Saturday 31 December 2016

I Believe In You

"I believe in starting over
I can see that your heart is true
I believe in good things coming back to you
You're the light that lifts me higher
So bright, you guide me through
I believe in you"


I Believe In You - Michael Buble

On the way to the Coromandel the other day, where I was headed for a quick end of year beach break, my friend asked me what my News Years resolution was. I answered the same way I've done for the past couple of years - that resolutions were a waste of time, having broken nearly every one I'd made in the past. Instead, I told him, I think about what I've learned throughout the year and take this message into the next twelve months. The end of 2014 was about not worrying, 2015 was letting go of what wasn't right. But what, I thought desperately, has 2016 give me?

It's been a bit of a nothing year. Apart from one meaningful blog post about giving up the drink, my life has been rather quiet. It hasn't been bad; there's been no deaths, nothing going terribly wrong and no losses. I've meandered through, giving my time to my job, my fitness and my friends. This, coupled with a secret writing project, is the reason behind a lack of blog posts in 2016. 

Outside of my life, 2016 has been rather dreary. The deaths of significant celebrities, a hell of a lot of political drama I'd rather stay out of, and a lack in significant music has made for a uninspiring year. My best music memories of 2016 were a) watching Stranger Things and going through a 1980's glam rock phase and b) finally fulfilling my lifelong goal of discovering country music and jamming to Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Luke Bryan. 

But where did this leave me going into 2017? I was stuck until, about fifteen minutes from our beach destination, I played this new cracker of a song from Michael Buble, and thought, this is it. 

It's been a year of believing things will get better. Of sticking to things because you believe in the cause. Of gunning through the lacklustre events and finding the positive. And most of all, believing in the good of the people, and the good of the world. That's what got me out of bed every day; the belief that today could bring something better. And when it didn't, tomorrow would be that day. And at midnight tonight, we get to say goodbye to a year that tried to dampen our spirits, and ring in 2017 with the belief that it will be so much better.