Sunday January 4th

It's been a good holiday - went really very well. Then it was back home, and back to work - being as the Helpline works 365 days of the year, I ended up doing the night shifts on Weds, Thurs and Friday - I'm not really into New Year, so I'm quite happy to work them. It was certainly busy enough!
So there's this whole New Year thing. I actually agree wholeheartedly that this setting of unrealistic goals - resolutions, is setting yourself up for failure, and I find it hard to believe that resolving to do something at a particular time of year makes it any easier to achieve. I believe you do things when you feel that the time is right, and your determination is spurred on by the realisation that something needs to be changed. I.E, you start a diet because you can't get into a favourite piece of clothing, or you've stepped on the scales to find your weight has unexpectedly increased. It horrifies you, and that sense of shock contributes towards your determination to achieve the weight loss. You don't say to yourself, oh I'll wait for January the 1st and then I'll start dieting!
Anyhow, the reason for all this musing on resolutions and determination is because I have some pretty huge changes planned for this year, and it's nothing to do with loosing weight. My mother's death has enabled me to make some changes, to hopefully go back to uni and perhaps even get that PhD that I've always sort of had in the back of my mind. It's quite a long road to be setting out on, because I'll need to start off with something that's going to bring my degree up to date! I have a sense of freedom about this, because essentially I can choose where I go to - but at the same time I have to choose wisely because I can't simply afford to make a wrong choice. I've sort of decided that this year will be spent in choosing where to go, moving, getting myself onto the right course to update my qualifications - I've got nine months to do this in, but of course, way less than that because I have to apply etc. I've sort of made my decision, only I have to finalise it - have to start that application process, and get accepted for one thing. So watch this space, there's lots of changes coming!