Goodbye 2017, you will
not be missed.
You were a year of taking two steps forward and one step back
(or two, or three). Every victory seemed to bring on a new challenge, claiming
more energy and effort – and even more effort when energy ran out. I speak here
for myself, but I know many people around me had a tough time too.
First there was the
cancer scare. It was removed successfully, so 1-0 in the health department.
Hurray! But the rest of the year was marked by a series of recurring physical
ailments, even causing me to go voiceless into the New Year. So, resolution nr
1: find ways to strengthen my immune system.
Then there was the
Master’s degree, which I got – one of the best moments of the year! But it came
at a high price (all the worry and sleepless nights impacted my health
significantly, not to mention my social life). Of course, this degree helped me
to get a new job, which was necessary because it really was time to move on,
but ironically I feel less competent now instead of more, despite the degree.
How amazing it was to
get this new job! But how disappointing that I find myself working even harder
than before, though the aim of changing was to work less hard, because I am no
good under pressure. Hence resolution nr 2: don’t do more than is necessary;
don’t try too hard.
So, 2017, more than
anything else, you were tiring – exhausting really.
All my personal woes
were not helped in the least by Trump, Brexit, Russian interference, plastic
soup, climate change and the normalisation of claustrophobic nationalism around
the globe.
Was there nothing then,
to alleviate this litany of miseries? Yes, of course, and for those I am most
grateful. The love, the friendships and the singing were what kept me going
throughout all this! I cannot thank the people around me enough!
But please, 2017, become
a distant memory soon. And may the New Year be a relaxing one, where creativity
may blossom and heart-to-heart connections become the standard. Because if 2017
taught me anything, it is that the rest is nonsense, static noise cluttering
our lives. Truly connecting, daring to be oneself, tapping into our creative
potential – those are the ways to go (and my resolution nr 3).
A happy New Year
to you all - let's make it a fun one!
