Happy New Year!

I picked a fine day to try and write a major blog post (yesterday) and just couldn’t get the time to sit down and focus on writing. We had a New Year’s Eve party to go to and I was pushing hard to get the housework done. I went out to the shops to get groceries (boy was it busy!), washed 2 lots of laundry, did some outstanding dishes, made honeydew sago, etc. Thank goodness for Dan being at home so we could share the Jacob duties (except for breastfeeding!)

And we had a lovely party at our friend’s house which involved scrumptious food, swimming, karaoke and a countdown. This was Jacob’s first time in a swimming pool, though he has been ‘swimming’ in the bath before. It had been a relatively hot day and the pool water was about 32 degrees, which was really nice. I bought him a little floatie to swim with, but what he liked best was floating in the water on his back – all I need to do is support his head, and he just floats around calmly, gurgling to himself.

Jacob was quite intent on being awake so I let him be – he did have a sleep for almost two hours, but then woke up to join us for karaoke. Maybe one day he’ll be able to sing karaoke with me (until he becomes a teenager and finds it uncool to sing with mum). Here he is ‘singing’ with a friend of mine (more like him making screeching sounds).

And of course, we just had a lovely countdown between the lot of us. I’m so thankful for friends and family, and that I can spend such celebrations with them. A few years ago, this would have been an impossibility because I worked in hospitality and had to be busy at work on such occasions. I remember my first new year’s knowing Daniel (2011), I spent on the balcony of The Westin Melbourne, sipping a glass of French champagne (the boss let us open a bottle) watching the fireworks over Federation Square. Then, after my shift ended, I rushed down to meet Daniel and welcome the new year with him.

Come to think of it, I also welcomed 2012 away from home as I was in Auckland organising my visa (I had to go offshore to get my visa done, long story). I was staying at a Backpacker’s place and didn’t have any plans – then I got invited to dinner with some girls, so we went out for a steak in a pub and then counted down in the middle of the street, waiting for the fireworks to go off from the Skytower. Well, it was a foggy night and we only caught glimpses, but it was a really lovely time. Missed being with hubby of course, but I knew there’d always be the following year (which we just spent at home with my parents).

All this talk of new year made me wonder if things actually changed in the new year. This morning I woke up to a handsome man and a cute baby (who puked on my nice clean sheets, le sigh!). I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and Skittles stared in from the window, hoping that we would get up to give her breakfast. I realised that things aren’t really that different, and I can’t complain because these people (and dog) bring such meaning to my life.

I think what really changes at this time of year is people’s mindsets. New Year’s is a time of hope and new meaning to a person’s life. It’s a time for putting the past aside and focusing on what’s ahead. It’s a time for regrets, but also a time for new resolutions. It’s a time to forget about the failures and to just dream big. It’s like, when the clock ticks past midnight, a new lease of life has been given to people and we can find the strength to start the year right.

But I believe that we have access to this strength anytime, be it on New Year’s Day or on any day of the year. I aim to make every day count, and to try to start every day right (even if I’ve had a rough night before that, or am not feeling well, etc.). I’m honestly really happy to have done all the things I’ve done in my life, the good and the bad because it’s made me who I am today. Yes, sorry that was a bit cliché but it’s very true.

That being said, and I know I haven’t been consistent with my top 5 list, here are the top 5 things I promise myself for this year:

5. I promise myself that even if I stumble, I will pick myself up. One of my biggest problems is when I falter, I just succumb to my failure and revel in it. I need to remind myself that I can overcome, and that all things are possible if I just tap the right power source.

4. I promise myself that I will keep Daniel the happiest husband alive. I know that many times I fall short, and many times I feel I ask too much and give too little. But I will remember to thank him for the little things and remember that I’m as much a wife as I am a mother.

3. I promise myself that I will enjoy Jacob and not let this time slip by. I was tempted to go back to work at first, but I realise now that my baby needs me and that I need him. Not that he’ll turn out bad if I put him in childcare, but I know I will regret all the lost time. I must remember to enjoy the intimate moments, because all too soon he’ll be a toddler, and then he’ll go to school and then become a teenager. And when he leaves home to start his own family, I will have those beautiful moments to hold on to.

2. I promise myself that I will focus more on my spiritual life. No, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to drop all I’m doing and become a missionary and travel across Asia and Africa baptising people. Though a mission trip at some time would be amazing (but I think I’ll wait til the kid(s) are older). But I do need to remember that your faith is what you stand for; it should be something that defines you, something that resonates from your very core to a point that people do not question it and and respect what you believe in.

1. I promise myself that no matter what happens this year, I choose to be happy. I choose happiness for my family and my loved ones, and I do hope that they will choose the same as well.

Happy New Year everyone! May 2014 be an amazing year that astounds you to no end!