Another year! The energy still feels fresh, like a mist rolling over country hills, birds fluttering into the sky, dawn breaking, here is our chance to start again. Every day really gives us this chance, but the start of a new year is a more significant milestone. 

I always end the year on a high. November/December, summer energy approaching, the excitement of hot holidays by the beach, watermelon and peach drips, cherries, turkey for Christmas day, all the good things. I normally burn out by January and realise it is time to rest and recuperate. As I sit to write to you right now, I am currently in a rest period. I burnt out, again! Too much fun, late nights, excess in all the good things, food, drink, company, and finally it all catches up with me and blah, I need to do nothing. Well try to do nothing. Intermittent low level activities with rest and just be quiet. Sometimes I talk too much, too many words, I know, I admit it. Better to listen twice as much as talk, but heck, that so far hasn’t worked on me. Always learning right!?

So it has been an awesome summer break so far. I left Port Hedland on a hedonistic whirlwind high. I packed up, sold all my stuff, and jammed the remainder into my Focus and parked it at a friends house. No doubt all my stuff has melted into a hot puddle of a mess with the sweltering temperatures up there, but oh well. Christmas came fast and was spent happily with friends and my new man Ben. We spent some time at the beach staying at a really comfortable resort; pool, spa and surrounded by good eating out options. It was bliss to enjoy a relaxing, but jam packed 10 days together. New years eve was super fun, we went to a white party! Dressed up in all things white, we had a three course delicious meal, drinks, and danced the night away. I may have been a bit dominant on the dance floor, but wow music really gets me going! It was fun, and that is the most important part!

Early Jan I went on a fabulous trip down south with my new bestie from PH (Port Hedland from now on). She knew everyone along the way to Walpole as she has lived everywhere and grew up down there mostly. So that was great visiting all her friends in fancy homes and seeing what country living could be like. I have always wanted to buy a country property and one day I will make it a reality! And that flower farm/cottage garden/veggie patch/orchard/animals running everywhere will happen. One must keep the dream alive. 
The next few days will be dedicated to resting. Long sleeps, early nights, no booze, healthy eating, writing and back to some art! It has been too long, I have neglected my good daily art routines, such a pity, but I just got busy, as it usually goes. I am day 3 alcohol free again! YES! I am planning a 3 month break Feb/Mar/Apr and decided to start early mid Jan, because frankly I have had enough to drink this summer break. It’s been a very good time! Like everything in life it is good to find moderation again, or abstinence, and get back to healthy routines again. I find once the booze goes, I get my mental clarity back, my motivation sky rockets, I have heaps more energy in my body and mind, and yes I am ready for that. Each year I try to have a few months of grog, and time is NOW. Once I set my mind to it, that’s it I am off. My record in the past is one year and 6 months. What a hero right? I did feel good for it too. But heck drinking is fun, it’s just good to not let it get on top of you. You be the boss, you know what I mean? 

I have only a week or so left in Perth of my holidays now. It has been so good to be back home. I appreciate pretty Perth so much more now after being away for so long. Mostly I am enjoying the delicious food options. I do have quite a few regular places I like to eat and wow I am so into it. Healthy options ofcourse! Last night I went to Anna’s Vietnamese in Leederville, cheap and cheerful and had the most delicious meal. Then over to Luna for a movie and a banana choc bomb. Simple old routines that I love to repeat. Thank you Kerry for your company! 

I cut my hair off short again! Arghh! I get it growing and think yes I want long hair… then get annoyed at the bullshit halfway stage looking all messy and shit, and then impulsively cut it all off! Story of my life! Ha! I do want it long. I just want it long immediately. Please. Why does it have to take 5 years!!!?? Anyway, it looks pretty good short too, it’s only hair after all, it will grow back. Eventually…
So the new plan at this stage is to return to the Pilbara for a Maths contract for term 1. I will hit my good health routines up there, go to the gym, swim, run, eat healthy, stay off booze, save all my money, wow I will be superwoman! Term 2 I will keep open at this stage, possibly doing some travelling with my bf, and then head back to the Pilbara for some relief work. We will see. I feel like the energy right now could shift dramatically! Argh! It all feels a bit unpredictable doesn’t it? Control the controllables, and like the start of last year, the rug could get pulled out from under us at any moment. Crazy stuff is happening in America, most of the world is in some form of lockdown. We are so lucky here in WA, it is business as usual. Everything is open, people are mingling, no one is sick, we have no cases here. It seems inevitable it could come here, but with our tight border control and inability to go anywhere else means we have no cases. And there is a lot to explore in WA for the time being. 

We are all hoping for free movement within Australia and New Zealand for the very least. This will keep us all much happier, and tourism industries will be booming once again as we all have this weird island mentality and want to escape and travel and explore all the time! It could be very exciting when this becomes a possibility, and we are all hoping it will by mid year or even earlier. It will be enough to satisfy our needs for travel overseas at the very least! We will just have to wait and see! 

Okay, I think that is enough of an update for now. I will leave you with one more thing! You know how people come up with words for their year? Well two words, sorry three have come to me. Want to know which ones? Growth/Empowerment/Joy. I like it! I want to grow in myself, my wellbeing, feeling grounded and settled and calm and focused, and empowerment is obvious, but I want to feel strong and capable of anything and everything. And joy, who doesn’t want to feel joy all the time? I think it is about looking for the joy in every day and making the most of all experiences and finding your own happiness daily. No one can make you happy, happiness is a choice. Choose it!! 🙂 

Okay on that bright note I will sign off. I will aim to blog a bit more this year, and as I have noticed, when I come off booze I get lots of mental energy and want to write all the time, so get ready for a writing explosion! Boom! 
Lots of love, Anita xxxx