Saturday 14 February 2009

2009 - The Year of the...

About this time, three years ago, I was on my merry way to the town of Matsumoto, in Nagano, Japan, to visit my friend Rachael.

The snow was so deep that, at one stage, all the passengers had to file off the dinky little train, and file onto an equally dinky little bus. This bus took us a windy, complicated route along roads hemmed in with feet of snow, over which you could only just see blanketed roofs peeking out from under the pines.

Eventually we made it to a station, all boarded the waiting train, and were back to normality.

My 2008 was a bit like that trip. There I was, on my express train, destination confirmed. That was until I hit engineering works and everything changed.

So when I looked over my post of '2008 - The Year of the...' It happened to read quite like my post of 'I have never....'

But such is life. And maybe we only change plans because the timing isn't quite right. So I may as well have another go.


2009 - The Year of the....

1. Hobby

The flute is waiting patiently in my room; the ballet classes are booked; the yoga is paid for; the easel has been constructed.

2. Writing Project

I don't know what form it will take, but what was previously hiding in the recesses of my brain, somewhere behind Pythagoras' theorem, has marched up the front and is demanding to be noticed.

3. Summer Solstice at Stonehenge, bagels in New York, and maybe a boat to Amsterdam

After a year of staying still, Nomadic Emma has just slightly itchy metatarsals again.

4. Dinner Party

I now have my chef knives in my kitchen. There are no more excuses not to make friends again with recipes.

5. Some Self-Improving Rubbish

Here is probably where I should say something about being a better person, giving more money to charity, or being nicer to the innately annoying person at work. But I just don't know if I want to put that kind of guilt on myself when I get to this time next year and I'm still just as bad, stingy, and unkind as the year before. Perhaps I'll work on giving more money to buskers.

No comments: