"So this is Xmas...

 And what have we done? Another year, over and a new one just begun...”

Such great words to summarise this time of year, Christmas for me really signifies the end of the year. The closing down of one chapter and the opening of a new one. A time to stop and reflect back, to look at how you have spent your year, and for me it is usually then filled with “what the hell HAVE I done this year?” This year, I have to admit, is one of the first times I can look back and safely say “Wow, I did that!?!?” filled with some awe, some disbelief and even a tinsy bit of pride. 

But first on to my Christmas celebrations and how I ended up sharing a beautiful day with some very special people. Christmas is about the people closest to you, about sharing time (and often lots of food) with your nearest and dearest. Being away, you really notice every single kilometre of distance. No amount of skype or phone calls will ever make up for the fact I can’t sit on the couch with my mum and chat about anything, I can’t reach over and touch my sisters now very pregnant belly (she has only 4 weeks to go), I can’t just be with my Dad enjoying a beautiful glass of red.  It is these times when you feel it. So I decided I could just pretend it was just any other day, or I could actually try and recreate something here in Mcleod Ganj. My dear friend Catherine decided to join me and we reunited in the place that started our friendship nearly one year ago. 

Christmas Crackers - preparation

 A mixed bunch of us met for Christmas lunch – a few of my Tibetan friends (who I met here in Feb), a few new ones and a couple of westerners I had met at Tushita. A great bunch of people to share a gorgeous sunshiney day over looking the mountains. I had stubbornly insisted on a cooked lunch and my guest house kindly allowed me the run of the kitchen. Nana’s Xmas pudding had been created a few days earlier and a friend had managed to get the oven in the kitchen working again – I am not sure if it had ever been used, but it managed to cook our leg of mutton (I think that is code for goat here) and roast vegies very nicely thank you very much. Loads of food, a few bottles of local wine and the day was complete. It was so lovely to share a western tradition with my Tibetan friends who had never celebrated Xmas before – we even managed a small Kris Kringle.  Not the same as being with family, but almost as good.

of course - good food

 So this is Xmas, it is not about the views, the gifts or even the food – the company and the people you share it with makes it special. I was lucky to have 9 old friends and new to be with on what could’ve been an incredibly lonely and even difficult day. But instead, I was surrounded by love, laughter and happiness. Memories that will be with me forever. It really was a fitting way to finish off  this year – a year that has disappeared before me and I find myself saying did that even happen? It almost seems surreal. I have visited 11 countries, met up with many old and dear friends, made many new life long friends, have stayed (mostly) true to my goal of “being in the flow” and embracing whatever has been presented to me. I have had too many beautiful moments to count, some days where I think I am crazy and I have totally lost the plot, but for the most part, it has been nothing short of amazing. Beyond comprehension in fact. I was talking to a friend the other day about the list of regrets that dying people have (you can see my last blog). And I was trying to explain the word regret to him (he is Tibetan so most conversations become an English lesson). And he asked if I was to die today, what would be my regrets....a profound question. I thought about it for not even a minute, and I said without hesitation. None. I have no regrets. I am living my regrets each and every day.

Good times, and good people, Xmas 2011

 Thank you 2011, you have been not only memorable, but life changing. I will no longer leave home without toilet paper, I can now sleep just about anywhere, I believe I truly realise how lucky I am to be born into a culture that allows me freedom and the right to chose, that places are amazing but people are life changing and that best lessons in life are life itself. Truly living. So thank you, the reader for joining me on my journey.....2012 will prove just as interesting as I have no set plans yet. I now head to the Kalachakra teachings with His Holiness (along with 200 000 other people) before heading south for some warmth in Goa. So this will be my last post this year....til we meet again! x