Happy New Year everyone!
This year has defiantly been the craziest one in a
long time and yet it has flown by. Looking
back it seems surreal to me all that has happened in the past 365 days. So, as
is tradition I wanted to share with you a look back into last year in my 2021
rewind.
I started to write this post detailing what happened
and how I felt each month, but I only made it to April and I didn’t like how
negative it made the year sound. So, I
wanted to try something else that would recognize the hard times but focus on
the good times.
The first three months of 2021 was the lowest I think
I have ever felt. Anxiety was at an all
time high, I was fed up, sad and spent most nights in floods of tears. It was during this time that I really learnt
the importance and power of gratitude and looking on the positive side of
things. As cases/deaths decreased and the
vaccination process was in full swing, we began to come out of lockdown. By April, the end was in sight, the roadmap
was set out and we would soon be able to see family/friends and the events
industry would open giving me the hope that I would return to my dream job.
Although these months were some of my worst, I learnt
so much and so I don’t want to forget that. I normally describe myself as a
glass half full, positive person. But
being positive doesn’t have to mean you are happy all the time. It means that even on the toughest days you
know better ones are coming. This is a lesson I hope to carry with me forever.
Better days did come and looking back I actually did a
lot more than I thought, despite various restrictions!
I had some amazing family reunions from dinners and
shopping trips to my Aunties wedding. It
was so nice to finally see everyone again and what a way to celebrate than at a
wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and
the evening was filled with lots of dancing, laughs and crazy games. I even got to help decorate it which was so
nice to do again!
In May I recorded a song with my sister about our
relationship and growing up together which was so much fun. Check her out on Instagram
@wattnotsings for amazing covers and originals.
I made some amazing memories with friends, making the
local paper watching the football, breaking out of my first escape room, going
on dog walks and dancing away at the local festival.
In July I had the best staycation with my boyfriend and my family in Wales. We climbed Mount Snowden, climbed a waterfall, went extreme canyoning and so much more. It was a beautiful week filled with love and laughter that I will always remember.
In October I completed the Great South Run blindfolded
and deaf in order to raise money and awareness for Ushers Syndrome. My boyfriend and I completed it in under 2
hours and raised an incredible £1,422. It
will be a day I never forget as I crossed the line and hugged my cousin who was
diagnosed with Ushers Syndrome. I couldn’t have done it without my amazing
boyfriend who was quite literally tied to me the whole way round!
To celebrate my birthday, my boyfriend and I were
lucky to make it to Paris in November!
It was such a magical weekend as we saw all the sights from The Louvre, Notre
Dame, St Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe and even climbed the Eiffel Tower. Our first
trip away together and I didn’t want it to end.
Although it was very different due to COVID restrictions, we were lucky
to get to go and do all that we did there. If you want to read more about out
trip, check out my previous blog post: Birthday trip to Paris.
Another great thing to come out of 2021 was my
job. The year began in roadworks,
dreaming about events. In August, my dream came true as the events industry
re-opened and I landed an internship at one of the local museums. I met some amazing people and learnt a lot
during my time there. My biggest
achievement being planning and coordinating the first live event on their newest
attraction, a WW2 vessel. As I stood
there watching the performance, news camera around me and audience members
singing along my eyes filled with tears.
This had been what I was waiting for.
I was back in the world of events and I felt so happy.
Having been triple jabbed Christmas was finally here
and I got to celebrate it surrounded by all my family. It felt so good to be able to bring our
traditions back and sit around the tree once more. Although the crazy is starting to come back
with a new variant on the loose it didn’t matter for we were together at last.
Unfortunately, my new year hasn’t started how I had
hoped. As the clock struck midnight, I
sat on facetime to my boyfriend, a shot of night nurse in my hand watching the
London fireworks suffering with COVID.
It may not have been the start to the year I had
hoped, but if I have learnt anything from last year it’s that it can always go
up. 2021 had its good times and its
bad. I feel I have grown a lot as I experienced
new things and took on new challenges.
I don’t know what 2022 will hold but unlike last year,
I feel a lot more positive and I know good things are coming.
