First of all I want to say I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday period, and a fantastic start to 2013.
Second I want to share something with you. I have been horribly absent from this blog, and most obligations of my life for most of the past two months. At the beginning of November I turned 21 (yes apparently I’m a ‘proper’ adult now..!) then I broke up with my boyfriend of 9 months, and three days later my Mum sadly passed away.
It’s been a tough couple of months to say the least, and I’ve been having some time out from uni and blogging and everything else to sort things out back in Bristol and get my head together again. But I am ready to come back now, and I am coming back far stronger and more settled in myself.
They say that you find out how strong you really are when you are faced with tragedy (I’m still not sure who ‘they’ are) and I am a firm believer in this sentiment. It is times of sadness and heartache where people really test their ability to carry on and hold themselves together. Everyone copes with death and grief differently, for me it meant I had complete writers block. I was doing national novel writing month, and was determined to continue, but ever time I tried to write I would freeze up. I knew that I had things I should be doing, I had work for the magazine, my blog, and also the blog which I am now assistant editor of (I shall post more about that later) not to mention an ever growing pile of uni work. Luckily there is such a thing as extenuating circumstances, and I feel back on form now in terms of writing. I hope that I can continue my involvement with the IRG, though I missed the first terms work, and I have a lot of catching up to do with everything. But I know that if I set my mind to it, I can achieve everything I want to this year. I’ve got six months left of my degree, and I am determined to make them count. So from here on out, I am putting everything I’ve got, and then a little bit more, into moving myself forward.
One thing I’ve noticed, regarding digital media, is the tons of blogs and vlogs out there of people sharing their inspirational stories to connect with others and offer advice and support. During this difficult time of my life, I have been following a number of blogs, and also using social media to stay in touch with both friends and family (most of my family live in Australia) who have been so indispensable in supporting me. I don’t know what I would have done had I not been able to talk to people on the other side of the world, or in London when I’ve been in Bristol.
My Mum always used to be confused by technology, her mobile phone didn’t even have a camera on it. But whenever I told her that I had written a blog and showed her on my phone, she would put on her reading glasses and read it, even when her head hurt and her eyesight was very bad. I will always be thankful for all the support she gave me, and how much she encouraged me to follow my dreams. R.I.P Shirley Rosalyn Mullinder
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