End of 2008/beginning of 2009

The previous year(s) has(have) been a hasten rollercoaster rides of adventures and thrills. And where has it brought me? To the present moment, flaws and all and tales to tell. It hasn’t necessarily altered me, the core of me, but it has made me wiser and has taught me lessons about life that only I could learn by myself through lessons given by experience and our own personal journey through time.

The past years have been glitter, they sparkled, there were colours; red, yellow and green with shades of blue. There were disco balls galore and giant dance floors; houses with adventures in beds, bath and beyond; breakfast at noon, lectures in clubbers’ philosophy and essays on travel. I have made phenomenal friends, some for fun and some for life; some who will be a constant in my life wherever they are on the globe, and some have turned from lovers into enemies; who will be released from my memories rather than erased from my mind with all photos of us burnt.

But life had an angry edge; there was a jagged side to me that needed to be smoothed down; there was a tiger within had needed to be tamed. And somehow these past few months, with work and solitude, like the change in the weather that you never really expected there grew a more pleasant, calmer and settled side within me. The important of feeling good and making other feel good too was realised. The mantras of; being the best you can be; make everyone you see feel good; smile; wish everyone the best; be thankful; they all made sense somehow – something within me put these into motion. And yes, some people are still mean and moody and glum. Let them be. You be open and honest and fair and kind and others will feel this and respond to it and you will get this back.

And this brings me to the present moment. To the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009. The past year has been hectic, on personal and global scales; and it has brought everyone down back to basic – we realise now what is important in life; the friends, the family; the goodness within. It’s not easy to admit or want these but it is necessary within us to acknowledge them and to gain them. Organic food, water with bits of gold in it, frou-frou clothes and la-la land dreams… these are okay but ultimately pointless. What endures is the creativity, the spirit and the imagination within. Colours are bright yellow and red are being replaced by more earthy colours or brown, golden-sand and green. Aero-kick workouts are being replaced by yoga. Inner sanctums of the brain replace the chill-out rooms of clubs where you can by oxygen (I can’t believe people do that. Buy what’s already provided). Cooking home food will replace 4-piece sushi that cost €30 (not including delivery) and modern art will be made at home, where let’s face it will be better and cheaper than the ‘art’ you buy in some galleries. This is not to say that we will all become hippies and stop wearing deodorant (perish the thought) nor will it mean that the world will be better instantly but there will be gradual changes.

There will now be a return to the basics, the feel-good factor will live on but in a different form but it will still be fun. It’s just a clearer, sober kind of fun, with rays of the sun rather than neon-lights.

(Tough year for the Nicosia Housewife then).

Happy 2009 – I wish you all the best