Reflecting on 2022
Here we are at the end of another year.
Another trip around the sun and what a ride it has been!
2022 has been the most wonderful and unexpected year. I’ll get onto that shortly, but first I’d better check in on the goals I set last year. Goals, not resolutions.
There were things I wanted to achieve this year, they weren’t huge challenges, to be fair but as it turns out….I didn’t do very well….
- Walk 1000 kilometres on Strava.
I thought I’d smashed that total in 2021.I’d only managed 996km.
BIG FAIL – I’ve only managed 530.68
In my defence I’ve been going to the gym in the morning rather than for a long morning stroll and I’ve started running again instead.
- Buy some new walking shoes and a waterproof coat for that matter.
FAIL – I still haven’t invested in walking shoes – my husband, however, did buy me a new waterproof coat for Christmas AND it is made sustainably
- Eat at the kitchen table more.
MIXED – We started off well and used the table every evening.
- Grow a sunflower.
PASS – I grew loads, a whole row of sunflowers. Just beautiful.
- Do something with my Work in Progress.
FAIL – Still unopened and unloved.
- eBay more of my stuff.
PASS – Sold a load, still listing, still ruthlessly getting rid of things I don’t use anymore, made some money and been accused by one absolute moron of being a con artist….eBay, the gift that keeps on giving.
- Make garden pretty.
IN PROGRESS…..To be honest, when I set this goal, I underestimated how much work goes into a garden, I thought it’d be a job I could complete in a weekend.
I ripped out loads of bushes and weeds. I grew my sunflowers. I planted perennials this summer, I’ve even planted bulbs ready for spring (keep everything crossed they grow). I’ve fallen behind this winter but will continue to crack on this year with transforming my green space.
- Have a bloody blog post schedule.
FAIL – Managed a month. Been a bit haphazard ever since. However, my two nights a week in a hotel have helped me post more often, it’s given me more time.
- Learn SEO – properly.
FAIL – Didn’t even try. Kind of accepted I didn’t want to write for search engines before January had even ended.
- Get my money back for the German MotoGP tickets
PASS – After months of emails, all it took in the end was one angry tweet for the money to appear in my account.
However, a new foe who are keeping my money from me have stepped into the ring and they are far worse to deal with.
- Stop procrastinating.
FAIL – It’s just who I am.
- Podcast,
FAIL – Still have ideas, just not the time.
- Eat my way along the East coast of America.
PASS AND IT WAS WONDERFUL
So, yeah, probably could have done much better on these, however, when I was thinking about and setting goals for the year, I had no idea that life was about to change in a big way and in a way I’d never imagined.
I hadn’t mentioned anything about work in goals for 2022, I assumed the year would pan out like the one before only with no global pandemics. I didn’t expect to be offered a completely new opportunity for the next year, but, just a few weeks in, that’s exactly what happened when I was asked if I fancied becoming news editor for the Northeast as maternity cover.
You really never know what’s around corner, I definitely didn’t have start new job and live away from home 3 days a week on my bingo card.
I was interested. To be honest I didn’t realise how much I needed a new challenge until I started doing it. That doesn’t mean I said yes straight away, there was a lot to consider.
It’s not easy deciding to upend your life, even if it is only for a year. It’d mean I wouldn’t have the option to see my friends mid-week, I wouldn’t have as much flexibility and of course I’d be away from my husband a lot, it’d impact his life too, though to be honest, I think he quite likes having the bed to himself for two nights.
And what if I hated it? A year can feel like an awfully long time if you hate what you’re doing.
It turned out to be a pretty great decision.
I’ve achieved so much more than I anticipated in the northeast. I’ve had some cracking exclusives, one that took months to get to air and ended up with press officers get extremely arsey. It’s been a news agenda like no other; three Prime Ministers and a new monarch certainly presented challenges. I’ve made some wonderful new friends in Newcastle, something I hadn’t considered when weighing up the pros and cons of taking on this role and I’ve had fun getting to know and exploring a new area, even if I couldn’t really understand the accent for the first few weeks.
It turned out to be a risk worth taking, one that has challenged me and left me rejuvenated. None of it would have been possible without the unwavering love and support of Scott who always has my back, supports my ideas and pushes me to be brave.
Working away has taught me not to be scared of doing things alone. I can happily sit in a restaurant and eat on my own, I’ve taken myself off to the theatre alone and can stroll for hours on end in solitude.
I’ve experienced some incredible highs over the last 12 months. We’ve thrown caution to the wind and done everything we wanted to.
After two years of limited travel plans, we certainly made up for it. The long-awaited American road trip happened. 2,934.8 miles covered in just under 3 weeks New York to New Orleans (and back). It was so much more than I anticipated, we created amazing memories, ate some of the most delicious food and laughed a lot. There is no one else I’d rather see the world with.
We visited Florence too with the sole purpose of going to see The Cure, tickets we’d booked last year without considering the logistics of the trip. I love the calm chaos of Italy, I’m really on board with how carb obsessed they are – potatoes in pasta is a bit of a game changer. It was a beautiful little winter break; despite the fact it was still unseasonably hot.
We were lucky enough to be at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, we were both gutted when he died earlier this year, there was nothing going to stop us being there, even if it did mean needing to bank a fair bit of overtime. It was a once in a lifetime concert, filled with very happy memories and a tinge of sadness too.
It’s been a year filled with walks, not as many as last year granted, but we dragged our arses to the top of Scafell Pike to mark Scott’s 40th. We’ve dragged our goddaughters for miles around the hills of the Rossendale and been thwarted by fog and cloud at the top of many a hill.
We’ve seen friends get married and amazingly, I survived a three-day hen do in Ibiza, something I absolutely did not think I could still manage at this point.
I’ve really learnt to appreciate the quieter times at home too. As much as I love an adventure, some of my happiest most content moments will always be at home on the settee reading while Scott rubs my feet or sitting together in the garden listening to music. It’s no coincidence that after busy and hectic year, we’re sat home tonight with a gyros and a bottle of fizz, ready to see midnight in together, it’s perfect.
There’s been sadness too, in November we said a final goodbye to my wonderful Grandad. He was kind, patient, loving and the very best of humanity, I’m so grateful to have had him in my life for 37 years.
I like to look back and reflect on New Year’s Eve. I like to see how far I’ve come, 2022 has challenged me in ways I never expected, it’s given me new opportunities, it’s given me some of the best memories with my wonderful friends and family.
So, what have I learnt? Mostly a load of random facts to be honest.
A lot about the Osmond’s thanks to a three-hour musical I went to with my mum.
It’s very easy to get lost in DC, it’s not so easy to find a bike rack with spaces.
Nashville is the craziest place I’ve ever been to.
If you delay me getting home by 54 hours….I will cry in the airport.
I can party until 6am (Ibiza) it’ll just take me a week to recover.
Covid is bloody awful (it finally caught up with me).
I can say no and not feel guilty.
I can do anything.
I’m stronger than I give myself credit for.
I am lucky.
I have the best people.
So, it’s goodbye 2022, I’ve had a blast and can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store.
There’ll be no goal setting or resolutions, let’s just see where life takes us and where we wash up next December.
Before I sign off for a few days, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who’s followed this blog this year and read my ramblings. I appreciate every view, like and comment more than you’ll ever know, I hope you’ll stick around next year too.
Happy New Year to you all xxx
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radiosarahc View All
Journalist, writer, traveller, music lover, collector of hats, news addict, bookworm
Sarah Collins Bookworm 
“accepted I didn’t want to write for search engines” – this is something that I struggle with so much! I obviously want people to read what I write, but I also want to write what I truly care about, and that becomes difficult!
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It’s a battle isn’t it? So bloody hard to find the right balance between the two, I can never work out what will do well and what will flop
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