Goodbye 2021

 And just like that 2021 is done! I still feel as though I haven’t fully processed the fact that the year has come to an end and we’re now in 2022😄. I didn’t really do that much blogging last year, it’s really just a fun hobby for me but still, I have a lot of love for my little blog and will continue to create and post whenever I can. 

Todays blog post is a more personal one about how 2021 went for me and to share all my little thoughts on the year in general. 
Despite 2021 feeling fairly uneventful at times, so many big life things - good and bad - happened in the year: 

• I graduated university with a first class honours. My whole last year of uni was done remotely, online at home which was a strange experience to begin with. I wrote my whole dissertation from home and had zoom meetings with my dissertation advisor every once in a while. So much time had been spent stressing over the dissertation but then it was all over😄 Having an online graduation was quite odd too because it felt like such an unsatisfying end to the four years. It almost made it feel as though I hadn’t even really finished at all, but it’s all done now. 

• I started my first “grown up” job as a primary school teacher with my own little class. I’m now a good chunk of the way through my probation year which is quite scary really! There’s been ups and downs but overall I’ve been enjoying my time, learning and working with really supportive staff. I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that I’m an actual teacher now (probably stemming from the fact that it didn’t even feel as though I’d left uni😄). I’m still learning as I go and I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself but I’m trying my best and giving it my all. 

• I spent time with friends and even had a little weekend away with my closest. We went to Loch Lomond and it was really lovely to be able to spend some good quality time with them. Even managed to make some new friends this year and as well as grew closer to old ones. 

• My little guinea pig passed away due to a sudden illness. She was with us for over five years (which, where I am, is good going for a pet-shop Guinea pig😅). This was a difficult time - she was like a little therapy animal in that she was always there throughout so many large milestones in my life. She was there through the time where I graduated from high school and all the years of uni and then the start of my job and all the happy/sad life moments in between.

• Caught COVID. It kind of felt inevitable that this was going to happen eventually. I know so many more people who have it now than I’ve known throughout the whole of the pandemic. I’ve had all my vaccines plus the booster but I’ve still been quite ill with it. As my symptoms started on Christmas Eve, I’ve had to isolate throughout the whole of the festive period and I’ll be back at work soon so it wasn’t exactly the best end to the year but I think it was the one that was lost fitting for the year it’s been😄

There’s been some highs and lows in 2021. I wish I felt more optimistic about 2022 but right now I’m just trying to take everything as it comes and not place too many expectations on how I think the year should go. There’s a lot of uncertainty coming up in this year when my probation year comes to an end in June, so my main wish for this new year is that things all work out with minimal stress and anxiety. 

I’ve never really been the biggest fan of New Years or with setting resolutions as I feel I never stick to them. Instead, this year I’m just going to keep on going with everything I’d been doing while trying to make some more time for myself and loved ones. Going into this year with no grand expectations and just taking things as they come. 
I think I’ll be feeling more excited and optimistic about the year as soon as I’m feeling better and COVID isn’t taking over my whole body as it currently is at the time of writing this😄

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2022!

Bye for now, xo