It's been over 2 months since I last wrote a blog post and truth be told, I have been quite busy trying to navigate the challenges of life while trying to live for the first time in quite some time.
2023 has finally finished and we turn the page to 2024. As I look back on this year, I honestly don't know what to make of it.
I guess if I were to sum up the year, it could be summed up in 3 distinct stages January to Mid April - Mixed Mid April to August - Horrific September to December - Hope
Highlights In a tumultuous year that saw my life blow up into pieces, finding highlights could be considered a real challenge. Despite that, there were absolutely some highlights worth remembering - Gather Round in Adelaide (April) - Basketball Weekend in Adelaide (November) - Family trip to Hobart (late December) - Losing 16.5kgs since February - Engaging in things I haven't engaged in before (Pickleball, FootGolf) - Women's World Cup (July/August) - Attending my first show at the Fringe Festival (October) - Attending lots of different sports (AFL/AFLW, WNBL/NBL, A-Leagues, NPL VIC)
Lowlights Unfortunately, 2023 was one of the most damaging years that I have ever encountered in a mental sense. Some real lowlights threatened to derail my year and while that list isn't as extensive as the highlights, unfortunately, it was bigger - Marriage separation - Passing of my grandfather - Spending 50 days in a mental health clinic - Being scammed on multiple occasions
These lowlights contributed to a mid-2023 shocker where there were legitimate and real concerns about whether I would survive or even still be alive. Truth be told, there were some nights there, especially in the mental health clinic where I just wanted to give in and accept that this was going to be my life.
Despite this, I fought, I rested and I slowly rebuilt. Thanks to the amazing support of my support team while also getting my health care sorted, I moved from a deep-seated crisis to a hope that maybe things will turn around.
Sport - Lack of Success 2023 was a tough year for me in terms of the sports teams that I follow. I can't say with any great confidence that there is success looming for them in 2024 whether through uncertainty or frankly, a lack of belief.
Fremantle Dockers (Men) A terrible season after a semi-final in 2022. Couldn't win a first quarter and couldn't move the ball with any sort of pace consistently. It was very frustrating to watch and at times, all I could do was shake my head in horror
Fremantle Dockers (Women) It was nice to watch a couple of the women's matches this season but honestly, it was the same problem as the men. Couldn't score heavily enough and couldn't put teams away. Went to 2 matches for 1 win and 1 loss but never really looked like a top 8 team
Southside Flyers (WNBL) 2022/23 saw them break the all-time WNBL crowd record with 7,600 people attending a game at John Cain Arena which was a joy. Lauren Jackson playing was also a joy but seeing her get injured at John Cain, hurt. Despite that, ended up runners-up after losing 2-0 to Townsville in the Grand Final. 2023/24 has been Jekyll and Hyde. At times they look elite while on other occasions, they look like they've barely played together. Sitting 3rd at the moment gives hope but they're in a battle to make the top 4.
Melbourne Boomers (WNBL) 2022/23 saw another winning season as they tried to defend their title however they would ultimately lose 2-1 in the semi-finals against Southside after one of the all-time great deciders was played. 2023/24 started fantastic and they looked to be the main challenger to Townsville however suddenly they have faltered with 4 losses in the last 5 games to sit 5th going into the last 2 months of the year.
South East Melbourne Phoenix (NBL) I have always wanted to embrace them though the timing of such embracing was a challenge. It has taken circumstances but I am now all in on the Phoenix. They have though, decided to frustrate the hell out of me this season. Sitting 9-10 in 5th spot and struggling to put their full squad out on the court was not what I had in mind and yes, they are trying to age me prematurely but what matters is that I am now embracing them.
South Melbourne (NPL VIC) I decided to adopt them as my team in the NPL as a nod to the soft spot I held for them when I was a kid. They had an outstanding season and finished 2nd at the end of the regular season. The semi-final saw them edge Oakleigh 2-1 with a 91st minute goal but the Grand Final saw them dismantled 4-0 against Avondale. Not only did they lose the game but they lost the half-time fight in the stands.
Melbourne Victory (A-Leagues) I'd not been to a Victory game for a very long time however I decided that I would start following with more interest. As part of the post-tournament glow, I went and watched a couple of women's games at Bundoora and now I'm stepping out and watching the men play too. Both teams (men and women) are sitting in the top 6 at the moment but whether that will last is for the sporting gods to decide
Manchester United The men won the EFL Cup and finished in the top 4 in 2022/23 but this 2023/24 season is threatening to spiral into clusterf**k territory. Out of the EFL Cup, bottom of their Champions League group and struggling in the league, there is a real danger of no European football for United in 2024/25 unless they turn this sinking ship around. As for the women, they are hovering around 4th at the moment but given that only the top 3 qualify for the Champions League, they'll need to start picking up points against those top sides.
Goals for 2024
I honestly don't know what 2024 holds for me given the bizarro year that 2023 was. Setting goals in that context is difficult and quantifying success will be hard but I'll have a go anyway
Lose another 10kgs to get my weight down to 105kg - as it stands, this is achievable given my rapid weight loss in the last 3 months of 2023
Complete 3 subjects of Uni successfully - this one is going to be a challenge as I've not studied for a while however going back to Uni online and only doing 1 subject at a time gives me the best chance of success
Travel to a new destination - last year saw 2 travels to Adelaide and 1 to Hobart and besides the mandatory trip to Adelaide for Gather Round, I am hoping that I can travel to Perth at some stage this year.
NOT be checked into a mental health clinic - last year my resilience was at an all-time low which led to a situation of checking in for 50 days to a mental health clinic. At the time, I needed it however given how 2023 finished, I am cautiously hopeful that I won't need a repeat in 2024.
In a personal sense, 2023 was tough in ways I didn't expect. I know that there will still be some challenges in 2024 but I am hopeful that now I have my support team firmly in place and have slowly reintroduced things into my life that I have missed, 2024 should be a year where instead of treading water or going backwards, I can start to thrive.
Bon Voyage 2023!
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