Hello Flexibility, Hello Twenty Twenty Two

The last two years in some ways seem to have roared like an unexpected tsunami, impossible to imagine, and yet the devastation left in their wake is very real, and in other ways, the time has dragged beyond belief. There has been every emotion shed on the spectrum of feelings and a variety of coping mechanisms put to the test. I am so grateful and feel extremely fortunate to be looking at twenty, twenty-two with bright and eager eyes.

Every year I chose a word to guide me through the following months; there have been many. One word I keep close, in front of mind, and try to live up to throughout the year. The words have been checkpoints for my thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. I haven’t always been as vigilant in this direction as I would like – especially in ’20 and ’21 – but these words do help.

Some in the past have included bravery, intuition, inquisitiveness, courage, balance, moderation and commitment. This year it’s flexibility.

Why flexibility?

I have always believed as we grow older and wiser we need to retain flexibility. Not only in a physical sense but in an intellectual and emotional way. After the last two years, it is even more important to make our mental gymnastics as fluid as possible. We have dealt with constantly changing circumstances on a regular basis – and much of those have been fraught with disappointment, some loss, and elements of sadness. If ever there has been a time to search for a silver lining, it has shown itself. Silver linings don’t show up without effort and hunting them out requires a willowy mind and engaged spirit. Our positivity can be bruised and knocked about but if our minds are flexible we can hang on tight and find it.

Think about disappointment, isn’t it one of the hardest emotions?

I loathe being disappointed – it’s the worst feeling of all. I would rather be angry, annoyed, or furious than ride a wave of disappointment. A flexible mind allows me to see the disappointment in other ways; look at the downside from another perspective. As much of the last two years have been fraught with disappointment I see flexibility as an important addition to my life skills. It is not that I am inflexible, I really am the first to embrace change and keep moving, but I feel like a nudge and further reinforcement of these acrobatics will come in handy. There are no crystal ball predictions for Twenty Twenty Two.

But there will be change here at VA.

I have been working on a new format, a new way of sharing what I love and talking about what we want. A little longer and I’ll be set. It has been a slow process because I want to have it right – to make you happy and to keep me on my toes. It is easy to work in the same way year in and year out but it is not energising for either of us so I say, let’s mix it up.

My wishes for you this year are many – joy, happiness, good health, love and laughter – we can have it all if we let us. Happy New Year. xv