The last ten years

Here is the briefest of posts; a quick reflection on the last ten years.  In some ways, life seems to have stood still and yet there has been a number of unexpected twists and turns.  We are still living in the same house and still go to the same church which is always a good foundation for us. 

During the last 10 years….

Through this post, I am not wanting to post an “Instagram” image of everything being artificially perfect.  As we all know, the realities are often very different but here are some of the things which spring to mind

• I started my first blog in 2010!  That first one grew enormously in terms of readership and peaked at 20,000 page views each month.  Blogging is a very satisfying hobby, especially when you can read posts which are now 10 years old.
• Becky was 11 years old back in 2010.  How she has grown as a person!  Now married with a degree in Maths and living in Exeter.  So proud of her.
• Hannah was 10.  She has grown into an adventurous girl with a penchant for water sports and definitely aiming for a more vocational career.  So proud of her.
• In January 2016 I started working for my local Council.  A kind of sideways move and yet I found more difficult than I expected.  I came to know my predecessor who was a very gifted person, definitely still climbing the career ladder and she told me how it was an impossible job.  I eventually agreed with her and quit.
• Still with work, in 2010 I was very happily working in the Probation Service and was well established as a middle manager.  I liked being involved in the business side of the work, while cherishing opportunities to still be involved in the occasional case.  In 2010 none of us could have foreseen the utterly reckless and disastrous privatisation which took place – and has subsequently been reversed.  I have still not forgiven my MP for not only backing those reforms but even being the Minister at the time!  Just a few weeks before his appointment as Minister, he wrote to me saying he knew nothing about the reforms but he would look into my concerns!
• On 31 December 2015 my father died, most unexpectedly. My mother still struggles with the inevitable memories of this time of year.
• Ten years ago I was pretty fit.  I was working in St Albans then and would regularly cycle there.  I was a member of a gym and had a pretty good all-round fitness, balancing running and cycling.  I think I peaked a few years later.
• I retired in 2018 aged 56.  Knowing this was possible was very unexpected and we got this sussed in the January.  It was nice knowing I could do this and then the final decision was made while I was in hospital in April/May.
• Most unexpected was having health problems during this last 10 years.  My eyesight has had a few problems but thankfully it has settled down.  The biggest issue was prostate problems which led to permanent kidney damage.  This has all taken me totally by surprise.And finally, my outlook has changed a little.  I am perhaps less pragmatic and focussed these days.  Instead – and probably through the “early retired” effect – I am more reflective and find myself thinking more of the longer term view of things.

So, what about the next 10 years?  Given some of the events over recent years, it’s difficult to predict how things will pan out.  That is what makes life so interesting!  As ever, I am always optimistic and hopeful.  I suspect we might move house to a new part of the country but who can be sure of these things?

I am, above all else, so thankful.  I’m thankful for Rachel, the girls and the love of God.