I had hoped that 2021 would be a return to a pre-covid normal. There was talk of vaccines coming, cases were low, almost non existent in Brisbane, and restrictions were being eased back. This is the year, I optimistically thought to myself. Then came lockdowns, more lockdowns, vaccine delays, rising case numbers, constantly changes to national and international border rules, omnicron, and everything in between. A great many things happened. Lots of people’s circumstances changed, and I do want to acknowledge the pain that many went through. For me personally, it was a great year, and it’s high time I sat down and retrospectively examined the year the year that was.
I sat down with my notes app and started listed out some highlights. Without thinking I had 20 distinct things on the list. That was without really having to think about events or go through my journals or calendars. The list contains events, milestone, memories from the six essential areas I outlined in my ideal day, health, work, family, leisure, some future planning, time in the present.
COVID-19
Whilst we were in a fortunate position in Australia, there is no denying the disruption that COVID-19 brought to the year. This required resilience with last minute change of plans, cancelling flights and accomodation to Townsville as it happened during one snap lockdown, and making the decision to not attend a climbing trip to the Blue Mountains due to the state border requirements. Whilst the risk was small of getting COVID-19, the outcome of not being able to return to QLD outweighed (for us) the risk of going. Many of our friends went, and the trip for them was great and uneventful, for which we are extremely grateful.
FALLING IN LOVE TIME AND TIME AGAIN
I started the year moving in with my (now fiancé) girlfriend at the time, and in doing so, making her apartment ours. This was in the simple things such as adding a shoe rack, or a book case to highlight our favourite books, and adding a few plants to the balcony. Moving in felt right straight away, and we spent the year building many amazing memories together. Seeing all of the different sides of her 24/7, I feel in love time and time again with her. We also celebrated our one year anniversary.
One paragraph does not do this close to any type of justice, and deserves so much more. It suffices for a recap, and I think a wedding recap post is a great way to expand this to the depth and detail that it deserves.
PHILOSOPHY AND STOICISM
A major part of 2021 was my interest in philosophy, particularly in Stoicism. Whilst I have had a broader interest for years through my interest in ancient history, 2021 was when I took a lens to philosophy. I can’t recall exactly how I ended up here. It wasn’t coming off the backend of any bad events where in our search for meaning we discover various philosophies, frameworks, or religions. I think it was just that one day a daily stoic video appeared on YouTube. Once Marcus Aurelius was mentioned, there was no turning back. This led me to reading a few different books, and then joining a local meetup group in Brisbane specifically focused on the Stoics.
These meetups have become an important part of our monthly commitments. Being able to sit down with others every month or two and explore these important concepts in greater detail has helped me to expand my own perspectives, and to clarity and deepen my own thinking and values on certain topics.
My interests expanded and I ended up reading quite a bit on Hellenistic philosophies, and spent many an enjoyable morning reading all of these various books on the balcony (which I affectioned call the Stoa) over cups of coffee. A project for a later date is to document some of the specific rules and ideals I implemented.
Some of my recommended books from 2021 include Philosophy as a Way of Live, The Inner Citadel, Meditations, and The Stoic Guide to a Happy Life. Whilst there are many heavy hitters missing from this list, you’ll have to wait for the 2022 recap to see if I did read them this year (sneak peak, I did read Russell in January 2022).
I JOINED A WRESTLING PROMOTION AND REFEREED
It was a fun few months. One of my childhood and adults dreams was coming true. I was training in the ring, learning a lot, and even donned the referee shirt for some of the matches. The atmosphere of the crowds was great. I was well on my way to a debut.
And then I quit. It wasn’t due to a fight, or injury, or any disagreement with the promotion. Nothing of the sort. Rather, the time needed was too much and began to clash with the other things I valued. Not only that, the other things valued more. Which is a funny thing to type when you lead with wrestling being a dream. It was. I still enjoy watching it, and I can daydream like a champion on all of the different championships I’d win. The reality though is that I want my time spend with family, friends, and current adventures. Wrestling therefore, stays as a daydream. Still, it was an amazing experience and I am glad I did it.
I GOT HEALTHIER (FROM AN ALREADY GOOD BASELINE)
I cooked better dinners in 2021, and made the process fun. Music playing, dancing around the kitchen, cutting up vegetables, cooking and preparing together made preparing dinner a ritual that I looked forward to. Which make dinners more healthy, even coming from a good baseline. Instead of bagged vegetables or using frozen (nothing wrong with that), we moved to preparation of fresh vegetables. I also changed the serving sizes so I ended up with more protein, few carbs, and cut out a lot of the junk I’d snack on during the day.
We also cooked up a variety of different recipes, and therefore introduced a wide variety of colours, vitamins and minerals to the body.
I JOINED A GYM, AND PUT ON MUSCLE
For the first time, since what feels like teenage years, I actually managed to put on a good amount of size when I went to the gym and lifted. This is something that had alluded me for years, especially in my early 20’s. Why was I lifting heavy and not putting on size? In hindsight it seems rather obvious – consistency, proper nutrition and sleep. Then when I went oversees the gym stopped and was replaced by other activities such as climbing and hiking. Being back in Brisbane, and settling down to live, meant I could pick this back up. The wrestling was the catalyst, and with the help of a great fitness app, plus good food and sleep, I steadily put on muscle throughout the year. Plus, as an added benefit, it made me strong when climbing.
A NEW TRADITION – CITY WALKS AND JAPANESE PANCAKES
One important aspect of a successful relationship is the building and maintaining of traditions. A set of activities that is uniquely us. For us, this was a walk into the city, window shopping at books and board games, heading back through South Bank, and then grabbing some takeaway Japanese pancakes for dinner. It’s always a good time out, and something I look forward to each week.
PLUS MANY MORE
These highlights are only the tip of the iceberg. Many other exciting activities and events happened, such as:
- Lots of AirBnB trips
- Hikes over winter
- Camping trips
- Climbing adventures
- Family dinners and still seeing ‘the gang’
- Dipped my toes into a podcast – Life of Quests (stopped after three episodes) – learning lots along the way
- Made a few blog posts which prompted interest in building my own brand and career
- Plateau’d in climbing – my v5’s were 2020, no v5’s were climbed in 2021
- Got back in to rope climbing and leading
- Met new friends
It was a great year, like every year, with lots to be proud of and cherish. As Seneca writes, This space that has been granted to us rushes by so speedily and so swiftly that all save a very few find life at an end just when they are getting ready to live. This was another year where life was found and we lived.