One Man and His Blog

If Diana Ross showed up today and started singing “Do You Know Where You’re Going To?” I’d have to reply, “well, Diana, I’ve got a rough idea, but if you’re wanting an exact specific location – hmm, that might take a while”.  Or maybe I’d reply, “what are you doing in my house?”.

As I launch into the new year, I’m trying to reflect on things, and in doing so, I found myself looking back at a post from a couple of months back (I haven’t yet mastered linking to posts, so if you want to catch up, it’s the one from 11th November 2008).  I was talking about three aspects of my life being journeys, and trying to work out where I was going and how to read the map and that kind of stuff.  Well, two months can be a long time, so I thought I’d report back on my progress (or otherwise).

First off - the long and difficult journey that I felt had to be made.  Well, I’ve kind of started it.  However, if we imagine it to be a motorway, then I’m currently crawling along on the outside lane, getting distracted at every service station.  I’m determined to do this – I just need to put my foot down more.  Also, I’m aware there may be roadworks ahead, which could lead me to have to take a bit of a detour to reach my destination; but this is somewhere I really really want to go, so if that means a bit of extra driving, more petrol money, that kind of thing, then I’m up for the challenge, because much as I may be tired by the time I get there, I’ll be so glad to reach the destination.

Now to my second journey – I was facing a dead end but looking for a way round it, while also wondering whether I should follow some directions to somewhere else instead.  Well, I think I’m on route to the somewhere else place now, thanks to a bit of encouragement from a passenger who’s travelling with me and giving me the benefit of their navigational wisdom.  The thing is, I’m still not entirely sure if I’m heading for the right place now – if I turn up, will the locals welcome me or politely ask me to move on?

My final journey, I’m pleased to report, is now completed.  Having gone further than I thought I could, I’ve now passed the wheel to someone else.  Now for that nap on the back seat…

So, am I nearly there yet?

1) No, but on the way;

2) No, but on the way;

3) Yes.

Maybe, just maybe, in a few months’ time I’ll come back and tell you what’s going on (although on past experience I wouldn’t count on it – I think this may be the first time I’ve actually followed up on something I said I would follow up on).  But in the meantime, I’ll just keep on trucking…

Not in a physical sense, you understand.  I’m sitting in my lounge, which really isn’t a strange place.  If I was sitting in your lounge, then I’d physically be in a strange place.  Not because there’s anything strange about your lounge though, just because I’ve probably never been there before and you haven’t invited me round (that’s a lovely ornament / picture / TV / patch of dry rot you’ve got there, by the way).

As you may have noticed, I haven’t blogged for a couple of weeks.  I was hoping to blog while I was at my parents’ over Christmas (we all had a lovely time, by the way, and Granddad is well, if a little prone to falling asleep frequently) but every time I logged onto the Wibsite, our internet connection crashed.  Then when I got home, I relished having the house to myself and didn’t get round to blogging.  And now I finally have a little bit of time and really want to blog, but can’t think what to write.

I think that probably reflects where I’m at overall.  As we step into a new year, I feel a bit like I’m in limbo.  I’ve got a feeling there’ll be some stuff happening this year, and I’m doing a bit towards making it happen (although I should probably do more) but it just seems odd knowing that I’m not there yet, and I’m feeling a little restless.

However, there is good news.  Rather than making resolutions, this year I’ve set myself ten challenges, with the aim of seeing how long I can keep going on them.  Some are things I aim to do every day, some are things I aim to do a certain number of times a week, and some are things I aim to do gradually over time; all of them are things which I think will be good for my health (physically, mentally, spiritually, or a combination of the above).  Due to circumstances, I didn’t start until Saturday, but I’m pleased to report that so far I’ve managed the three daily challenges every day, have had no problems with two out of the three ongoing ones, and am on course to do the four weekly ones.  All of which makes me rather happy.

Of course, with the transition from the end of one year to the start of the next, it’s tempting to look back at what’s happened so far, take stock of where you are now, and look ahead to see what’ll happen next.  So that’s what I plan to do next.  Tune in for another exciting episode – random time, same channel.