My Year Of Yes.

Back in January I really had a think about how I wanted 2018 to pan out for me. You can read the whole blog post here but to sum up, I wanted this year to be punctuated with more happy, fun memories than stress which would be exactly opposite to 2017. I decided to be selfish, at 25 I had a big ol' realisation of what the next few years of my life might be like and I decided to intentionally put fun first, something we forget all too often when you're navigating first homes and savings and car maintenance and bills and life. 

I wanted this year to be all about saying yes, to saying fuck the cost, fuck the distance and just doing things with people I love whenever I had the opportunity. I mean of course, it's all within reason but I have always been one to find an excuse not to do something? To think something might not work out? To plan for the worst and kinda talk myself out of it. This year, as much as my finances and time would allow I have made the conscious decision to just say 'yes' as much as I was able and not think about quite how easy it works. 

I always thought I hated spontaneity but only 4 months into the year I have realised that's only half true. I hate last minute plans when nobody can make a decision. Somebody saying let's go out tomorrow and then leaving it till an hour before we're due to meet to decide where is my idea of hell and makes me want to cancel immediately. But actually, a spontaneous plan that is formed in it's full actually gives me a bit of love for life, a bit of a kick up the bum maybe. Last April (almost a year ago, how) Sarah, Sarirah and I wanted to go on an Instagram walk and within half an hour we'd agreed to meeting in Richmond the following Friday and that was that.  

This year has already been full of plans like that, time with friends, hundreds of miles driven and lots of simply saying 'yes'.

Some of my friends had extended Christmas holidays and we made the most of the pub quiz in our local town in the new year.

We had last minute invitations to local 50th birthday party and a further afield 1st birthday party in the same weekend and just made it work back in January.

I saw my old university flatmate back in December and we immediately booked in the next time we'd see each other, when she happened to ask me to be a bridesmaid for her wedding next year.

My brother and his fiancée moved house and I babysat into the night for my niece for the first time.

Sarah got an invite to the Handmade Fair press launch and asked me to go along and within an evening I ended up seeing her and staying overnight with my friends in Bristol.

My Mum's plans fell through for an afternoon tea to celebrate her birthday, so we changed everything and hosted it at my house.

We went to Venice for 4 days and spent the night either side in Essex with our friends and got stuck in a 9 hour traffic jam and just kinda rolled with it.

We had snow days the beast from the east and changed our days to involve snowy walks and snowball fights and time with family.

I drove 470 miles in total last weekend to spend 2 nights with my blog squad to celebrate Effi and Sam's wedding and we slotted into plans together like we'd always been doing this. 

This Easter weekend in the space of a day I have agreed to a night at the pub, brunch out in the morning, hosting my family tomorrow afternoon followed straight away by a takeaway with the girls. Sunday will be spent with Joss' family and Monday we'll do it all again with mine. 

In a 10 minute phone call this week I agreed to spending next weekend in Bristol on a whim. 

In April I already have a weekend away, guests staying here, a rugby match, a wedding fair and a mini break back at my university town planned. 

I'd say I have already said yes to more impromptu plans and weekends away and time with friends than I did in the whole of last year put together. And I know my life is already richer for it.