2017 was a strange year for me. It was a defining year, the year that Benjamin was born and made us parents. But for most of the time, I felt like I was in a weird state of limbo. Pregnancy is a lot like purgatory (or so it felt to me) and I felt as though everything else in my life was put on hold. And, whilst I love the time I spend with Benjamin, maternity leave is another kind of waiting game, even if it is a sweet one. It doesn't feel like our real life, not really.
There have been some wonderful moments of 2017, but it has also been the hardest year of my life. Becoming a mother is tough. Pregnancy is difficult. It's all life-changing and getting back to any sense of normality feels, at times, impossible. I would do it all again in a heartbeat, but I would also take a few days back from 'before' and enjoy them more. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
And so I am, along with the rest of the world, I am sure, glad to see the back of 2017 and welcome a whole new year. We can only hope that 2018 brings a more peaceful world, more hope and more progress. I am excited to get stuck into our 'real' life; Benjamin will be going to nursery from the end of March and we'll be able to get into a proper routine together as I go back to work. I'm sure there will be some teething problems, but I think I'm going to be a lot happier when I'm back at work and Ben will be happier having someone entertain him better than I can a few days a week!
I'm not setting any real goals and resolutions this year. It feels like it needs to be a quiet year, with enough space to find our feet in that new normal and without the pressure to be 'bossing it'. I feel like a lot of people are taking a breather from that always-on lifestyle and trying to take more care of themselves, and that's something I can get on board with. I do want to commit more to this blog and to Instagram, as they've both been really good creative outlets for me in the past year, but that has been my goal for around the last five years so we'll see how it goes once I have less free time on my hands. I'd also like to finish all of the little craft and house projects that I have started; I am a perpetual magpie and get distracted by new things so easily but the satisfaction of actually finishing things and improving my skills as a result is worth trying to keep on track. And I'd like to try and live a more conscious and ethical life, which I'll be discussing more on Wednesday.
So, that's it. A new year. Let's make it a good one, shall we?