New Year, New Me

This isnt so much a resolution blog post, just a gathering of thoughts. So don't expect any diets or revolutionary new treatments ( I refuse to have mud baths three times a week!!!- my sense of humour will keep me going though!)
2012 has been an amazing year for me. Just remembering the state of my body, the things I couldn't do this time last year is all I need to spur me on to achieve the similar bounds in 2013.
I would like to be able to walk every day if I choose to, or have to. I would like to walk and carry something at the same time. I struggle with the obligatory handbag I carry at the moment if I am in town. Most of the time I have it wedged under my armpit so I notice the weight least. When I go for a therapeutic walk I just have my keys and phone- I'm unlikely to do a weekly shop or need a paracetamol or teabag while I'm sitting watching the ducks by the river!
I also dream about managing some gardening on a larger scale, this year I put some potatoes in two pots, tided the patio a couple of times and you may remember I also cleared the landscaping bark from the gravel! The tasks in our garden have to be divided up, we have so many flowerbeds and so much grass and scrub. I know we are lucky and it was one of the reasons we chose this bungalow to be ours but I have a gardener's mind...once I get started there's very little stopping me and my ideas keep flowing. Maybe I will make this a goal for this year, to choose one gardening job at a time and manage it in small bursts. A friend of mine knows an ME patient who managed his recovery by building a shed. He promised himself he would go out and build on the days when he was able and work for 5 minutes or 2 hours, the days would dictate, not a strict timetable (not the way most bosses would prefer it, but I don't think my garden will complain that much!).
I also hope 2013 brings me the opportunity to visit my friends.The last time I did this was 2007 and it was a disaster. Sleeping on the sofa bed, travelling on the train, too much noise and activity, too many people in one house during the weekend for my body to cope with and I came home to have seizures during the next week. I have started this dream already. This week, for five days I am staying with a friend while her parents are on holiday. As she also has ME we are great company for each other. The understanding of "not today", and "can I have some peace and quiet for an hour?" is perfect. Over the next 12 months we have already agreed to repeat this experiment, as it has obviously worked and I will try and visit at least one other person too. It has been slightly gut-retching as it has been the first night my husband and I have slept in separate beds, in separate houses. Almost eight years of marriage and we have been inseparable! (I quite like it actually- having a whole double bed to myself!)

So 2013 involves walking, carrying, gardening and visiting... oh and playing the piano. I'm desperate to do that again, to play with full abandon; I used to play for hours at a time, just loving every moment. As with walking and gardening I probably need to let myself go occasionally, then draw in the stays most days and find some discipline! Happy New Year!