New Years Eve, Here We Are Again.

Okay, well that wasn't quite what I had in mind...

With very little time left in 2016 I'm looking back and it's very easy to see it as a big picture which looks as if it's been painted with a horrible colour and its just a big muddy mess, however, I feel myself challenged to look closer and find the beauty amongst the crap. 

So first of all I want to list some of the great blessings this year has brought, 

• A new job, in the area that I actually want to work in, I can now call myself a Filmmaker, I've loved being able to develop my skills this year and build up my CV and even managed to buy my own camera only a few weeks ago! 

• My beautiful Sister's and my new brother-in-law's wedding in April was such a wonderful day, it was so amazing to see 2 people so in love and so happy starting their life together, and so special to be a part of their day!

• My parents have blessed me enormously this year, it's no great secret that I've hated having to move back to Ashby and to move back in with my parents, but looking back I've complained so much I think I might have actually forgotten to thank them and that so appalling to me! I couldn't have survived this year without their support, care (especially when I was ill) and their provision. So from the bottom of my heart a huge thank you to them, and I promise I'll be out of you hair soon! 

• I'm also really grateful to the friends around me, who due to being back in the midlands I've been able to grow closer too, whether it's getting coffee in one of the many coffee shops Ashby has to offer, or creating fun memories, or having/ being a shoulder to cry on, I count my friends as one of my greatest blessings!

Right next things are the lessons learnt this year, it's said you learn a new one every day, but i'll just name a few out of the 365:

• Firstly - this is a bit of a confessional- don't drink the night before work. Sounds like an obvious one right, but apparently I needed to learn this one the hard way, but I did and I'm much wiser for it! 

• Patience, seems like this is a lesson that's not a learn once and got it, it's an ongoing training, and I seem to need a lot! This year has taken a lot of patience, particularly to get through the months when I physically couldn't do anything, but I've come out of it stronger.

• Okay this is the 'deep' one: to "Be the Change You Want to See in the World". It seems I've done a lot of rants, on Facebook especially, this year. It's not surprising really, from the British Bake-Off to the T-word its not been a great year, but something I've leant is that complaining about it doesn't change anything. If I'm not happy with the world, and I want it to change, I can't just sit around waiting for it to happen, it has to start with me.

Okay so that's enough looking back, now to finish I'm going to look forward, with things I'm hoping for or looking forward to in 2017

• Well to start off I'm beginning the year with - what's becoming a bit of a tradition - a trip to Dublin. This is a particularly exciting trip though because its another Wedding for another beautiful lady!  

• As much as I know that I needed to spend this year in Ashby, I know I don't belong here, I'm not completely sure where it is I do belong, but I do believe that there is a plan for my life and so I'm looking forward to where that takes me.

• The fore mentioned new camera is also a hope for the new year, a new toy to play with, to explore my creativity and imagination, watch this space for films!

So there it is, 2016 almost over, 2017 just beginning, I don't know what it will hold but I can't wait to find out. I found a quote recently which sums up my 2016 very well, and has given me great hope for 2017:

"Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will move mountains"