A New Year’s Revolution

A quick little reflection of the year that was,
Not for any good reason, but just because,

Already I find, it’s hard to remember,
What it was I was doing, this time last December.

I welcomed the year in the usual fashion,
With free-flowing booze and in the throes of passion.

But though I danced my way into two thousand and ten,
And found myself in a similar stupor, again and again,

That really is the only constant to be seen,
In then and now, and the times in between.

Back then I had a job, no, a career,
A relationship, a lifestyle, and nothing to fear.

I rode a bike in secret and lived by the beach,
But there were unfulfilled desires, just out of reach.

So I threw it all in, in the pursuit of adventures,
In the hope of living life, before I wound up in dentures.

I put all my faith in the romantic notion,
That the secret to my happiness; lay over the ocean.

I spent three months in the back of a truck,
Wandering through a continent filed with hope, but no luck.

I experienced a world that most never will,
Had the time of my life, but was unsatisfied still.

You see on a quad in the desert I’d flirted with death,
And once again on white-water, thought I’d breathed my last breath.

I’d spent time with people devoid of possession,
Happier than those with the consumer obsession.

All in all, Africa had helped prove to me,
The importance of life, and its fragility.

So though I’d seen sights that I’ll always remember,
I’d had enough off playing tourist by the end of September.

I returned to the house of my parents’ rule
And focussed my attention on returning to school.

But with marks too low, and aspirations too high,
It proved not to be, but I gave it a try.

Home was full of pilots, and good times galore,
But pretty soon it was time to open the next door.

So it was less than a month before I again boarded a plane,
And headed out into the unknown again.

Then all of a sudden found myself in a place,
Absent of English, or another white face.

Head and shoulders above the man in the street,
And unable to communicate with those that I meet.

Scary? Absolutely. A challenge? For sure.
But isn’t that really what we’re given life for?

So I dusted myself off and surveyed my surround,
And before long was overwhelmed, by the good to be found.

A welcoming people, generous to the last,
That needed my help, and needed it fast.

So before I knew it, I’d swung into action,
Tested the waters and received positive reaction.

I grappled with the language, and found a place to live,
Discovered who I was, and what it is I can give.

I’d believed in the cause, but what really gave me chills,
Was to realise the worth of my strange set of skills.

Already I can see the difference I’ve made,
Which is nothing compared to the plans that I’ve laid.

So as I stare at the dawn of another year,
I shan’t mourn the loss of an unhappy career.

My life as I knew it may well have ended,
Or at least finds that it has, for a time, been suspended.

It’s on a new path that you’ll now find my feet,
An exciting, but admittedly, less-paved street.

Now I hope only to live up to what of myself I expect.
Will I do it? We’ll see, next time I reflect.

Written December 2010 after discussing with a mate just how incredible the last year had been and that some reflection was required for NYE.