Time for a change

They say that as one door closes another opens, change is for the better, sometimes it's the motivation that we need to pull ourselves together and get on with things. There are big changes coming and sometimes you have to embrace them to be able to move forward. Someone who has been a big part of my life is leaving for good, it's sad, the situation is fraught with emotion and unknowns, but everyone keeps keeps telling me it's for the best and I'm hoping this will be the case.

It's at times like this that you realize who your good friends are, the ones that stick by you, offer advice and help unconditionally, people that you might not speak to or see that often but they are there when it counts :-) Friendship in this place seems to superficial to some, it's tragic! People who you thought were your friends can turn on you and cast you aside over the most ridiculous things. It's the whole clicky group scenario that I've always hated - ever since school. Hahaha I'm always the square peg trying to fit into a round whole, but I realize that there is no point whatsoever in trying to please people and change who you are to fit into their demographic, true friends will love and accept you for who you are and for that I'm very thankful for the mad, crazy, outgoing, caring, loving friends that I do have.

Why should you change to please others? If they can't accept you as you are, then what's the point? And it's their loss and issue not yours or mine. That's one thing I also realize and accept about the person who is leaving. I spent three years being a person that wasn't me, trying to please someone else, to bow to their every whim, but as time progressed and we drifted apart, my old self came back to assert itself, to the point that that person doesn't recognize me anymore. That's the thing about trying to change someone, it has a complete negative effect - did you ever really know them to begin with? Probably not.

The next few months are going to be trying and testing, but I look forward to change and now have the motivation I need to move forward and progress and keep on smiling.

Happy days :-)

Another year goes by......

I don't know why, but life in the UAE seems to pass in the blink of an eye! I can't quite believe that I've now been here for six years, when it seems like only yesterday I was packing my things from wet and misty Wales to come and live in the desert. Boy things have changed in that time! The place is unrecognisable. I always remember the Hard Rock Cafe being in the middle of nowhere and thinking, what nutter would build an eatery where people have to drive tens of kilometers to get to it? Now of course it turns out the 'nutter' was a smart cookie as the HRC ended up in the mist of the bustling man-made marina area. Sadly though the iconic HRC is now closed and will become another victim of progress, where once nice kitsch places that were popular with everyone are seen as prime real estate land to build yet another towering monstrosity which will lie virtually empty as those who would rent apartments have fallen victim to redundancy and left.

LOL - I digress! Another year has gone by, another birthday, another year older. Many things have been achieved and many have not. There are still many things to be crossed off the list and boxes to tick. But certain recent events have taught me that you have to get on with it and live life to the full, as they say 'Don't put off till tomorrow, what you can do today', 'Live in the now', 'Live each moment as if it were your last'. It's all good you know. It's easy to sit and dwell on what we haven't got or what we haven't yet achieved, or wish for those childhood dreams to one day finally become a reality.

What I like most right now is that I'm pretty much content. I have a group of awsome friends around me, and we've had some wonderful times of late such as celebrating a couples engagement, having dinner parties, ladies nights out, quiz nights, bbq's and birthdays - it's wonderful. As we were out last weekend I looked around and realized that our group has an incredible age range, from 21 to late 40's, yet all have brilliant life experiences, can hold their own in conversation on any topic and are above all great fun and easy to be around - this I find to be quite a rarity. But it makes me realize that no matter what age you are, it's what you bring to the table that counts and every person is as important and wonderful as the next.

So whatever the next day, week, month, year will bring, as long as there are these fantastic people about, then it's all good. I still have my list and will be aiming to tick off a few boxes, mainly in the travel and achievements departments, but hey if something else comes along then great too, but certain things aren't the be all and end all, no matter what some might say.

So cheers, have a sip from the cup of life and enjoy. xxxx