new beginnings...

well. it's that time of year, ey? time to start thinking about what comes next. and, in keeping with my own little three-year-long tradition, i went out and bought myself a gift today. 





a brand new diary, baby. it's time to talk 2011. and as i lay my card down to pay for this, my favourite yearly planner (naturally food-related), i started to think... i wonder what amazing things i will be writing in these here pages? which got me wondering, in the spirit of seeing who i want to be, and in light of this new-found positivity, if i think good thoughts, will i be writing them for real soon enough? 


perhaps an appointment with the university to confirm my readmission? (or maybe that will happen even sooner than that...) dates for my professional placement? graduation? job interviews scheduled in for mid-year? and let's not forget a chic birthday dinner or two.


and why stop there? how about all the good times i'll have celebrating fabulous occasions with friends? engagements, birthdays, love and happiness. pencil them in. and meal after delicious meal, both home-cooked and eaten out to commemorate special moments in our lives. incredible outings to farmers' markets (the locations of which are included in the front of my beautiful planner), bringing home the freshest and most vibrant produce to play with. 


challenging moments, compromise, creativity and artistic success. jot them down, too. maybe a massage lurks in the near future? perhaps it comes as a reward for working hard to achieve my fitness goals. add in a million smiles, and laughter between lovers. 365 daily feeds for mimi, and 365 tales of silliness to match. flowers, shopping sprees, fixing things around the house, hanging pictures, printing photos, reliving happy memories of the years gone by.


it's looking to be a seriously good year ahead. and no, i'm not stupid. i've flipped the pages and apprehended the not-so-good-stuff. tears, arguments, misunderstandings. break-ups, lay-offs and anger. those things are all there too, somewhere. old me, firsthalfof2010 me, would have spent far too long dwelling on those things. but blog, and now 2011 diary, you are reminding me to notice the good stuff. maybe highlight it in fluorescent pink and orange and sprinkle it with glitter. yes, i will accept the sadness and the hardships. let them soak through my body and my mind. i will go so far as to acknowledge the importance of feeling the pain that life inevitably deals us. so i will cry and wallow and ask to be coddled. and then, i will flip the page. when i'm ready, i'll move on. start again. see the good. see what i want to be. (recurring theme, anyone?)


and now, enough warbling. i will leave you with exciting thoughts. summer is coming:


(despite ominous weather today, baby, it's a-comin')


lots of time will be spent here, in the palace of the sun, acland street, st kilda in melbourne. o, heavenly place. 


and plenty of ice cream happiness is on its way. all you can eat, in fact.


so, what's your happy-coming?


-- R.