'Tis that time of the year again. Endings, new beginnings, reflections, learnings, looking backwards, moving forwards, you get the drift. This year taught me many things but even as I was chewing on one of its greatest lessons, it reinforced that lesson with another thump. That things can change in a moment with no warning and I can't do a damn thing about it! That no matter how much I hold onto a sense of stability and try to grasp it with both hands, it will still slip through my fingers like so much sand. Instead of complaining though, I want to be thankful. Thankful that these things did not escalate more than they did and the people who mean so much to me will get through to the other side, maybe a bit battleworn, maybe later than sooner, but what matters is that they will. And I hope to learn from these lessons to cherish the moments I have with people who mean something to me. To tell them what I cherish about them and how they bring light into my life. In spite of how hard I make it for them to find a way in with their light. That's what I am taking with me into the New Year...

I read a quote that to want to be a writer and not want to be rejected is to want to be a boxer and not want to get punched... hehe... As an academic my stock-in-trade is writing. However, before I ever even imagined entering academia I was writing. I guess I have been writing since I can even remember, in my diary or wherever. And what is this blog if not a paean to my love of writing! In short, writing is my lifeblood, as natural as breathing. But this past year, writing has become part of the competitive sport one plays in academia, not what I do for pleasure (except on this blog of course ;)). And rejections or defeats are a part and parcel of that. It can feel really tough to serve up a core part of your identity, which writing is for me, for judgement and criticism. Which is why I find this quote strangely comforting. It shifts the way I look at rejections or defeats - you can't not have them and still hone your craft. I guess like boxing one must focus on playing one’s best game (though I know next to nothing about boxing) rather than avoiding punches because the only way to completely avoid them is to not play. But I am here to play so I must learn to bear the punches too. I must grow a thicker skin. Easier said than done of course. But that's another note to self I take with me into the New Year...

Here's to the New Year, dear reader... may it be full of adventure but in a kindly way! :)