So, end of another year. And it’s been another interesting (to put it kindly) one.
I’m going to attempt to keep this light so, first off, happy new year to everyone! I’m sure we’re all looking forward to a fresh start in 2022, and hopefully a better one. It has I think been a better year than last year (not that that’s exactly difficult but go with me on this one) and hopefully that trend will continue. The Covid-19 pandemic that we’ve all had to live through for the last 2 years is just possibly starting to ease a little, vaccines continue to be produced and administered, cases are rising but serious cases not quite so much, and there does seem to be a speck of light at the end of the tunnel.
Like many people, I’ve been working from home since March last year, and also like many people, I spent much of 2020 interacting with friends and family virtually. Many, many virtual quizzes were joined – some with less accurate answers than others (particularly thinking of Leonardo Di Caprio supposedly being a sign of the zodiac now, which was news to me and my family) – and we treasured what time we could spend with one another. I spent the first few months of the lockdown largely alone, before the bubbles came in and I was able to spend time with real, actual, live people! Other than that, not much to report – obviously the few social engagements and trips I’d been able to arrange had been cancelled – so December rolled around and, in probably the only fitting end to the year, I celebrated Christmas with most of my family on a laptop screen.
2021 has, on a personal level, been distinctly different from 2020, a strange mix of cautious optimism and deep pessimism, depending on the day. Work has continued to operate within the new normal, albeit the added prospect of seeing my colleagues again – shout-out to them by the way, they as always have been brilliant on a professional and personal level – but I have been able to get out more, much needed after 2020’s feeling of being trapped in my ivory tower, a privileged observer as the world went up in flames. 2021 thankfully brought an amount of water for those flames, particularly with trips to Shrewsbury and other walks involving the river Severn.
Photo dump:
My health has taken a small downturn, but I’ve had lots of support from family, friends and colleagues, and I’m hoping for a better year next year. One positive I hope can be taken out of the last 2 years is a greater focus on the importance of mental health in particular, but also physical health. I’m lucky enough to work for an organisation that puts its employees first, and for that I’ve been hugely grateful.
One thing that has helped though, and to be fair has always helped, is music. I’ve listened to a lot of both music and podcasts this year. Like others I looked at the various stats on Spotify which identified some of my listening habits, which revealed that a) was in the top 9% of Taylor Swift listeners this year, b) my tastes are largely around a handful of artists, and c) my 4th most listened-to song was… The Fox, by Ylvis (look, look, it was a phase, ok?). I mainly listen to music using my own player so it’s not an entirely accurate reflection of my music taste (for example, it cut out the minor REM obsession I developed around August) but it’s certainly a selection. Could be good or bad, but a selection of music it definitely was!
My top song was Bastille and Alessia Cara’s ‘Another Place’, which I listened to repeatedly on one of the better weekends of the year, a trip south for the wedding of 2 of my close friends from university. It was a brilliant weekend and I continue to be delighted for them both. Also, and I can’t stress this enough, the cake was amazing. Seriously, heavenly. That of course followed the stag do, during which I took part in the highland games and some whisky tasting up in Edinburgh. Now, for those who don’t know me, upper body strength and alcohol consumption are not 2 of my skills by any means. As it turns out though, the whisky tasting was more enjoyable than I thought (still not a fan of the stuff but it was quite interesting) and I was way better at the highland games than anyone could reasonably have expected, especially caber tossing. I mean, yes, I stuck to the small log, but for someone like me it was heavy enough! Turns out I’m not too bad at throwing a taped-up haggis at a whisky bottle either.
I guess then the final thing from this year has been Christmas. I’ve genuinely had a great Christmas, having spent much of it with family. The opportunity to spend a few days with my sister and her family has to be the highlight of the year for me, particularly after last year’s cancellation. I haven’t been able to see any of them as much as I would have liked to in the past 2 years and I think I really needed that time. One of my aims for next year is definitely to see them more (important note to fate as much as anyone: this is categorically not a new year’s resolution, given I’ve made one in my lifetime and it backfired spectacularly!). Christmas has traditionally been seen as a time for family and that was very much the case for me this year. It has, not to put it too dramatically, brought the warmth and company back into one of the lonelier periods of my life. I want more of that. With any luck, that will be the case next year.
That’s it, I guess. It’s not been the most interesting year I’ve ever had but it’s still had plenty of positives, most of which have revolved around friends and family. Probably the biggest thing from this year has been the importance of having people in my life, as if it needed reiterating. Stay close to your people, everyone.
Merry Christmas, and see you in the future.
P.S In case you haven’t been subjected listened to ‘The Fox’ before, here it is:
The Last Nerd 