2016 In The Rear View Mirror
2016 sucked. There is no way of sugar-coating this or disguising it as a learning experience. 2016 was a horrible, horrible year.
Not only because we lost a lot of treasured celebrities, but also from a personal perspective. 2016 sucked at work. 2016 sucked in politics - and yes the Brexit mess does affect me personally, whereas the Trumpocalypse merely shattered whatever faith in civilisation I had left after June. And 2016 sucked because I lost someone very dear to me - my great-uncle, mentor, and fellow tennis and jazz enthusiast - just a few days before Christmas.
So, I really want to say good riddance to 2016.
However, when I came across a year-end post on another blog I follow, I was inspired to look at all of the good things that happened this year, and actually there were quite number of them:
- I found the perfect book - Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin.
- I had some fabulous times spent with old friends.
- I made new friends.
- I weathered a storm.
- I saw Roger, Serena, DelPo, McHale, Wawrinka, and Isner play tennis at Wimbledon.
- I played a LOT of tennis.
- I went on adventures - Orkney, Italy (Milan and Como), Edinburgh, Stirling.
- There was some serious live music involved.
- I got to meet my favourite author (who also turned out to be a top human being).
- I got to handle a snake. It was a very small python, but it still counts!
- I saw puffins in the wild.
- I took part in an indoor rowing competition. (First time, and no idea why I signed up other than it was a charity event.)
So, altogether there were a lot of awesome moments this year. It's just that they have been overshadowed by other events.
May 2017 be a new start, a blank canvas, and may we be daring with our choice of colours.