So another year ends. Personally an amazing year with dream after dream coming true with the most amazing people I could wish to be with. For TEN years the review of the year has evolved and changed and sometimes the year has ended with so much change it has felt like a roller-coaster of a ride, but this year… well what a happy year.
And to think I started doing this ten years ago originally as a list of music in 2002 and then in 2012 as a review of what ‘stuff’ happened, part cathartic ‘putting to bed’ and part memory box.
Twelve months is a long time for ideas and for change! With breath-taking speed, matched only by the rate of innovation and change at work our collective outlook on the economic, political and social world has changed substantially. It no longer matters if we view the world from across global, national or local levels, change is vast and each month contains new upheavals that the media once described as ‘once-in-a-generation’ news stories they now happen weekly, and yet we are all here with a wry smile and an idea of how to make tomorrow happen for the better of everyone we know and love. I feel that 2022 has created a more caring environment to be part of for me, more so than at any other point in my life, for that I am very grateful.
January
A trip to London with the best of friends was always going to be fun but this long weekend was simply laughter from end to end. A trip to Athul Akotchers restaurant (Kanishka) was quite amazing with beautiful food and a lovely atmosphere. The next day, a long walk from Borough Market all the way to Selfridges (the long way around) and then a night out at Lucky Cat followed up by my first visit to the Sketch bar which kind of blew my mind. The walk from Borough market was so much fun, taking onboard food and drinks along the way, cold but bright and taking in so much of the city. The next day was a solo trip to Camden Market to see Jazzie B DJ to a packed crowd and then that night a work dinner out which was lovely to do with so many new(ish) colleagues.
Berry Brothers was new to me in every way too, a delayed dinner out with colleagues in a beautiful environment sitting next to people that could be scary sometimes but as the year went on I learnt that as well as being scary they had the biggest heart and cared so much for everyone around that table, I love a good work night out where hardly any work gets touched on, this was one of them.
February
Our holiday to the Dominican Republic was one where we counted down the minutes to going. Walks along the beach every morning, the “Chad and Lauren” experience (you had to be there), our own bar-keep, a superb French meal and the Teppanyaki experience all really made the week ace. So many odd extras though a translucent crab running around with us on a walk, the Rock Show (and us drunk singing along) and a Michael Jackson show that smashed it out of the park. Towards the end an odd and then lovely experience as a worldly-wise couple approached us, they knew us from LinkedIn and wanted to chat, odd at first but in the end a great night.
Record Store Day in 2022 was a real ‘thing’, up early and to the Mecca of vinyl in Yorkshire that is Wah Wah Records v1.0. So much fun queueing and waiting for the store to open and then diving in, I got 4 of the 7 I wanted and was happier still that I got to really experience the day with other obsessives. In 2022 I went from a mild obsession with vinyl to maybe describing the collection we have as being ‘complete’.
My birthday trip to the Star Inn gave us so much to plan for as we went as a family to see where we would be getting married a few months later and a super meal in Wakefield with awesome friends and kids everywhere was a brilliant way to see the year passing.
A weekend in Birmingham was also squeezed in the second month of the year; my obsession with the Wilderness Restaurant meant I had won over two great friends to come with us to experience what I describe as the Rock and Roll dinning experience of the Michelin Stared ratings. Everything from the art of the menu to the drinks pairing to every dish blew us away; and the staff were a lot of fun too. Finishing the meal and getting a recommendation to the oddest Gin bar around the corner was super, dark and warm and very new tastes for us all. The next day doing the Locked In Peaky Blinders Style (and making it out in time) was a new one on me, jumping out of my skin when the knock on the door happened and a hand reached through, everyone else laughing so loud, a memory to remember.
March
Being in London solo I took the advice of a good friend and went to see The Batman at Selfridges Cinema, a superb experience, you think Everyman in Leeds is good, wait until you experience this one. The film was up there too, so many good Batman films over the years for me so can’t break into the best one but still a great cinema experience and great to feel normal in a cinema too.
So lets take a break here from the narrative and jump to the first of the lists of the year; the films:
Those Who Wish Me Dead Just Mercy
The Batman Dune
Scream Worth
Deep Water Top Gun
Alone Grey Man
This thing called Stores Day is an odd passion I have had since we got ‘let out’ after Covid. Remember we look after 2,500 stores as well as all the digital channels you know about when it comes to Boots, and our stores and everyone who works in them had been somewhat forgotten about during the pandemic from an IT point of view. So on the 17th of March the entire team packed a Paddington sized suit case and went around the UK visiting stores in a race to see if we could get to 250 stores in 24 hours, we made more than 350 and I think we made a difference in every store! I was so proud of the team and it was quite emotional hearing all the stores stories when people got back together the next day.
Jake Bugg Live in Nottingham later that month was an interesting example, in so many ways, to how the year went, excitement was there and yet from the moment he came on to the moment of the last encore he had us both in raptures, yes he is a local lad playing the best local venue but he blew the doors and the roof off, which pretty much became a version of the year ahead, being excited for something and it being even better in real life.
We always had a programme of work called ‘Jan, Feb, March’ where we intended to do so much, and we did it, nearly! So peak for us means we put off IT changes and transformation for a little while, in 2022 that meant that we had stored up so much new stuff for our digital work that the first three months of the year looked terrifying, and yet the whole team pulled together and achieved what many ‘observers’ said was impossible. Super customer feedback and a celebration that we all should be proud of at the end too.
April
A Retail Safari was a new one on me to experience. A bunch of our delivery partners got together to show me and the team the best innovations out there in retail right now, literally going into stores across London, meeting the teams working there and hearing all the cool stuff they are doing. I love learning from seeing what others are doing and this was simply quite amazing and a lot of fun with some awesome colleagues too. It felt great to do on top of March’s stores day and it certainly fed our brains a lot.
One of my favorite bands is Groove Armada and they announced they were hanging up their live band ‘gloves’ and they would do one last tour, we managed to get tickets to see them in Leeds and had a great night out, dancing the night away and even made it to Domino Jazz Club afterwards for a night cap. Its always difficult though when a band has a lot of guest singers (See Hercules and Love Affair and Disclosure for reference) because its so hard for them to recreate the experience you get when you listen to them on the headphones, but they did a damn good job.
Soul II Soul at the Royal Albert Hall was a solo trip in London. A band I love going back to at a venue I always wanted to get to. The band I will see again any time, the venue, not what I wanted it to be, just not organised enough at all, hours to get a drink and simply not that inspiring for this night, maybe sitting down with the proms on it blows you away but stood up trying to see a great band perform on stage it, sadly, it was a let down.
I am a frustrated writer (no sXXt sherlock) and a wanna-be one too. So when my first article in the Sunday Times was published I was rather excitable. Just an opinion piece on the future of digital in retail and healthcare but a moment in time I really loved and definitely one for a frame in a future downstairs loo or something similar. It was on the back of my ‘advice’ chapter being published in the ‘Taking The Reins As CIO’ book too so here we were in the first part of the year with two ‘big boy’ pieces getting published, made me reflect a bit on the ambition I had 15 years ago and the fun I had getting to where I was, but also what could be next; I knew at that point I was always going to enjoy the writing bit of my job that’s for sure.
Given all the writing conversations maybe now is time to put up the book list:
Shiny and New – Dylan Jones Beautiful World Where Are You – Sally Rooney
The Technology Fallacy – Gerald C. Kane Let Love Rule – Lenny Kravitz and David Ritz
Entrepreneurial State – Mariana Mazzucato A Waiter In Paris – Edward Chisholm
The Future Unfurled – Ben Cardew Music is History – Questlove
Good Pop, Bad Pop – Jarvis Cocker
One short of my new years resolution to read 10, my excuse, the holiday reading time was significantly curtailed, but I am going for it again next year, less scrolling and more reading!
Mum and Dad visiting Yorkshire is always fun now a days, they love spending time with our friends and their kids and the April visit was no exception, dinner out in Wakefield, my Dad surprising us all in a cocktail bar in Wakee and ordering a ‘Sidecar’ and then the next night the game of Telestrations and Sunday Dinner. If you have not played this with a mixed generational family before I urge you to go do it now, alcohol or not you will be laughing so much you will cry, hilarious.
May
Some of the hardest but most rewarding moments as a CIO are sadly when things go wrong. An average Thursday evening in Nottingham and we end up declaring a Major Incident big parts of some major systems went ‘pop’, old systems that were on the worry list were now down and the business was going to struggle. Its times like this when you reach out to teams and ask not just for 100% but to go above and beyond for hours on end; all weekend people across the whole team coming together to share ideas, thoughts and experiences to get systems back up and going before the impact on customers and patients started to happen, and we did it; just in time, just as we were reaching the end of our ideas on the Sunday we got the systems back and were able to get back to some kind of normal just a couple of days later.
Arup and Bayju; two people who I value so much in my life; advisors, confidants, shoulders to lean on, and fellow food lovers. We hadn’t had chance to get out for so long it felt so when the opportunity came up the three us jumped at it. Bayju was in charge and found us a place called Dinings in SW3, beautiful Sushi with a European twist; lots of Japanese small plates and some beautiful wine; eaten and drunk whilst the whole world was put the right way back up again. To have two friends that mean so much to you and who you can share so much with is a very powerful thing!
Two years earlier we had made it to Chow Down in Leeds just the two of us and the four legs and had a superb time, now with the addition of Crazy Golf we could head off as a five piece and really enjoy the day. The sun was beating down, the crazy golf was ‘impossible’ and the food was ace; for me though dancing to loud disco sounds with the smallest one was one of the highlights of the summer and set in motion some plans for 2023.
Dinner out with colleagues is something that is fun where I work, so many of us have become friends so when we all ended up in London at the same time we took a trip to the Bombay Brasserie with colleagues from TCS, I had no idea at the time that Indian food was going to become such a big part of the rest of the year. Whether it was the company, the mood or the night the whole experience was one to write home about.
Sharing a year of marriages with James and Rebekah has been so much fun. It did mean a brilliant Stag Do in May too. A very civilized affair of pool, hot tubs, games great food and exploring our ability to play bowls on an uneven lawn. Lots of laughter and some amazing pie and pea action too.
Being away so much and in London has some upside, particularly when you get chance to be there at the same time as your other half. A return trip to two restaurants we love; Margot in Covent Garden and Sabor in Mayfair were great, particularly taking others and watching them delight in what we were recommending, really nice to share new finds with friends and colleagues.
Anyone following old versions of this blog will know it was originally conceived as nothing more really than a list of my top 30ish songs of the year. So here it is, the link to the songs of the year:
https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/2022-songs-of-the-year/pl.u-pZA1mI5V98zg
A wide and diverse mix, over the ten years of keeping the record here (and the 20 years of saving the playlist on iTunes) my musical taste has evolved and change, this year it has got less beat and more thoughtfulness, still some songs in there to make anyone get up and bop but it’s a more reflective collection than the last couple of years, excited for the next list already too.
Whilst we are here though lets just get the albums list done too; Harry Styles, The Smile, Elzhi, Oliver Slim, Fred Again, Danger Mouse and Black Thought, The Weeknd, Beth Orton, Hot Chip, Kendrick Lamar, Honey Dijon, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs to name but a few…
The sadness of us not being able to learn in the USA continued when 19 kids and 2 teachers died in a school in Texas in May. 600 mass shootings in one year in a country that owns half the ‘public’ guns of the world. When can the rest of the world teach the US that the second amendment is as bad as Cancer in its indiscriminate killing of innocent people, gun ownership is something that has an answer though, don’t have it. The day this news landed was so sad and yet made me so angry too, a low light of a very ominous news cycle year.
Getting my other half to Ibiza happened! Nikki Beach and some amazing food. Ibiza town for more superb food, wine and shopping at a new find for my other half, Maje. Now given what happens later in the year its hard to say this, but my other half in her new outfit looked the most beautiful she had ever looked (up to that point in time). And my heart leapt a little to be with her forever.
Managing to find the sublime La Torreta in Dalt Vila again was also a treat, amazing table, watching the whole street come alive, the restaurant was a place that I had been to before but always struggled to re-find. A little dream come true, a Sunday session at Pikes with Luke Una on the decks, literally playing vinyl whilst I sat ‘next’ to him was brilliant, moving on then to Mambo for The Shapeshifters sunset song choices was damn cool too. We will be back in 2023 in a whole different way that’s for sure.
June
Heading up north just the three of us to see Ma and Pa was exciting in June as they had all sorts on the schedule. A visit to the Kelpies, the wheel and North Berwick were simply lovely; North Berwick in particular which describes itself as the Miami of Scotland, justifiably so. We managed to include a superb dinner at the Nether Abbey Hotel, sat in the sun drinking some amazing wine with my mum and other half and my dad looking on to make sure we were all ok was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
We were privileged to be invited to a great friends birthday, Rebekah’s birthday was so much fun, and I was allowed to do some cooking too. I picked Indian inspired barbequed Monk Fish in a super special sauce, and it made me realise why I love cooking (when it goes well) so many people loving every morsel. The best bit though was meeting so many people that in a few weeks’ time would be part of Rebekah and James very special day, so many smiling faces.
I had suggested some old friends could come together to make an over dinner discussion on what we should do next in healthcare technology and with the help of a very important person at work I was able to land on Julie’s restaurant in Holland Park for the meal. With lots of brains from healthcare technology we set about a few hours of awesome debate, some neat friendships and some problem solving that was a lot of fun, not to mention I added another restaurant to my list of go to restaurants.
Heading over the Pennines to a gig is always a bit daunting, getting there in time, the drive back etc, but in this case it was definitely worth it for three reasons; firstly it was Leon Bridges who we both love, secondly we made a discovery in the support act, Kirby who was brilliant and lastly we found a new venue for food (and music and roller disco!) by accident Escape to Freight Island it turns out was just 10 minutes walk from the venue, we were early enough to make a booking and walk straight in and have so much fun, not your normal sat waiting for the gig to start moments!
Talking of gigs, June also allowed us into Hyde Park to see one of (many) last performances of the magic that is Elton John, a spectacular gig with awesome support from the Gabriels who are a big prediction of mine for 2023. Admittedly the stage moved around the man to keep the him moving but crikey he can play and sing as if he were 40 years younger, I hope I can age like he has!
July
Being able to go to Wimbledon for a second year made me feel very spoilt by the privilege we have, but what an amazing day and to share it with three great friends was so much fun. But then what was even more unique was then dinner at Hakkasan off Tottenham Court Road, a fabulous restaurant made odd by having ‘the’ Dominic Cummins sat next to us on the Sunak ‘night of the long knives’ and seeing his reaction as the events unfolded, or at least applying his activity the next day when us mere mortals understood better what on earth was actually going on.
We had seen Disco in the Woods a new one day mini-festival advertised and decided to go with new friends. An overnight in Nottingham and a party in the woods, the weather had been crap but the opportunity to see Dimitri from Paris, Jocelyn Brown, Fat Tony and a bunch other disco house ‘pioneers’ in the woods where I grew up was too exciting to miss out and with all the glitter, flares and fun it kept its promise, one to watch for in 2023 if you are that way musically inclined.
And then we got to the big holiday! Flying out to Orlando was just so exciting for all four of us, Harry Potter world, Star Wars world, building droids, the Big Fire restaurant and so much fun at Volcano Bay. What a holiday, we needed a rest when we got back, every waking moment was full of something. The standout moments; me and the oldest one on the run-away-slinky, me and the smallest one exploring Harry Potter world whilst the others did the scary ride, everything about the Volcano Bay visit (even the thunder storm) so many awesome meals and just the time together and the faces of happiness. One to be repeated in 2024 according to the little ones, we shall see, I think its very likely!
August
The nature of a blended family is getting to do more than one holiday in the summer break. This years second holiday was a trip to London with the small ones, simply brilliant! You realise how much of the time you walk around the city not really looking at it when you go with people who have not been there before. Eating at the Duck and Waffle still gets talked about so often by them, staying at NoMad was such a treat both location, rooms and the way the staff treat the small ones, life sized Monopoly was brilliant as was the British Museum for a quick visit to Egypt. Perhaps the moment of the summer though was going to Ted’s barbers with the oldest one, the works for 45 minutes one of the mornings was awesome.
Ahh, Field Day, you are constant in my calendar of events over the years; a reason to find new music, a reason to hear so much more loud music. Back in their home of Victoria Park but still not with a reinstatement of the Village Mentality gang; it was good, some brilliant music and well organised but it just misses the thing that makes it different now a days; maybe its time to hang up the Field Day T-Shirt and find the next festival was our thoughts as we came away. It just misses the madness of those early days or the openness of Wilderness, but at least we made it.
Odd then in some ways to follow it up with a Coldplay gig at Wembley, this was a real treat with so much going on, wonderful music that I had forgotten about to some degree and an absolute treat of an experience, back stage, listening to Stormzy rehearse for his special appearance, seeing London Grammar as the support act and even going on the stage before the masses were in Wembley, I mean you can’t write this stuff!
Washington DC was the adults holiday this year, originally conceived more than a year earlier and with two Covid cancellations was long looked forward to. We squeezed in so much, not quite the relaxation we had in mind but a wonderful hotel (Hotel Zena) in an amazing location just local enough to allow us to visit everything. A couple of days in Georgetown including a wander around the university on intake day as well as the very amazing Samara Joy (more on her later) at the Blues Alley Jazz bar which was preceded by dinner at Chez Billy Sud. Book shopping at Kramers and Fiola Mare restaurant which I think is probably the best meal I have ever eaten! A night time photograph trip to the monuments, a winning Nationals game and every site we needed to see, all of it done holding hands and smiling.
September
A trip to India was not something I thought would happen in 2022; cancelled, moved and then suddenly it was in the diary and a small group of us were going. I was excited and scared in equal measure but as soon as I landed I really fell in love with the place. Such a juxtaposition of everything the travel itself, the food, the sights and without a shadow of doubt the ways of working and the connections we all made were unbelievable. We went (by accident) when it was the Onam festival which meant we got to see even more of what life in this amazing country is like. A trip the very famous Anika Restaurant at the ITC Grand Chola in Chennai was amazing, the food and the journey there. Sunday on a House Boat on the Kavan river and then to stand in a back garden and watch the snake boat racing in Kumarakom was a once in a life time experience and then our attempt to give back a little a trip to the Asadeepam School in Kalamassery Kochi where we were able to offer some help to how life is led in India hopefully made a small difference.
The India trip was overshadowed with the queens passing, just as we landed in Kochi the day speculation was proven true and the Queen had died. It was odd, the whole group of us somewhat overcome with emotion and unable to really express why it hit us all so hard. A very sad day.
Traveling so far does allow you to catch up on those TV box sets as well as work so maybe now is the right moment to do the TV list:
Titans S2 Sequestered
Sherwood Gangs of London S1 & S2 & S3
Wu-Tang S1 & S2 Collateral
House of the Dragon Obi-Wan
Stranger Things S4 Andor
Tom and Pammy Reacher
Pieces of Her Tell Me Lies
Our own wedding prep started to heat up by September with the next big thing for me, suit fitting. Being the lucky position to be able to go into Leeds to James Michelsberg and pick everything you want, the cloth, the style and just how you want it to look and feel felt amazing. Getting married in the autumn and in a very country venue meant that the colours could be quite different to normal and we enjoyed every moment of James company too as he measured us all up and gave us lots of advice on what to get right, an all round brilliant experience.
Another chance to support the most important person in my life came up in September. She was running her first pre-conference get together and I was invited too, more than a 100 health tech people all in the OXO tower for drinks and canapes. I was so proud to see how she pulled it off, so many people ready for the next days conference, HETT. So much sharing in the room and planning for the future with so many awesome brains but so willing to leave the badge outside the room too and simply try to work out what we can all contribute to the next day and the future of healthcare in the UK.
Straight after HETT though we got to enjoy dinner with two lovely friends who have made a big impact on how I look at work this year; the venue of choice was Scotts in Mayfair, so much fish to choose from and a beautiful atmosphere, another one added to the list!
October
So here we go the run up to the big month; a quick work announcement that kind of (on purpose) just happened as I became the No.7 CIO as well as my Boots role; a change envisioned to bring the two teams closer together and ensure that the most value could be gained. Super exciting for the rest of the year to take on a new challenge and learn more and more.
Another trip up north to see the parents and this time a visit to Bamburgh for walks on a wind-blown beach and some nice warming food. The trip up is a long way but once you are there worth it every time and to have this kind of friendship with parents at my age I think is amazing.
Because we were having a small wedding we always wanted to bring as many people together to enjoy Leeds as possible, a night at Domino in Leeds was planned from February and we made it work for so many people. Domino is a speakeasy come jazz bar, we had the most amazing band and danced for hours with so many friends, many of which meeting each other for the first time and having so much fun, a truly brilliant night that really started the wedding ‘festivities’.
I was determined not to conform and have the usual stag do shenanigans, having been on James’ do earlier in the year I wanted to still have some time with the grooms party so we arranged to go out local, dinner and a few drinks, it was so much fun, awesome food at Qubana in Wakefield, they even allowed us to sit in the old bank vault. Once the gang finished their food we went off down the main high street; the decision to go cheesy rather than classy at the direction choice opened up a whole new world for us; even a commemorative key ring ensued. A brilliant night that in reality has already become known as the ‘Not Stag Do – Stag Do’.
November
So before we get into the celebrations two life goals got ‘unlocked’ in November! Firstly being made one of 10 ‘Change Makers’ by Wired Magazine and the full interview being on my own centre spread was rather cool. This kind of recognition is so important for the team and I say every time its about the team that I ‘work for’ not the CIO role I do this is what makes the difference. When you looked at the other change makers Wired recognised though it was a very humbling experience. And then, just 24 hours before our wedding the BCS announced the CIO of the year and my colleagues who went to the awards rang me to say I had been named the winner. Now this really was a life goal having missed out a few years earlier and dropped down the ‘placings’ in the CIO100 earlier in the year it was something I really wanted, I felt terrible for saying that but for the BCS to do this meant a great deal to me, I try so hard to represent the values of the organisation when it comes to the development of the team so it meant the world to receive this great honour.
And then 24 hours later the moment the whole year had been building up to, in so many ways the last decade of my life had been building up to.
The day went so amazingly well, so much love in the room from the moment it started to the last good night. Our small ones (all three of them) being such a big part of every moment, my wife looking absolutely amazing, my new family in its new extensions coming together as one, the beautiful words that were said and every morsel of lovely food just made every moment special. As you would imagine the music played an important part with us choosing a song we heard earlier in the year in Washington by Samara Joy as our first dance, we choose a song that meant so much to us by Nightmares on Wax as the song to walk down the isle to, Les Nuits and our first steps together were to a song by Crazy P. Honestly everything was just so perfect.
The time we had spent with the team from the Sar Inn to make everything just be so paid off, not a single thing would i want to change or wish it had been different. The two moments of the day for me; the moment i saw my wife as she entered the room and the moment that Ruffus decided to ‘speak-up’ in the ceremony. Seeing all four parents so happy though will be also a lasting memory.
December
And that last month, as always was full of preparations for Christmas and a very special birthday for my other half. Filling the house with people and turning the playlist up a bit with amazing food brought in and some of it cooked by me was a joy, seeing so many smiles on peoples faces from the oldest to the youngest was a great experience.
Work is always hectic in this month and takes over a little too much sometimes, its great to be here now and reflect on the year gone by and try hard to plan (and second guess) what comes next for us all and to plan how I can continue to grow and be so enriched by what I do. I am surrounded by so many amazing colleagues and friends everyday whom without I would not be able to make anything happen, its with this thought that I get to the end of the year feeling thankful, feeling ready to keep going and most of all feeling exceptionally loved.
And the end…
The last few years I have thought it useful to capture the memories I have of the people that have made me stop and breath differently or take a new outlook on life, a way for me to remember to always be thankful for the friendships i made, grew or simply held on to. Last year I described these people as making the year possible, this year I describe these people (some of which were here last year too) as making 2022 the best year possible; so Deepak, Anand, Arup, Bayju, Stephen, Jason, Ryan, Andy, Jennifer, Elise, Fiona, Rebekah, James, Charlotte, Nav, Ron, Rodrigo, Alex, Jessica, Amanda, Pete Paula and Andy, you just rocked the whole year and made every day worthwhile and different you enriched every moment for me and for that i am so thankful, this year more than any that came before it.
My new brother and sister in-law are people that simply allow you to lean on them without question and I can’t think how the year would have panned out without that sometimes. So many little people made me laugh this year; Bella, Charlotte, Blair, Luella and our own two ‘little’ ones the very mighty Milly and the most thoughtful Ethan, reasons to always get up every morning!
I guess you don’t do a year like 2022 though without mentioning your soul mate, best friend and WIFE, ah Sarah, thank you for an amazing year, here’s to going again next year, to being there for you every moment of every day and to being able to achieve anything we put our minds to.
So that last tradition of the review of the year, a quote to end the year to in the words of Eminem,
People can try to reinvent themselves. I don’t think you can really change who you are, though, because who you are is pretty much where you came from and what you’ve done up to now.
I am now happy and proud of who I am and I want to ensure that who I am is true as I grow, evolve, learn and love every day going forward.
Thank you world for 2022, here’s to 2023!