Thoughts At The Beginning Of A New Decade by Kate

The good bit about being a decade baby is it makes it much easier to remember how old you are. So 2010 will take me neatly into the end of my fourth decade. It will also - all being well - see my daughter begin her first. Yep, 2010 is going to be an extraordinary year, capping a series of extraordinary years. It's probably a good thing in some ways that I've been getting in some practice of how to adapt to dramatic life-changes, but I am in no doubt that the arrival of a baby will be the biggest one of all.

Quick summary:
In 2009 I moved to a different country speaking a different language and began a new career as a teacher. It's been quite a year.
In 2008 I got married, quit a job I had been in for over ten years, left the city I'd lived in for the same amount of time and spent seven months or so dwelling in a van in various parts of Europe. Oh, and I retrained for a new profession. That was quite a year too.
In 2007 I left my partner of eleven years as well as the first home I'd been involved in buying for myself. It looks easy when contained in one sentence, but it was one of the most difficult and upsetting decisions I have ever had to make. On the upside, I fell in love with and got engaged to the man who is now my husband, my soulmate and father-to-be of my first child. Another incredible year.

Looking back, the tail-end of the noughties have been amazing (and that's not to undermine the importance of the years that stretch back before them) and yes, there have been sad and painful times, but thankfully, not too many. It's difficult not to sound smug, but I count myself as incredibly lucky to have had such an enjoyable and fulfilling life so far and despite the disbelieving "am I really about to turn forty??!" feeling, I'm hugely looking forward to what 2010 will bring. With just a little trepidation mixed in.