Good things come to those who wait. These words have been etched inside my skull this year. In a world of instant gratification, next-day deliveries and 'buy now, pay later', this has hasn't been easy. Like so many of us, my brain has become accustomed to the release of endorphins, dopamine and serotonin essentially on-demand, so to have focused on such long-term goals this year has oftentimes felt frustratingly slow.
Firstly, I made an offer on a flat in March. The flat was vacant, with no onward chain. I had been renting with my mate (and 32MR Overlord) Tom, so there was no chain or difficult tenancy clauses my end. I was a first-time buyer, so this was a piece of cake on paper. Optimistic friends and family were estimating I could be in as soon as May or June - not quite the speedy turnaround I'd come to expect from rented accommodation, but not too long of a wait. I could manage that, no problem. Besides, I'd be in by Summer, and able to enjoy my nice new south-facing balcony in the sun. My mortgage offer was valid until the end of November - a long time away. Nothing to worry about.
But May came and went. As did June. The calendar pages turned on and on, and I was no closer to getting a completion date. I kept setting myself mental milestones that I would like to be moved in by - August bank holiday, my birthday, Halloween... they all came and went. And before I knew it - November had arrived. I was beginning to look at my options, weighing up the possibility of having to reapply for my mortgage at a worse rate than I had been offered back in March. Thankfully it didn't come to that, with the final week of November turning into a photo finish that was absolutely down to the wire. With a single day left on my mortgage offer, I exchanged contracts and received my keys. Much, much closer to the deadline than I would have liked, but thinking back on it now it all feels so distant and unimportant. That journey has happened now, and it's brought me to where I am. The strangest thing about this whole process is that I was hardly an active participant in the entire ordeal. Obviously I kicked the process off by making an offer, and I had to sign various bits and pieces along the way, but the majority of the process was spent waiting with the ball on the other side of the court, which made it feel more frustrating at times due to the fact that it was beyond my control. Still, that time spent waiting was not time wasted. I took the time to plan out how I would furnish the flat, and managed to get it looking very 'lived in' in a matter of days after finally gaining access to the building which had been sat empty all year. What had felt like a very slow slog up a mountain that had no visible peak very quickly became a satisfying and rewarding scramble, with everything finally coming together in very quick succession.
My other goals this year have been similarly long-term, and a lot more involved than the waiting for my flat. I've committed to regular long-form writing, and managed to keep at it with habitual dedication. I soon learned that progress was slower than I had hoped it would be, and that the book I am writing is larger than I first imagined it would be, but none of this is enough to dissuade me from continuing. The feeling of making any headway takes time - writing a single page, or even a single paragraph, feels like nothing when you know how much further you still have left to write. Key stroke by key stroke, page by page, it begins to add up, however. The constant effort begins to form something that feels like progress, and you begin to look at your work and conceive it as a completed piece one day. Besides that though, I have just found myself enjoying the process - finding a couple of hours on a Saturday morning to set aside, find a cosy corner of a coffee shop and just write. Making it into a trip that involves me leaving the house explicitly to write means that I don't come home until I am happy with my work for the day. It sounds simple, but I have found this to be hugely helpful.
Finally, I have continued to try and improve my fitness. I've got a long way to go, and I definitely go through peaks and troughs, but again the 'little and often' approach has worked well. It is difficult, especially in the beginning when your efforts don't seem to lead to any tangible results, but that is nothing more than your instant gratification brain failing to receive an immediate reward. Things that are worth doing are worth sticking to, and the journey is made up of hundreds and hundreds of tiny steps. There are moments, though, which really do help to solidify progress and act as milestones of your journey. One such moment for me this year was in November (an eventful month on many counts), where I ran the Rutland 10K Night Run with my family. The last time I had run the circuit was in 2021, where I was probably at the most unfit I have been in my life, still recovering from long-COVID symptoms and still packing my lockdown pounds fuelled by a diet of takeaways, spirits and existential dread. I knew I was in better shape this time around, but I didn't realise the extent of it until I compared my times. In 2021 I finished the 10K in 01:19:53. I jokingly said I'd be pleased if I got in under an hour, but imagine my surprise when the email came in telling me I'd done it in 00:59:58. Near enough a full 20 minutes shaved off, or 25% quicker. This enormous improvement was a huge reminder that my tiny steps have paid off, even if it's hard to see it that way on a micro level.
Taking a second to step back and look at the bigger picture is hugely important. Whilst I was waiting eight months for the keys to my flat, that's not the whole story by any means. The savings I used for my deposit began trickling into my bank account in 2017, weeks after I first moved out and started renting. My running journey began in 2011 with my friend Jacques, and my desire to write a book began at the age of 4 or 5, leading to a lifelong interest in literature, language, reading and writing. And whilst I can't wait to finish my first draft or beat another personal best, I am going to do my utmost to enjoy the process, and the journey. 2023 has been the year that I have truly focused my energy and my efforts on the long term, and I am grateful for the patience that it has taught me.
Now then, brace yourself as I attempt to thematically tie this in with my annual reflective barrage of photographs and memories with friends and family...
Life doesn't stop just because you're buying a house, or working on your own long term goals. That's the real trick - you have to find time to live your day-to-day at the same time. I've still managed to fit a lot in this year, and as always as I look back on my photos from the year, I feel very thankful and lucky to have these people in my life. I'm very thankful for the support, the laughs, the memories, and the countless trips up my stairs helping to carry furniture to my flat. I'm proud of the year I've had, and I am excited for what is to come.
As I am sitting here at my desk with scarcely a penny to my name (and a lifetime of debt ahead of me), I don't care. I have a place to call my own, and I will fill it with food and cheer and song. And, as a wise man once wrote:
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
Have a great 2024 everyone ✌️
