about the 'naffness' of this idea, but in the end it proved a huge hit with everyone. My party night turned into a party week of festivities when my Italian friends, German and Dutch friends stayed on for the rest of the week.  The weather in London more than cooperated with a long unusual heat wave. This meant we had to sit in the garden with cold glasses of wine for most of the week. I loved  the cooking and preparing for the party and indulged myself by making loads of fantastic New York style cheesecakes.

In London when you reach 60 you get a free travel pass for all forms of transport in Greater London - the appropriately called "Freedom Pass". Another great benefit of aging!


The surprise of the year was an unexpected safari to South Africa in August. A sudden change of plans gave us the opportunity to go to Madikwe with old friends.  I love being on safari.  This was the second time I've been and I am still shocked by how much I enjoy being out in the African bush. After all, I am such a city lover.  A walk in the countryside for me usually begins or ends with a visit to the shops, but in Africa all this changes.  The days stretch into infinity and all there is to do is to give yourself up to the pace of the animals.  Fantastic and peaceful.

During the past year my son has settled into living in San Francisco and is now financially independent(!) after a number of months of looking for work in the US and a great deal of help and support from his big sister.  I miss him less and I'm delighted to see him adapting and growing.  It was a tough adjust for me to have this empty nest at home and I'm now happy with the space in my house and the time on my own, but it took a time for this to happen.

My training and consultancy work is ok - just. It's been a tough year for everyone and I've been no exception. I have less work than I would like, but the work I am doing goes well and I get quite a lot of satisfaction from it.  It's important to me to see the organisations I work with begin to slowly change and understand what it means to work in a way that the differences people bring to work, whether it's ethnicity, culture, religion, personality or work styles, are appreciated and valued. It makes the world I live in feel so much more comfortable and well-adjusted.  I can honestly say that my own identity and sense of history has benefited from the work I do with others. Added to this, this was the year that Obama was elected to be US President and it was the very first time I have ever voted in a presidential election.

My health has been fine this year. My back is ok and and lots of health worries are past. I hesitate to say this without 'touching wood' or spitting three times of doing some other superstitious thing, but nevertheless, it's true.

My house is finally free of builders and is beginning to look really good.  I am a pretty dedicated nest builder and I am happy to have my house back again.

I have a new great-niece who is an adorable little bundle of joy and she brings all of our family so much pleasure and my dad delights in being with her too.  My nephew got  engaged and this means we have a wedding to go to in the Spring. I have a loving and close relationship with my cousin and she feels more like a sister to me than a cousin and her daughter has become a second niece to me.


That's as far as my day's ruminations have taken me and so far, so good.

To be continued...