Goodbye 2010!

There’s only another few hours left in 2010. Is it just me, or has this year whipped by at the speed of light? It seems the older I get, the faster time goes, which is obviously some sort of joke that Father Time plays on us.


I find it difficult to look back on this year and find anything that I am absolutely proud of. Sure I passed another four subjects, sure I did a good job at work, sure I was a good parent, but ho hum… I feel slightly despondent that I didn’t complete any of my major goals. But there’s always next year… or is there?

We really don’t know when our time is up on this earth. The usual spate of fatalities, a few murders, some assaults and a sudden and unexpected death have all been in the news since Christmas. I’m sure none of those people knew they wouldn’t be around to see the New Year in. It must be devastating for their families to have such a sad reminder year after year when others are celebrating. Not to mention the devastating floods in Queensland where whole townships are under water. I bet the residents aren’t celebrating the New Year either.

So, what to do? What sort of goals to set? What resolutions to make?

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, however this year I might just make one. I think my resolution for 2011 will be to live in the moment. There’s nothing I can do about the past or the mistakes I’ve made. It’s useless to dwell on what might have been, or what I should have done. Similarly, there’s not much I can do about the future. No matter how much planning I set out to do, there are always natural disasters or financial disasters or other upsets that can undo all the planning.

But there is something about this one moment that is special. Even sitting here, tapping on the keyboard and sipping a very good champagne, is all part of a singular moment, one that will never happen again in quite this way. Our dinner tonight, plates of mixed sushi and sashimi that I shared with my youngest son, our last meal for 2010, was another particular moment that will never be repeated. I’ve cherished every moment of today, the last day of this year. I’ve even cherished the extraordinary heat that nature threw at us with fistfuls of stinging wind.

Every moment of the rest of my life will be special in some way and I mean to live fully in each instant, appreciating whatever each moment brings with it. In that way I will savour each moment, sort of like lingering on the aroma of a fine wine which promises intense flavour and joy.

Happy New Year everyone! May 2011 be prosperous and full of moments to savour for each of you.