Reflecting upon this year

It is almost December, and yet it feels to me like it should be almost January, or more aptly put, the end of a particularly tricky year.

This year seems to have brought so many challenges to so many people.  There seem to have been more tales of woe than I have ever known, and more shocks to the system than most have been able to cope with.

From a personal stand point, 2012 has seen me shed more tears than I have shed collectively in my thirty nine years before this one; more sleepless nights (for all the wrong reasons); more moments of anxiety, and more moments of deep, deep despair than any other year. 

However, as I am not one for negativity (despite the paragraph above), one must focus on the good that comes out of years like this.  It is apparently always darkest before the dawn, and if that is true, it means 2013 is going to be nothing short of absolutely FABULOUS.

All is not lost in terms of the year that was, and is for a little more, 2012. 

Yes, there were moments of darkness – pitch – to be exact; but there were also moments of elation, moments of relief, there was laughter, there were hugs, there was wine.  Lots of wine in fact.

My true friendships were confirmed; my not so true friendships flowed away gracefully, which is fine; my family were, and remain, my personal Rock of Gibraltar; some new friendships turned out to be stronger than I could have ever have dreamt they would be; some old friendships weaker than expected.  There were dinners and drinks, play dates and family “braais”, lunches and teas, and above all, some highly, highly amusing conversations with the most fabulous taxi driver ever, Minute, who now knows everything there is to know about me, and likes me despite this knowledge.

I have frequented certain restaurants, and severed ties with others (it is all about the ice – if there is not enough ice to keep the wine cool – I simply move on); I have remained fiercely loyal to my favourite poison, Sauvignon Blanc, and loyal too, to my second favourite poison, Merlot.

I have started and completed a “Creative Writing” course (can you tell?), I have traveled as much as my magic carpet would allow, I have seen many movies, sometimes on my own, I have sent more BBM’s than the average American, and received some too.

So you see, it has not been all bad.

When I look back on it, and reflect as objectively as I am able to:  I am grateful for this year.  I am grateful for the hardships, because it has taught me to be stronger; I am grateful for the tears, because my eyes are now very clean; I am grateful that my true friends have remained true, and steadfast, and honest and loving; I am grateful for the dawn, and for the end of the darkness.

May 2013 bring only good news, fewer moments of sadness, more moments of happiness, continued friendships; and to the now famous French manufacturer, La Bouchage Mecanique, who invented the screw top for wine bottles, I hope they know, that I will eternally remain in awe of their company…