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2018 - What the hell happened there then?

Hello, and very nearly Happy New Year to you! Has the holiday season treated you kindly? I hope that your batteries are fully recharged and you're raring to see what the new year has in store. May it bring you only good things... and cash, while we're hoping for things, we may as well hope for cash.

I was looking forward to pondering over the past year and sharing my highs and lows with you but it dawned on me that I might be the only one looking forward to that. You have after all already suffered read my posts as the year passed. So instead, as a sort of last minute Christmas gift to you, I'll try to avoid too much self indulgence and share with you the lessons I've learned. 2018, if nothing else, brought me some valuable lessons.

Life IS actually like a box of chocolates

At the risk of encountering copyright issues, this one might sound familiar, but Forrest Gump's Mum was on the money when she said... You never know what you're gonna get.
The shocker for me this year being Cervical Cancer. When I sat down to write the final post of last year, who would've thought that cancer would be on the cards and just three months later. In the words of Kevin McAllister, Yikes!

If you didn't read it at the time, my post from earlier this year When Life Hands You Lemons, shared what happened. If you'd prefer me to sum up, it was found early, treated quickly, and 'what the fuck' summed up my general thought process. 

During a heart to heart over lunch with a friend earlier this year, in the midst of waiting to find out if the cancer had spread, and in a reflective mood, I sighed and said, "You just don't know what's ahead do you" 

"No you don't," she replied, "what if it's something amazing!" 

So I'm taking her idea and running with it to make the end of point one slightly less depressing. 

N.B. My friend went on to tell me about an unsolicited dick pic that she'd received, further proving that you never know what you're gonna get.

Stupid is as stupid does ... just joking ... When we have to face the music, we dance

Have you ever listened to what someone else is going through and thought to yourself, I don't know how they cope? We're all tough cookies at heart whether we realise it or not. (You'd be forgiven for thinking I'd had a drink while I write this. I haven't). Let me tell you a tale.

In my younger years, at around aged 10 or so, I was due to perform with my local dance class, an exceptional dance routine to the Bee Gees 'You should be dancing.' On the night of the performance, after the best part of a year practicing, fate struck me down with sickness and an ear infection.  
What did I do? How did I react in the face of adversity? Did I wallow in self pity in my bed? I tried to but my parents made me do the show. 

The lesson? There's no point in worrying too much about the what if's or potential disasters, because we can all deal with more than we give ourselves credit for, whether we happen to be wearing a leotard is by the by. Remember, the fear of pain is worse than the pain itself.

The most valuable thing in life

The most valuable thing in life is the only thing that we can't get more of. Time, and how we choose to spend it. Personally I'd recommend taking as many city breaks as possible until your friends surmise benefit fraud. This year I've been lucky enough to never be too far away from a wee weekend away and I'm very grateful for it to. 'Oh sod it, why not' became my newly adapted mantra.

The second most valuable thing in life are the people that we meet. Amongst the worrying times that this year has brought me I've been fortunate enough to have friends and family who were there in a heart beat. You get something out of every situation. Whether it be good or bad, there is always something that can be taken away from it. The most awful of times, if nothing else, make us value the good and the people that are there to help us through.

Goodness I'm so wise. What a relief that I'm not conceited with it. (I recently finishing reading Romesh Ranganathan's book in which he wrote that he hoped his readers understood him enough to know when he's joking so that he doesn't have to keep writing, just joking. I'm hoping the same but just in case, just joking).

If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading. I hope you have the happiest of New Years. See you on the flip side.

Love Elaine x


  1. What a lovely post! Really inspiring. Last year was such a rollercoaster for me and some really unpleasant things happened (nothing as bad as cervical cancer) but looking back now I'm grateful for them because they've helped me grow and made me stronger. Here's to a better 2019 for both of us!


    1. Sorry to hear that there were some unpleasant things last year for you too Nicola but YES to making you stronger! Only good things for 2019! :) Thank you for reading!


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