Another Year Gone, Another Ring on the Treetrunk of Life (Looking Back at 2006)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Looking Back at 2006
Date:	04/01/07 (264 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A few highs

Disadvantages: The odd low

I’ve never been one for New Year’s Resolutions. If truth be known, I’m very fickle and often change tack with wanting to do something else. However, having read quite a few recent entries in Dooyooland, It did make me stop and think about 2006 and how I would want 2007 to go. In that sense, I did end up with some objectives for the New Year although I’m not likely to howl at the moon a la Noel Edmonds and ask the Celestial Great One to grant me all my wishes (I appreciate it did work for him – allegedly – and now “Deal or No Deal” is essential viewing for millions!). You can’t help but look back on the previous year to make any resolutions you might make as they are nearly always based on inadequacies from the year as a whole so, with that in mind, here is my 2006 in brief and how I would want to change things in 2007.

My holiday: last year my good lady decided that she didn’t want to fly and so we went to good old Great Yarmouth. Now there’s nowt wrong with Great Yarmouth but, as ever with the East Coast, the weather was mainly cack and I’m sure I’ve now outgrown these British-type seaside holidays. Gone are the days when I can still be happy with a knotted hankerchief tied around my head and a deck chair to read “The Sun” on the beach all day. I appreciate that this isn’t obligatory and neither are the donkey rides and the kiss-me-quick hat but that’s how it feels when you are eating your chips in a Styrofoam tray and watching everyone else sunbathe in the smattering of sunshine you might get on the odd day. This year, I am defo going somewhere abroad; probably influenced greatly by my teenage daughter (I’m mercilessly bullied by both my wife and daughter). This looks very likely to be Spain where there is loads to do and lots of sunshine. We’ll probably head for the part of Spain with the Universal Studios theme park to keep everyone happy even if this isn’t my perfect holiday but at least we should get decent weather.

Last year was a good one on the job front with a successful year running a retail bank unit. I finally got an Area based job in October and have been training for my new role for what seems to have been an age. I’m now up and running and desperately keen to do well so a big ambition for me would be to make sure that I am successful as this may lead to other opportunities too. It’s quite strange not being based in one place and it’s taking a bit of getting used to but I love the freedom and know that I’ll love the job when I eventually become confident with what I’m doing!

On the health front, 2006 wasn’t too bad although I’m still a stone heavier than I’d like. I’ve got the 10K Marie Curie run coming up soon and I’ll be doing a bit of training for that although I do run at least twice a week, doing about 4.5 miles a time and I play 5-a-side footie (badly) once a week so I’m reasonably fit for a 40-year-old codger. I’m not a fan of diets as I don’t really believe in them. I’ve always found eating less and exercising more is the best way to lose weight and I’ve discovered that by filling the in-between meals gaps by eating fruit works. Most folks fall down by snacking between meals with comfort food but by replacing it with an apple, banana or something similar, you are still getting your comfort food or keeping busy but not piling on the calories as happens with biscuits and stuff. I’d love to get down to the weight I really desire but I’m not going to make myself unhappy in getting there and finding it virtually impossible to stay there! Alternatively, that means that I can only keep the fruit thing going for so long before I lapse into my bad ways again.

I’d like to get a grip on my sleeping patterns in 2007. I’m a notorious insomniac and find sleeping difficult and I know this is down to an overactive mind. I’ve tried many things but I do know that meditation helps and I’ve had the telephone number of a small, informal group that meets weekly to call and join for weeks now. The lady that put me onto it is an authority on alternative medicines and I’ll be seeing her soon because my good lady has bought me a voucher for an Indian Head Massage so I’ll use that as a reason to finally make that call and join the group. I know meditation works as I’ve done it before but it’s remembering to do it. As ever, it’s a case of will power. 2006 certainly wasn’t my worst year for insomnia by any stretch of the imagination and it’s under control at the moment.

2006 wasn’t a great year for hobbies for me. There are so many things I want to do but don’t get around too. One is cooking and I’ve had a full scale curry set that has resided in my garage for a couple of years. I do enjoy cooking things from scratch and have had decent feedback on my Indian and Chinese creations so I should make time to have another go and become popular in the kitchen again (at least with me wife as she doesn’t have to cook as a result). On the positive side, I did finally join The Writer's Bureau although I've only managed 2 assignments so far. My tutor wasn't impressed with my second effort at all so I'm currently seeking guidance about how to proceed next.

2006 was a good year for my kids with my daughter doing as well as she ever does at school whilst my lad has made brilliant progress since his formal help started following his diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia a few years ago. Both operate at very different ends of the academic spectrum although both are making rapid progress in very different ways. This year is also another big one for my kids. My lad will be 12 soon and my daughter 15. My girl’s at the point of having to choose her subjects for GCSE and start thinking about a potential career whilst my lad goes to senior school in September. I’ll be there for them both giving whatever support they need although they have a brilliant mom too who gets involved to the nth degree with their school activities. Hopefully between us we can keep them going in the right direction.

Last year was the year I finally gave in and agreed to have a pooch. It's been an ongoing debate for some years and having a dog has proved every bit the high maintenance I thought it would. Still, the family love our new addition and he fits in well with our 3 cats, 2 guinea pigs and our tortoise. If only the vets bills were a bit cheaper....

I guess my ultimate wish for 2007 is to be happy although I believe that this is a difficult state for any of us to ultimately obtain. I sometimes wonder whether our natural status as a problem-solving-machine means that we will always be seeking things to criticise and improve, nudging the notion of happiness away just when we think it’s within reach. At this time of my life, I do know that materialistic things are unimportant and it is friends and family that actually count. In that, I’m lucky as I have good friends and a close family. If that’s still the case come January 2008 then I’ll be close to happy.

Thanks for reading and I hope your 2007 is everything you want it to be.

Mara.

Summary: Here's to a good 2007