2015 - A year of soul-searching

It’s the tenth of January. Ten days ago I opened my eyes and blinked a few times. In spite of all the hype and countdowns, the popping of champagne corks and the fireworks, a new year always takes me by surprise. In spite of the familiarity, there’s a certain novelty about it – like a new sweater from a much-loved brand. The old year is packed away, now nothing more than a stash of memories, most of which will slowly fade away like old photographs on someone’s wall. In the early morning silence I took some time to reflect on the most memorable moments of 2015.

Without a doubt I will forever remember it as the year that terrorism came back to Europe in two events that still haunt and anger me and which have left me with many questions and not too many answers. While messages of grief and solidarity flooded the internet, I could find no words that would make sense of my chaotic thoughts. In silence, I tried to come to terms with emotions that I couldn’t quite express. Time will dull the memory but Europe’s wounds will take time to heal.

On a more personal level, at the start of 2015, I jotted down a few resolutions in my journal: to read more, to write more, to take more photos on manual mode, to de-clutter. Some resolutions were easy to keep (like reading) but, despite my good intentions, last year was the least productive on the blog front. With only 26 posts, I only managed to average two posts per month – which is pitiful. There were several entries that I wrote and never published and I came close to quitting several times. But I’m still here so I don’t think you’ve heard the last from me yet.

I spent many days during the past year lost in my thoughts and looking inwards. It was a year of more thinking and less talking, more reading and less writing. It was a year of soul-searching, of getting more in tune with my inner self. I hope that I found what I was looking for. So, here I am, at the start of 2016 wondering whether I still have anything relevant to say; toying with the idea of making a few changes here and there; and looking back on special moments.

As a family, we’ve continued our visits of historical places, including famous monuments in America’s capital, took a few boat trips along Malta’s coastline and hiked in some unspoilt areas of our countryside that are becoming rarer and rarer to find. As always, along the way we’ve made a few discoveries and came back richer with each new experience.

 

For 2016 I hope and pray that no war clouds darken our horizons and that the world will finally fall in love with peace. As for myself, I hope that words will flow more easily and that I am surrounded by light. Not the natural light of which we have an overabundance, but an inner, more ephemeral light. So, as each one of us makes a decision about whether to walk sedately or skip gaily through the remainder of 2016, I trust that we will accomplish our dreams and cast webs of light that will drive out the darkness and connect us more closely together. Let us all do what we do best – find the extraordinary in the ordinary and beauty in the most unlikely places. I think I will make that my personal motto for 2016.