(Lydia and Luc)

My dear friend Lydia and her partner Luc invited me to join them, her children Lore and Baziel, their beloveds Florian and Margot, and Lydia’s mom Marie-paule.

On New Year’s Day in Maarkedal.  Lovely.  I was eager to go.

On Tuesday, December 30 I got a text from Florian, saying that he was looking forward to seeing me on New Year’s Eve.

Huh?

I wrote back, saying that I was invited to come on Thursday, not Wednesday.

And then my mind slowly unravelled, remembering past times when I was excluded … and knowing that this was another one.

On New Year’s Eve I sat at home, imagining the party that everyone but me was enjoying.  The sadness enveloped my body and soul.

Luc picked me up at the Ronse train station early Thursday afternoon.  I was still sad.  Then he mentioned that on Wednesday evening he and Lydia had been at her friend Ann’s place.

Huh?  I thought about the party I wasn’t invited to.

The one that didn’t exist

Florian had simply got the date wrong.  My mind did the rest.  Silly mind.

The eight of us had a marvelous time on New Year’s Day … exquisite food and drink, lovely conversations, and Lydia gave me a bright red tie – my favourite colour.

(Sigh)

I am humbled once again

And included

As so the year begins.  Will it be like most years … some things better, some worse?  Hopefully an overall improvement by the end.

Or …

A transformation, as in “a marked change in form, nature or appearance”.

I look back at my life and marvel at the changes.

In 2003, Mike Weir won the Masters, one of the most prestigious golf tournaments.  A few days after, he was back in Canada and I was one of many at an event where Mike was celebrating his win.  I was an obsessed golfer, both on the course and in front of the TV.

Now it’s 2026 and I don’t care about golf.

***

I was hiking on a trail in July, 2017, face-to-face with the Canadian Rockies.  I loved the mountains, with a long history of exploring the wilderness.  I was living in a village in Eastern Canada.  Maybe I would stay there forever, or perhaps a mountain town would beckon.

By the way, Europe was something I saw in movies.  I had about zero desire to actually go there.  Future vacations sounded like the Caribbean.

Now it’s 2026 and I’ve been living in Belgium for three years.  Huh?  I’ve changed countries.

***

What then are the chances that something radically different will enter my life this year?  Unlikely?  So were Belgium’s appearance and golf’s disappearance.

I’m up for it, whatever the it is.  Perhaps I have a future in exotic dancing!  (Hmm … okay, that’s a stretch)

But I sense something is around the corner

Waiting to be discovered