The year is nearly at an end, thank goodness. Back in July I wrote the below post after the start of this year proved challenging. As I state, in the grand scheme of things all pretty minor, but all affected me. https://www.my11yearplan.com/post/2024-can-f-cking-f-ck-off Today is 14th December, later this evening I am joining around eighteen of my fellow Jaws fans and we are chatting to Billy Van Zandt. I can hear the cries of 'Who' resounding from you my faithful readers. Billy was in Jaws 2, he played Bob, one of the teenagers who get attacked by Bruce the Second whilst day sailing. I have been very fortunate to have spoken to a number of Jaws stars over the years and all organised by the great Facebook group I am a part of and I am looking forward to this one. (1) Amity Jaws Group | Facebook
Right, I am not a New Year, New Me type, never have been, resolutions are daft, setting yourself unrealistic goals that you will never meet and then feeling bad for that very fact, come on.
I am not going to go all mentor and tell you what you should do, but resolutions are not it. 'thumbs up emoji'
Eat the cake, buy the shoes, fill your heart, look after your body, eat well, drink the wine and do it all in moderation. Typical, I say I am not going to mentor and then I do. I can't help myself, it is in my very nature to nurture. I really cannot wait to 'turn the calendar over' and see 2025, even if January takes 235 weeks to pass as it always bloody seems to. I can't put my finger on it, but 2024 has a feel about it and its not a nice one. I have had chats with friends and colleagues and they all say the same, this year leaves a nasty taste on the tongue, a bit like sprouts.
Cheeky festive reference. However, as I look back through my camera roll, 2024 was actually superbish. It's a word, honest, well it is now, I have added it to my dictionary on this laptop, no more red squiggly lines for me. Granted we had one of the worst spring and summers for some time, it was bloody grim wasn't it? And yes, your author was ill, more so than he can remember ever being in one year, is it an age thing, is this something I have to accept as being the norm?
Fuck that, I don't do ill, ill Paul is a real grumpy bastard and that is saying something as I am grumpy bastard pretty much all of the time.
I have earned the right. 'smiley face emoji'. Two very close friends were in very serious accidents, one car related and another mountain biking, despite it being touch and go for both of them, they are thankfully still with us and making good recovery. Don't scare us like that again boys, please. Before I get on to the good of 2024, I was really bad at doing the things that bring real joy to my heart, the paddleboards, walks and hiking and of course my mountain bikes.
I have a tattoo in plan, likely to be on my calf, all black and showing a peak of a mountain, with a hiker going up one side a biker coming down the other and a paddleboarder on the lake at the bottom, my holy trinity of heart swelling activities, yet as I say this year I have done very little of any of those, nothing to do with a lack of desire or because I have fallen out of love with those things, because I really haven't, but simply a feeling of 'Meh'. That's 2024, it was Meh.
The Good!
Friends
The fabulous buggers, always make me smile. Army reunions, The Races, ad-hoc meet ups, Summer Ball, nights out with the Shrewsbury lot, the 'Oxford' trio, etc.
Gigs
Bloc Party, Bryan Adams, The Killers, Girls Aloud, Fontaines DC and Idles, all bloody superb, even The Killers who I am not really a fan of.
Theatre
Ghost stories, talks, numerous plays and I have Book of Mormon next week.
Travel
Lake District with Sam, Isle of Man (Army reunion), Ibiza (Stag Do) and the US, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Vegas.
Dinner Dates
With my 'gig and theatre' lady friend (L), someone who is very special in my life. No we are not dating, no hat shopping required. Aunty M and K in Canada stop getting excited, it isn't happening!
That is quite a year when you look back, my heart is full and I am a very fortunate man to have the people in my life that make my time here so worthwhile. Plans for 2025. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I have been identified as an ESTP. ESTP Personality (Entrepreneur) | 16Personalities We are not known to be planners, we fly by the seat of our pants and react to problems rather than avoiding them, fixing as we go, I am a true believer in gut feelings and whilst I know I may need to do something to benefit me, it has to feel like the right time and I always sense when that is. So I don't plan, or at least I tell myself that I don't. Already in the diary for 2025 is; Time with Army mates, camping, reunion, Lets Rock in my home town, Army v RAF rugby and a Regimental Christmas Ball as a starting point. The Shark is Broken in May (more Jaws geekiness). Stereophonics, Fontaines DC, Kneecap and Amyl and the Sniffers in one weekend in London in July with L. If that isn't planning, I don't know what is. Oosh my whole blog is about planning, it is the actual bloody title, says the non-planner. Leave me alone, I am allowed to be contradictive, it's my blog. 'shrugged shoulders emoji'
'heart emoji' No concrete travel plans yet either, I fancy doing the NC500 in the Jaaag, possibly with L and maybe a road trip through Europe, but again, I will not plan that. My recent trips to the US have seen me book the flights and time off work some three to four weeks before actually going, when the time felt right. I suspect you may ask, aside from all of the above being in plan, 'if you don't plan what do you have to look forward to' and that's a distinct trait of ESTP, we live in the moment, we live for now.
I don't have a sense of missing out because I don't plan everything. I know people who book all of their leave dates at the start of the year for the whole year and that idea fills me with dread, how do you know how you are going to be feeling at that time so far ahead, that would give me anxiety over comfort. C. C. Chapman once wrote, Today is a gift, tomorrow is not promised' which is so true. Another favourite of mine, attributed to numerous, including Eleanor Roosevelt is 'Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery' also said by Marcus (played by David Spade) in Grown Ups 2.
Why do I retain this weird level of trivial knowledge? I have some things that are not plans as such but habits I wish to continue, my gym training for one, that is now habitual and I would hate to break it. My RICS application, which is not habitual yet, but is a task I need to tick off, however I need that gut feeling, it is close, I can sense it. The bikes, I really need to up my game here, no bloody excuses, they are expensive ornaments at the moment. Walking, I have a desire to get back to the mountains, again its a gut feeling, I am fortunate to live in very close proximity to Wales and I need to see much more of that country.
The sea, I miss it, that ties in with visiting Wales more, maybe even doing some surfing.
Dating.
Ha fooled you, as if I am going to sort that part out, ever. Bring on 2025, lets make it a good one, a continuation of the good times and we will roll with the odd bad, if it comes. Maybe I should make some plans...
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