"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

From this post

ON HOLIDAY (and it's freezing)

I Swear Some Stuff You Just See Better From Further Away/ And I Think I Communicate Best Now, the Less I Say

I've written and re-written a post now for the last 30 minutes. I don't really know what to say or how or indeed, where to even begin. Maybe this...?

It's been one year since I left my ex-boyfriend.

I hate that I even mark it as an event; something that once happened to me. In a way, I've been dreading the yearly "anniversary" because it almost feels as if it should be some celebratory outing; my release into freedom and redemption - or some shit like that. When really, I hate that it forces me to even think about it and all the time I spent (or wasted)...

The truth is, I don't even really think about it that often. As the date approached, I felt as if somehow, I should have been thinking about it more. You know, life lessons and youth misspent...

I can't imagine going back but on the other hand, I can't imagine being who I am today if I hadn't gone through it all.

2011 - My Year in Numbers

Number of whisky distilleries visited - 4

Number of trips to Berlin - 2

Number of times I moved house - 2

Number of lock-in sessions - 1 (my one and only!)

Number of back-wheel punctures sustained - about 8

Number of times I fell off my bike - 2

Number of times I swore I was through with Scottish men - about half a dozen

Number of times I actually followed through with my threats - 0

Number of times I drunkenly proclaimed my love of Scotland - too many

What a year, huh?