A personal view of 2012

Another year

‘This will be the year to make some big changes,’ I said to myself just before we all arrived in 2012. The little voice inside (the one that all writers and most other people know too well) said: ‘Maybe you won’t, maybe you can’t.’

‘Maybe I won’t, but embracing change is the over-riding maxim for the year, whether you like it or not, little voice,’ said I. ‘Let’s just see what it brings.’

At the end of 2011 it was coming up to three years since the event that was completely beyond my control shattered my life and changed everything forever – the sudden death of my partner. We had been together 20 years and we had dreams and had made great plans to make some big changes to our life together.

Now it was time to move on and invent my own new life. And as I approach the fourth anniversary of that event that changed everything, I see there is no longer any space for the little voice of dissent within. I have a whole new life and the enjoyment of change is my constant companion.

Taking stock of that bold resolution to trash the fear and make changes, I am thinking ‘WOW, I did all that!’  The little voice didn’t get a look in.

So, what did I do in 2012? Most important, I accepted all invitations, (well nearly all). I went to many events on my own that I would never have gone to before; I left my full time job to go freelance again; I resigned as a Trustee from three local charities.

And I started to take my own creative writing more seriously, which has had the effect that other people have started to take my work more seriously too. That decision to spend more time on my own creative writing has been the most rewarding, and really many of the other changes were made to allow me to make the time to write.

As I have said before, allowing oneself the space to be creative is one of the greatest gifts we can make to ourselves. (http://jackie-news.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/new-beginnings.html)

Although there has been a lot of throwing out of the old, I have retained the many friends I have made through my previous job and through involvement with the charities and other local organisations;  and I have made some fabulous new friends too, many of them also writers.  I would never have met them if I hadn’t made that initial decision to make big changes.

So, the resolution for 2013?  Get the novel started, get the poetry collection together;  and somehow stay sociable too.  But most important, I will keep allowing change into my life -- that little voice will just have to talk to itself.

Happy New Year to you all.