Hospitals, Happiness and Hope

Even though we’re halfway through January, I’m still thinking about the New Year and reflecting on the old one.2019 was certainly a year full of change and excitement!!I spent most of Christmas and New Year visiting my mum in hospital and trying to support my dad as he adjusts to all the difficult and emotional changes that are happening . Christmas day was definitely different in our household this year but ended with me and my children snuggling, watching a movie and eating chocolate!!This new decade has allowed me to reflect on the highs and lows, triumphs and failures, new experiences, learning and lessons of 2019. It has also made me wonder about the fragility of life and what I want to do with the rest of mine.Professionally, setting up ‘Feel Positive’ has been a joy as well as a huge learning curve. I am looking forward to growing over the next 12 months. I am still teaching as it is something very close to my heart and I am still learning. Learning new things about myself and life has made me look at the world completely differently.Personally, I am the happiest I have ever been. I am embracing who I am and all the people in my life who accept me for me, people I can laugh and have fun with, people who I can talk to, as I know they will listen, people who stand beside me when I face adversity, people who teach me valuable lessons, people who want to experience and learn new things with me.Over all of this, I have learned that there is always hope. Hope gives people a purpose, hope helps people carry on when their burden is too heavy. When people are at rock bottom, hope can get them out of the hole they are in. Even when it seems there is no hope, it can grow from nothing into something that is beyond your imagination.I am going to carry hope with me throughout 2020 and I’m planning on it being a good year.