Happy New Year!

A new year, a new start and I can safely say I need one. I think my first reaction to hearing Big Ben's chimes at midnight tonight, will be one of relief. A sigh of relief, that I can at last put the year 2011 to bed and make sure it is well and truly behind me. It's been a difficult year, and although I've had some personal highs, there have also been a lot of extreme lows - some of which have been truly horrible and even upsetting. I just hope that instead of clinging frantically to the very edge of the cliff, or struggling desperately to keep my head above water in the vast ocean as I have been; I will be able to lay some of my ghosts to rest in 2012. If I can't succeed in burying them, I hope at least to be able to learn how to deal with them properly.

When my Nan was alive, she always used to say "Everything happens for a reason". I'm not sure why but that saying often echoes back in my mind. I suppose it makes sense, there's a reason why certain things happen to us; why certain people come into our lives and others simply pass us by. Ultimately we're all on a journey of self-discovery, trying to reach our destination. Some experiences in our lives may not last very long, while others could last the course of your life. You learn to make sense of them although some never reveal their true colours, they just are. Whether you choose to focus on experience or underlying meaning, at the end of the day you learn or gain something from it. And as a consequence a piece of your life jigsaw slots into place. But the most important thing to remember, which we often easily forget is that we are the creators of our own jigsaws. We can influence what happens next.

Which is why with a small spark of optimism in my heart on this New Year's Eve, I have vowed that I am going to try my hardest to be in control of my own jigsaw. At midnight tonight, the past of 2011 is over. The future of 2012 and all it's possibilities are only just beginning.


"Get your game face on for 2012! Meet it head on and take no prisoners. Spend time with those you love, don't waste time on things that sap your soul... pursue fulfilment and happiness". - Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh.

"The purpose of a new year is not because you need a new year, it is because you need A NEW YOU, a renewed soul. Respect the past, don't dwell in it, learn from it. Get rid of anything that isn't useful and the things that bring you down. Stay away from negativity and open your eyes, heart and mind to the blessings around you. When you want to do something, do it with conviction. When you choose not to do something, do it without fear and regret. The quality of your life is based on the quality of your thoughts and actions. May you have an inspirational 2012, with a lot of soul, full of compassion, love and determination". - Rita Zahara.