I love how we, as humans, believe the changing of clock hand from one year to the next, will be our saviour. Be our fortune change. I am as guilty of this as the next person. I want to believe it so bad, that when something shitfull happens in the newest year, I get a sense of disappointment tan amount to that of the realisation that I didn’t win the $32 million in Saturday nights lotto. Again.

And to be honest, 2009 was probably the hardest, so far, in my life. My mother got diagnosed with cancer and just as quickly it seemed, was taken by it. I know that’s life and I recognise the fact that the older I get, that more shite stuff is inevitable.

So we are into another year and any chances of thinking this was going to be a tops year has already been shattered. We spent New years Day in the ER at the Hospital getting Jack’s arm cast that he has broken. Broken 2 days ago when he fell off dad’s shoulders after a fantastic day fishing with his uncles and cousins. Yep a 3 year old vs the concrete footpath from a height of 6ft does not end well. Just one of those things. Just so happened at the exact same time I was at a doctors surgery awaiting test results from the doctor and therefore, a million miles away from the two children still stuck at the boat ramp freaking out, and the one that was on his way in the ambulance, to the hospital. We Morley’s are genuine shit magnets.

Can we really blame a number? Is that an intelligent and realistic way to look at life? No, but we, as adults, can no longer believe in any of the make believe stuff. No more Easter bunny or Santa for us. No sirree, we have hard cold reality to face and if we believe, even for a couple of days, that the moons or the stars or whatever the hell we wish to stake a big fat mallet through, will be shining in our favour in the new year, even if it’s temporary, then let us have it.

And for all the bad stuff, there is equal parts great stuff. Personally, in 2009, I reconnected with friends and family again, albeit because of sad times, but we did. We’ve made some fantastic new friends this year and gotten closer to the ones we already had. We made inroads into the money pit and even added a half finished 2nd toilet. The days of being busted in on mid-number 2’s is almost over. We have seen our seven year old son come along in leaps and bounds with his education and his abilities. We’ve seen the ten year old mature and start to become a lovely young lady and received a lot of sleepy hugs and kisses from a very feisty 3 year old. Work has been steady, fun and challenging. I have found my outlet with this blog and Phil has found his outlet with cricket and his golden ducks.

The thing is, no one knows where we will all be this time in 2011. No doubt people will have come and gone, promises to ourselves about our weight, our habits and our dreams will have been kept and invariably, broken.

One thing I can promise you, life will go on and life will take you for the ride. Expect no less and oh - Happy New Year.