Closing the door on 2022. Reflecting on the year …

Wow … what a year it has been. I can’t quite believe we have closed the door on 2022.

After sulking my way through the 2 years of lockdowns, I decided this year HAD to count, I was going to say yes to anything and everything, and start to change the things I didn’t like. I made a conscious effort to do those things I wanted to do, and really enjoy quality time doing things I like, and with those people I love.

One thing I said a big YES to was leaving the Country. I am a huge fan of a holiday – there are so many places I want to visit and so many things I want to do, and this year I refused to let anything stand in my way.

I have family in California, and this was somewhere I just had to get back to post lockdowns. I had such an amazing week in California visiting ghost towns and islands, soaking up the sun and spending time with my much loved family out there. This holiday made some of the best memories.

Another trip this year also came in the form of a girls trip to Paris. Whilst I have been to Disneyland most years I can remember growing up, I never remember visiting Paris, so this year I made it a goal to go! Charlotte and I went for a long weekend, and despite the dramas of actually getting to Paris itself, we had the most amazing time exploring the streets, seeing the sights and watching in awe as the Eiffel Tower glittered around us. We ate gorgeous food and drank gorgeous bubbles – it was incredible.

As you know…. I am obsessed with Disneyland, and having visited the Paris one for those many many years, alongside the California Disney World, Florida was so high on my list of places to visit. This year my friend and I just thought let’s just go. So at the end of September we packed our bags and headed to what we thought was a sunny Florida. As with all things – this trip was not as smooth as it could have been, and we encountered an angry Hurricane Ian during the trip. Despite losing 2 days of the holiday to the hurricane lockdown, we BOSSED this trip. Completing Universal and the Disney Parks, we went flat out to make it all happen, and honestly it was such a magical trip.

Something I adore is live music. I am a huge music lover and I have been fortunate enough to see some amazing artist through my time, but there have always been 2 that I have been desperate to see – Adele and Ed Sheeran. I can’t believe I got to see both this year! What an insane duo to tick off the bucket list.

I also had another amazing year of shows – something you know I hold so closely to my heart. I managed to tick off everything I wanted to go to, which can be tricky when working full time and trying to fit in everything else at the weekends, but where there is a will, there’s a way – and we made it happen.

There have been struggles all along the way though, don’t get me wrong. I lost 2 of the friends I thought were closest to me, but I gained new friendships and built more meaningful relationships with those who celebrate my successes and sit with me through the difficulties. I also had the most amazing time with two ponies this year. I moved house. I moved to a new job. I just made things happen, and I managed to bounce back from the difficult times with more resilience than the past couple of years.

In a way … I am scared to close the door on such a good year. The unknown of how 2023 will be is scary, but knowing how resilient we can be as humans, and how much I have overcome to get my 2022 year to where it was, I just know the potential 2023 has.

If you have had a difficult 2022, there is a world of opportunity just around the corner.

Darlings, I will see you in the New Year with a new blog!

Happy New Year!

Lots of love, Lucinda xo