Afresh

Christmas days are not easy for me, being away from my family takes its toll at this time of year. However, I can safely say the 2009 was good for me and I spent a lovely few days with Rick and his family in Cheshire who made me feel very welcomed.

Lots of delicious food and probably a stone more later I am back in London and it's days away from New Year...

The Trees

The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too.
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

[Philip Larkin]

I might disappoint some of you who wanted to read some detailed plans of goals and aims as I don't think I will be writing mine up like so. I do, however, have a few things set and there will be done. I am not even sure if I think about them as goals. There are more like milestones I know will and need to be achieved. My little quest in life might not be as regulated as a business person would like it mostly because I like the margin of luck and an input of coincidence. I like when things happen when I make other plans. It's exciting to keep the back door opened. Cat flap enlarged.
The Thing to achieve in that next year is to launch and start developing my little riding academy project. It's something I want to put my heart and skills into and make it work.

For aims keen my 3 main ones are:

1) Pass Stage 4 Riding & Care for full BHSII (Intermediate Instructor)
2) Get my head around the Stable Manager exam and get theoretically ready for it (and maybe have a go at it should finances allow)
3) Watch & Learn from the best out there (i.e. fit as many shadowing days into my year as humanely possible)

It's the year I will be tough on myself not because I feel the time is running out but because it feels right to push myself right now. As to the time...I think we all have to enjoy the journey. If you think you need to speed up or you will run out of minute, hours, years...then maybe you're on a wrong train. Heading in the wrong direction.
My belief is that if we can make our journey the most fascinating thing in life we will never have to rush anywhere. So that's what I am going to make my 2010 into - a journey I will love being part of.
This way, I know I can help others enjoy it too.

“Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.”

Bring on 2010...