My website host has today greeted me with a prompt that for once I think I will keep and use. It asked of me this morning, what big life events have happened to you in 2022? As someone who has recently been rather lacking in and desperately searching for some kind of creative spark or writing inspiration I guess it seems I didn’t need to be over thinking the process or really searching that hard. The end of the year fast approaches and feels more poignant than ever in a year which has seen many memorable moments. As long time readers will know, I have made a habit these last couple of years of crashing in and out of every year with COVID-19 , yet I truly hope to be able to break that cycle as we come to the end of 2022. Although it’s not that I have been in perfect health of late, like many others I seem to have acquired and array of coughs and colds. As the year draws to a close and we approach 2023, it does seem like a good time to sit back and have a think about what has happened.
I started the year with a rather turbulent time. When I set myself the goal to have time to rest and refocus on what I wanted, it seemed the universe had other ideas about what was in store. While some of the events of this time I still won’t speak about publicly or to many at all, alongside that I began to study for my Level 4 Diploma in February which seemed daunting at first but I soon settled into studying again and enjoying learning once more. I consider myself quite lucky that studying has always been something that I love doing and, without any intention of bragging, I appear to be quite good at. Throughout the rest of the year I have achieved many things which have led to my husband (hopefully affectionately) calling me a nerd.
I have previously shared the books I have read in a year at the end of one and I am shameful to say that my devouring of books took a turn for the worse in the latter half of this year. It started off well and strong, but I do go through periods of life where I struggle to not just take the time out to read but also to have the inclination to actually read a book. The book club I am in have also not met as regularly as previously through no one’s fault but it has meant I’ve had zero external pressure to read either. That being said, I did enjoy the books that I did read which I have shared on my Instagram stories, and if you want to ask me about any of them please let me know.
In March the COVID Memorial Park opened up a short walk from my house. A large rock stands amongst newly planted trees and it marked two years since the start of the pandemic in 2020. I completed a long of reflection at this time, really thought hard about what I had experienced personally and what impact this has had upon me. I am not afraid to admit that I recognised that I was struggling somewhat to process these thoughts and to move forward without feeling like they were affecting me. This led me to seek out help through therapy and it has been truly lifechanging. I spoke before about how my previous counsellor seemed to ghost me and now I can discuss that with a sense of humour as opposed to being negative regarding it. I have been able to see that I experienced something that equates to trauma in the past two years, not just through work but through strained relationships with other people and while also trying to plan two weddings (I will add that both were to the same person).
I’ve been awarded the Good Funeral Awards APT of the Year in September, and not long after this I was given a commendment for my Continual Professional Development with the Science Council. While neither of these were expected or anything I had striven for, I felt so proud of myself for achieving these things and for being recognised in this way. My professional life is still a key part of my life and brings me so much happiness in many ways, I’m grateful to have found the career that I am meant for and that I continue to love after five years. It struck me this week that it was six years ago this Christmas Eve that I sat with my family and told them of my plans to pursue APT work. I admit it received mixed results, and some family members still wonder why I do what I do but I made this happen and they can clearly see it makes me happy.
Outside of work, it has been scary but exciting to see the world open up again and events start to happen. Music gigs that were scheduled for 2020 happened this year and saw me travelling to Cornwall to see the beloved band My Chemical Romance who I have adored since I was a teenager. I think it was intimidating for many while a relief for others when everything started to return in this way. I know of so many people who are living like nothing even happened and of others who are still guarded and wary of what the mixing of people can ultimately cause. As we go into a Winter with talk of Strep A infections, continuing COVID infections and strained NHS services, I ask that everyone is cautious of those around them. Please be more considerate of those who are more susceptible to illness in these times and understanding if someone does not want to partake or go out through not wanting to risk the chance of catching something.
Hence, as we go into 2023, I think I would like to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in what has been an eventful and exhausting year. It seems cheesy to say, but more than any, this year has shown me to never rely on anything as certain or predictable. I have pushed and sought out so many oppurtunities this year and some have worked out, others have not and some I have decided against.
We have to trust in ourselves that we do the right thing at the right time, and rely on the fact we will never know the answers to ‘what ifs’ as comfort. 2023 has a lot of exciting prospects already lined up which I cannot wait to update you with as we go through but for now I will end with, we all made it through 2022 and let’s give ourselves a moment of pride for that.
MG x
Mortuary Gem 
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