Well that was another year zooming past. It didn't seem like 2 minutes since the year began. Actually, 2005 lasted 2 hours longer than normal as it started for me in Bucharest, Romania's capital, which is 2 hours ahead of the UK. That was an experience! There were fireworks going off all over the city.
2005 was a bit of a mad year for me. There were a number of life changing events, the one of most impact was the demise of my mother in March. She'd been diagnosed with cancer of the liver in September 2004 but it seems it was already fairly advanced. It's weird, even now, thinking that she's no longer there. I've never suffered a loss of that magnitude before and I have to say the emotions that I felt, still feel really, are bizarre.
Apparently when one soul departs, another one enters and it was in September of the year that my partner came to live with me. I think after about 5 months of comedy misunderstandings, treading on one another's feet, trying to find some kind of balance with each other we seem to be getting along quite nicely. We haven't had many major disputes and we always seem to find a middle ground, although that middle ground is often me backing down. It's easier that way. It means that when I do stand my ground she knows I really mean it - or that's the theory anyway.
I ended the year with an offer of employment with a different company to my current one. I tentatively accepted and since then have fully accepted. This switch will take place in March, barring any unforeseen developments. I've been almost 11 years with the current company so making the change will be strange, although quite exciting all the same.
So three major changes in my life in twelve months, possibly four if I manage to move house as well. The year has been somewhat chaotic but hopefully the paths leading from the chaos will offer a little more stability. The way time is accelerating these days it's becoming too valuable a commodity to waste it dwelling on regrets of the past. The state of flux that things are in at the moment offers little to look forward to in the future - not pessimistically, just difficult to predict or plan. So I think 2006 will be spent mainly living in the present, making the most of the moment that is now. After all, once it's gone, it's gone.