There was really amazing highs. I went to Lisbon for the first time, I turned 22 and had an amazing party, we got our pet rats called Alicia and Diane, George graduated, I got back into sewing and me and Katie went to see Hamlet at the Barbican.
There were lows, too. My business took a huge hit in the first couple of days of the year when my first factory-made shipment of ukuleles turned up and was completely terribly made (still a sore point), my wonderful cat Tom died after 17 years of constant adoration, I tried out for several jobs and put all my creative might into standing out and going above-and-beyond but still didn't get anything.
So it was kind of a mix. Yeah some of the bad things cast a really heavy shadow but there were still really lovely times.
The thing I'm really going to take away from this year is how much I was able to learn about myself. 2015 was the first year where nothing big happened. In 2014 I had to move out of my flat and find a totally new friend group from gumtree (I did, they're great). In 2013 I had a lot of unsettling feelings as my living situation fell apart. In 2012 I moved to Uni. In 2011 I did my A levels after contracting an illness which put me out of school for a few months. Those were a crazy few years and though of course I learnt a lot about myself and how I cope with things I didn't learn
"This is what I need when I feel in a rut."
instead I learned
"This is what I need when I feel when I'm in a rut and also I'm in a very stressful environment/recovering from illness/ trying to rebuild everything."
This year was the first year that I had a control. A time when I could have normal ups and downs which weren't entirely overshadowed my major life events. It was amazing to just be able to think and try things and experiment. It was really wonderful to discover the food that my body likes, the structures which make me most productive, the interactions I enjoy rather than just feel I should have.
So in short, thank you 2015. You weren't my happiest year at times but I cannot express how invaluable you were. I cannot wait to take everything I have learnt from you and show it to your newer sparklier counterpart. Bring on 2016!!!
