Glasgow, Scotland, UK • December 2018 • Length of Read: 4 Minutes
If 2017 was a banner year for my writing, bucket list, and travelling, then 2018 will go down as being a springboard for my career and relationships. In the past twelve months, I’ve gone on crazy European trips with new friends, bolstered my CV and professional experience, gone on an epic Himalayan expedition with my dad, and laughed non-stop when around my oldest pals. More meaningful than any of that, however, was meeting the girl of my dreams. As we spend the Christmas period together, I’m more head-over-heels in love with her than ever, and can’t wait to see what’s in store for us down the road. From visiting Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studios in London, to exploring Scotland, to having the absolute pleasure of spending a week on the Greek island where she was born and raised, it’s been a dream ride. Even as a writer, if I wanted to put into words just how much she means to me, I don’t think I could.
Elsewhere, I’m still as rugby-obsessed as ever, and, thanks to Jay, you can add the Marvel Cinematic Universe to my couch-potato viewing. Far from being a lazy year, however, I’ve taken my fitness and nutrition to the next level. My CrossFit journey is still in its nascent stages, but I’ve been welcomed into the community with open arms. On the learning front, social psychology is a topic which I’ve dived heavily into in 2018, as well as making an increased effort to read some of the ‘classics’. Three books I couldn’t put down were Bounce by Mathew Syed, This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff, and The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis.
In a nutshell, 2018 has been a year of pleasant, unexpected change. And is that not what life’s all about? The excitement of the unknown. How boring would it be if we knew exactly how the next ten, twenty, or thirty years will pan out? All I can control is what happens in the present, and at the moment it’s going pretty damn good. But this blog post isn’t about that, it’s a reflection on the past. So here they are, my top five moments of 2018:
Relaxing with my beautiful girlfriend in her hometown in Greece
Trekking to Everest Base Camp in Nepal
Winning the Anglo-Celtic Cup golf tour in Portugal
Catching up with friends in Denmark
Visiting the Taj Mahal in India