2016 Has Come To An End
2016 was an absolute whirlwind of a year and I’m not entirely convinced we’ve actually reached the end. It sure was a rollercoaster ride for myself and all of you guys I’m sure. I thought I had my heart broken for the first time, watched it heal before finding someone amazing until he ended things a couple of days into 2017 and his true colours showed. It’s also the year in which I started this blog, and to be honest I’m so happy that I’ve stuck with it, this place is like my little online escape for me. I grew up a lot over 2016, became more independent, particularly financially as I discovered I quite enjoy working in hospitality…although there are moments when I want to pull my hair out! I travelled further north than Crewe which had previously been the furthest north I’d ever been…I’m a southern girl okay? However, I did have a great time in Blackpool…even if it was freezing cold in the middle of July! Anyway here and are some of the things I learnt during 2016.
He doesn’t always mean ‘I love you’
Sure it was nice to have someone to talk to all day every day, but in all honesty, it destroyed us both to the point we couldn’t even be in the same room without it being awkward…luckily we’ve put that behind us and we now get along fine. You shouldn’t always believe what a guy says, sometimes they just tell you what you want to hear, and in the long run that can cause more harm than good. Just remember that you can’t be completely happy with someone else unless you are completely happy with yourself. I took some time in which to ‘date myself’ and it made me a lot happier and more confident in who I am, and along the way, I met my current now ex partner and I couldn’t be happier. Just remember something that may seem like the right thing for you might not always be the right thing for both of you, and there may just be something better waiting around or corner.
Time spent travelling is never time wasted
I’m a massive lover to travelling and going on adventures and although I didn’t possess a passport until recently I still enjoyed travelling around the UK (although most of the time I stick to London because I’m a poor student) although I was lucky enough to head up to Blackpool in July and despite the fact that I grew up
in a village not far from Southsea or Brighton, it felt completely different. I visited all the typical tourist spots, including the Pleasure Beach and the Blackpool tower, I also went strolling on the less ‘touristy’ areas and discovered an adorable little coffee shop, as well a very crafty shop full of soft wool just dying to be stroked. I do however plan on travelling to different countries during 2017, and already have a trip to Croatia booked and paid for…even if I do have to wait until April until I head off. I’m also planning a summer getaway with my mum, I just want to release all my built up wanderlust and travel as much as I can.
Sport can be fun and exciting
I used to hate sport and everything to do with it, despite being a rather sporty person while I was younger, however, I joined my Universities rowing team this year and it’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in a while. I’ve come out of my shell more (even if I haven’t been able to attend all the socials I wanted to due to working) but I’ve gained another family from it, a bunch of drunken nutters but I wouldn’t have them any other way. I can’t wait to start competing and winning with them, they’re a bunch of shining stars. There’s no other group I could bear to be with by the Thames on a freezing cold day…especially when it comes to the 6:30 am starts…than these guys.
Running a blog is
harder than you think
I never thought running a blog would be easy but I didn’t expect it to be just as difficult as it actually is, trying to juggle this, work and uni as well as maintaining a social life has been hard at some points…but I’ve done a pretty decent job in 2016 (even if I did fail to post regularly the past couple of months). This is often when I but my blog on the back burner as despite the fact that I love running and writing posts, I do have to carefully prioritise thigs. I attended my first blog event this year as well, the Blogosphere Christmas Market which I have a post on, and this has made me feel a lot more welcome and at home within the blogging community, sure I’ve not completely found my place but it won’t take much longer before I do. I was even lucky enough to be mentioned in the Blogosphere Event booklet…well I appear in a photograph with my blog name underneath…but baby steps, right? Maybe one day I’ll actually get a mention in the magazine itself…a girl can dream, right? I’m excited to see what 2017 holds for my blog and I…especially since it’ll be the one-year celebration in May!
Goodbye isn’t always letting go
My granddad passed away this year and I was extremely close to him, however, I don’t feel like his death has affected me as much as I thought it would. Now, this isn’t because I’m heartless or don’t care that he is dead it is simply because I lost the man I knew a while back after he had a stroke in 2008 and since then he has never really been the same. I feel like he is finally isn’t suffering anymore and he is at peace, plus he simply slipped away which makes everything slightly less painful, I’m not saying I didn’t cry at funeral because I did, a lot, but once it was over and we were at the wake I was able to celebrate his life rather than dwell on the fact he was no longer here. I have little tokens of him in which I have kept as they’re things I always related to him growing up, such as model trains, boats and buses, but also his flat cap(which I once borrowed for a drama performance) and his scarf. I may never have said a final goodbye before he passed but that doesn’t bother me because I always helped and I don’t feel guilty that never did enough for him.
Older, wiser, mature?
I’d always thought of myself as rather mature and grow up, people often describing me as wise beyond my years…despite the fact that I look barely 16 although I’m 20 in under two weeks, but it wasn’t until I moved back home from uni that I realised just how much more independent I had become. No longer did I need my mum to cook or do my washing for me (although it is nice when she does) and to be honest I found it quite stressful to begin with as I felt slightly trapped, particularly as the transport links around me are shocking compared to what I had gotten used to in London. No longer could I nip to the shops without any questions being asked…I even remember having a night out and checking with my mum that it was okay…simply out of the habit of asking permission when being under her roof. Now I’m back home for the Christmas holidays and I’ve pretty much continued living my life like I do in London…except now I can use my mum as a taxi driver rather than paying for a uber…bonus. Although I am planning on learning to drive and passing my test before I move back down for the summer, simply as that will help to increase my independence…although I’m not sure my mum’s ready for me to completely fly the nest!
Like I said early 2016 was crazy and all happened in the blink of an eye but as Rafiki said in the Lion King “Oh yes, the past can hurt, but you can either run from it, or learn from it” therefore we must not dwell on what has happened rather look forward to what is about to happen. What was your favourite thing that happened in 2016? Is there anything exciting you have planned for 2017?
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