We are now the 12th of December, 13 days short of Xmas and more importantly 9 days short of the shortest day of they year …
This, historically, is a difficult time for a lot of people. There is the stress of finding extra money for presents and lavish food. The lack of natural vitamin D metabolised by the body due to lack of sun exposure. And, it’s also a time to reflect on the last 12 months! Have i moved forward from my position a year ago, am I still on the right path, am I getting the opportunities that I think I deserve and am I making the most of them? Etc … the list is endless
So many reasons to get stressed and depressed!
But, we are still here, so we are all ready stronger mentally than we think.
I am myself guilty, at times, of concentrating on the negative things, and sometimes I can spiral into a very negative head space! And it’s not easy to pull yourself out of it when you get there. I will not tell you “man up and stop feeling sorry for yourself!” As this is not the way to deal with it. But if you do so, just try to focus on the good things, loved one around you, that new job you wanted, that cool new car, or just a personal achievement of yours, however insignificant to others it may be, if you feel you should be proud of it, be it!
This year I am going to focus on the journey that I have been on. For a start, writing a blog for all of you every month. It’s not something that I believed I would ever do! And I have enjoyed every minute, blogs that I have written. I feel like we have shared a great adventure together. I will also be proud of my progress on the bike, no podiums but getting closer and also starting to mix it up with strong riders around me. The fact that I am now a qualified level 2 PT, it has taken me 42 weeks longer than expected, but I couldn’t commit to the 10/15 hours a week for it really, so pleased to have got this done before Xmas. I am very grateful to have Nancy by my side, she has seen me at my best and my worst. There is a famous say that if they can’t love you at your worst, they don’t deserve you at your best! Well, she is still here, so I am taking that as a good sign.
So, there it is. None of them are grandiose or itemised. They are all low key, but they are part of a coping mechanism to keep my spirit up!
On another subject, last month was the first round of the brass monkey series, it was a very strong field of riders and we managed to finish 16th from 40. Trust me, this was a strong result, and to date my best performance on the bike. We are heading to a place called hungry hill next month, I was strong around it last year, it contained some gruelling climbs but I am expecting to be better this year again.
How do I bring down 12 month or 12 blogs of writing to you all in one paragraph. Well, I am not sure really. But I do hope to write for you all again! But in the meantime … From the bottom of my heart, we (all the members of this household) would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
