2014

It's officially 2014! This is traditionally the day I like to make pro-active change and reflect upon what I did last year and what I can do better this year and today is absolutely no different. I've taken my dogs out for their morning walk, I've downed a mug of unsweetened herbal tea (good for the soul, I'm told) and I've had my first Cambridge diet shake which wasn't at all as bad as I was expecting. I have a two litre bottle of chilled and distilled water beside me and I'm ready to take on all of the new experiences that are sure to be coming my way this year.

As for resolutions, I've not made many. There are some big ones such as lose weight (my goal is four stone this year), keep blogging, learn to play the guitar, experiment and try to take more and better quality photographs, take more trips, spend a night in a hotel for our five year anniversary etc but there are little ones that mean the most to day to day life to me. Those are focus and dedication. I'll be carrying those two words around with me in everything I do from setting aside specific times in the day to sit and write, take photographs etc to dedicating quiet no technology times with my family and persevering through all of the obstacles that will undoubtedly come.

Last year saw me make some big changes from standing up for myself and showing not only other people but myself that I won't stand for being treated badly to taking a three hour train ride on my own there, staying overnight and back which would usually have caused me a lot of anxiety, investing in higher quality items rather than lots of lesser quality and learning the value of a support system. There were a lot of ups and downs from mental health to physical health to day to day stresses that amounted to an explosion but my friends and family were around constantly to help me pick up the pieces and put them back together and I think no matter how independent you are that's a real gift.

I'm spending the rest of today being focused - focusing on my family and not on hunger, writing a list of small goals for this year that I'm sure I'll share as I complete them, not thinking about food but thinking about how great I will feel in six months time and really just basking in the fact that it's a new year, a fresh start for everyone no matter what the day or hour and we should be positive because so little comes from negativity.

Happy new year, you wonderful people!