The Watson family has ended 2014 in
a much better place and much stronger than when we began the year. In fact I am really proud of how we have grown
in the face of adversity and tragedy over the past 4 and half years – even if I
do say so myself. Caroline would be
truly proud of us.
 |
| Mrs Watson's family is looking good! |
There’s no doubt that none of this
could have been achieved without the continued support from family, friends and
from people we have never met.
Each year I have set myself some goals
just to give me an insight on far we have travelled and to provide some sort of
vision for us even if the outlook has been very blurred. Below is a review of 2014 goals:
Family
1. Continue to support Joe in his studies and
ensure he gets settled in the student flat for next year
Supporting Joe
while he is so far away in Falmouth is not always easy and could always be
better. However, he has certainly
matured through the first year of his film degree. I really cannot wait to see the documentary
he recently produced and edited. Joe has
settled into his student flat – we won’t talk about the cleanliness as this is
a constant debate between us. A real pleasure
to be with him over the New Year period (7/10)
2. Continue to support Georgina in her
studies
Georgina
has really matured and grown in confidence in 2014. Georgina is now much more independent and has
an excellent partner in Matt. Georgina
has now moved into a rented house in Emmersons Green, Bristol. Georgina has been a big help to me in
2014. Georgina is achieving high marks
in her Psychology Degree (8/10)
Me
3. Move house
The move from
our home just turned into an ongoing saga.
To cut a year long story short my house is now under offer going through
the usual financial and legal processes.
Similarly I have made an accepted offer on an apartment in Clifton which
again is going through similar due diligence processes. The anticipated date of the move is now the
end of January and will mark a significant milestone on my own journey (6/10)
4. Re-address work – life balance
This target
has been a bit of a washout. As I am now
working for myself I feel a compulsion to say “yes” to almost everything through
the fear of not knowing where the next contract is coming from. The reality is that I need to believe in
myself and find alternate ways of getting work done. Oh and chill a bit. I have to get this right. Having said that I have managed to have some
quality time off during the year especially to celebrate my 50th. (4/10)
5. Celebrate my 50th birthday
For years I
have been dreading becoming 50, even well before Caroline’s passing. The thought of Caroline not being at my side made
50 even more daunting. Well I need not
have worried. Thanks to my family and friends
coming out in large numbers I had the most fantastic time: Dublin, Cardiff, Bristol, Madrid, London and
Paris in the space of six weeks. Not too
bad. I felt very humbled that so many
people came out to celebrate my birthday.
Certainly lifted my spirits. 50
is definitely the new 40! (10/10)
6. Look after my health more responsibly
Well I only
dabbled at this one: started to detox
but only lasted one and half days; started the 5 and 2 diet which lasted a few
weeks before giving in to the tiredness due to living off 600 calories; additionally
my liking for gin has become very widely known – four bottles of gin for
Christmas. Having said all of this I did manage to run a few times per week. Could do better – extra training required (4/10)
7. Raise £500 for St Peter’s Hospice
Managed to
raise around £300 in sponsorships; donating clothing and household items to their
shops as part of my downsizing activity; plus I bought my Christmas cards from them. I was also asked to tell my story as part of
St Peter’s advertising campaign which is both online and being played in local
schools and churches. If my story helps
one other person then it would have been worthwhile. (9/10)
Work
8. Freelancing has to payback in 2014
Working for
myself has really gone well this year especially in the second half. Being able to help small and medium sized businesses
to grow is immensely fulfilling. I also have
some flexibility in my working patterns.
Now I need to get the balance right (8/10)
Total 56/80 Achieved
 |
| Joint 50th Celebration in Madrid |
If 2014 was the year of change 2015
is one of building on our successes and have some fun
Family
1. Continue to
support Joe with his studies especially as he will be starting his final year from
September 2015. I also need to help Joe
find a job, preferably in the media industry
2. Support
Georgina in her studies. Also help find
Georgina more permanent accommodation.
Me
3. Move into
my new home as quickly as possible
 |
| Dad's 75th Birthday |
4. Tick off
another entry on my bucket list: watch
England v West Indies play cricket in the Caribbean
5. Look after
my health. Being 50 has been a bit of a
novelty. On April 14th I will be 51 – it is
real. The first thing to address is my sleeping
pattern: simply put go to bed earlier!
6. Run Bristol
10k – try to beat last year’s time and raise money for St Peter’s Hospice
7. Not spend
Christmas and New Year on my “own”.
Work
8. Build on
2014 momentum but not at the expense of my own personal life
I am looking forward to 2015 with a
great deal to do and achieve. The
journey continues and there is some clear road ahead. As I have said many times before I just want
Caroline to be proud of her family.
