Writing

So here we are again. Curled up in a blanket late in a September evening – mind wandering, words spilling out of my fingers.

There is something (known and well articulated by many better than me) cathartic about writing but I have found my written expression tempered in recent years by a whirling-dervish life. I have loved every minute but have missed sitting in front of an empty screen with thoughts on the tip of my tongue and it’s lovely to finally have the time and energy to resume. I am out of practice so excuse the poor structure please.

It is 10 years since I moved to London from the other side of the world and this feels like a huge milestone and, equally, like a small jump from one day to the next in the midst of the usual busyness, fuss and nonsense. I have become more used to the split life – family and friends in both (and more) places, people we love and would love to see more are always further away than we’d like. Home is not one place but at least two – when here, it’s there, and when there, it’s here. Homesickness – that need to be in the other place – comes and goes but has, until this year, been less significant. Something to write about another time.

10 years ago I wrote a blog that has now been consigned to history (thanks Wayback Machine for helping me re-discover it), started in December 2004 days after my undergrad results were confirmed. I moved across to this domain and wordpress five years later in 2009. Where has the time gone? Well that’s a good question but largely been consumed by being lead governor for the last five years at a large teaching hospital in central London. It changed my life and I loved it. It opened doors for me, I started a new job as a project manager for patient experience and then suddenly was leading on patient involvement for a health organisation and now…well that’s another story.

It’s been quite a ride but as I sit here, reflecting on all the good and bad, the difficult and fun, I am tremendously grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. I cant wait to see what the next 10 years hold, no doubt there’ll be more challenge and sadness but I hope also more health (please!) and happiness and people. How lucky I am!