My 2021 wish

Hey all,

It’s Christmas Eve Day, mid afternoon and here I sit with a coffee, swollen eyes and a snuffly nose. Why? Because I attended a funeral today. Yep, on Christmas Eve. Awful timing, yes but a very poignant reminder of the fragility of life.

You see, this passing was of a lovely man who lived his life full of joy and love, who brightened his surroundings wherever he went. The kindest of men, generous to a fault and always, always smiling. Struck by a cruel disease and taken in the space of three months from his diagnosis.

A month ago, I attended the funeral of a beautiful little Warrior Princess, a sweet 10 year old girl who bravely battled cancer for half her short life. And some of my most dearest friends have had to deal with critical health issues and sudden deaths as well.

To say that I’ve been sad lately is putting it mildly.

Awful things happened earlier in the year for my family too which I’ve touched on in previous blogs.

All in all, 2021 was ………. (&$#@*’%) not kind.

I saw this little meme online and it perfectly summed up how I’ve been feeling……

Now, I didn’t bring up these things to make everyone sad……it was to justify the alcohol I’m going to consume tonight…(just one glass of something to end a yucky day – I don’t drink and so one glass is enough to make me very tipsy 😵‍💫). But I’m going to raise that glass high in honour of a lovely man gone too soon and in appreciation of all the things that I’m grateful for.

That’s the real reason I brought up these sad details…..to recognise and verbalise just how damn lucky and grateful I am to have the life I have. I’m not perfectly healthy, in fact I have many health problems. I’m not wealthy but I’m not on the streets living it hard. I’m not a party goer anymore but I have so many beautiful friends and family around me, physically and digitally that I am never truly alone, that I can reach out to, anytime I need. I’m not young anymore but I’m not old either – I’ve lived a life, had the chance to live a good life honourably and I’ve been blessed.

To watch helplessly as others so much younger than me have had to fight for their very existence is difficult. Life can be so cruel sometimes but it can also inspire us to appreciate what we have and to do better.

2021 arrived with so much expectation after a rotten 2020 but it let us down in many ways and the world is still fighting to regain its balance.

Let us all do all that we can to be kind to each other, to our communities and to our planet. Yes, we are tired but we can gather our strength and raise our hearts in hope for a brighter, healthier, kinder 2022.

So my message to you all, friends, followers and readers, is this……..

Thank you for being with me this year, thank you for your ongoing support and belief – you will never know how much it’s meant to me.

Merry Christmas, Season’s Blessings and much love,

Zelly ❤️❤️❤️