With a little help from my friends ...

Our lives can become incredibly full and incredibly hectic – so much so, that sometimes it can feel like we have just blinked and the year has flown by.

Which it has. Because it’s November – and it was only yesterday that the year was starting and I had plans – big plans – of how it was all going to go.

It hasn’t gone that way. It’s gone a totally different way but, more than anything else, it’s flown by in a hectic way with every day screaming past and screaming out for more to be done. Not what I had planned.

But here’s something that you just can’t plan but is a measure of the value of the time you have spent living this crazy, busy, hectic life. Friendships.

Yes, friendships are formed, grown, strengthened and treasured as we hurtle along life’s path and truly all we have to do is pause, reflect and realise that every moment, every up and down, every celebration and every commiseration, has been surrounded by our friends. Our friends are our chosen family and it is truly very special when our family are also our friends. To be surrounded by those who love you, who fight for you, who want to protect you, who want only the best for you – and you for them – is really what life is about.

So, as I reflect on my year of ups and downs, of truly some of the most stressful days of my life followed by some of the most delightful and exciting days, of the successes and losses, of the fears and the triumphs – I’ve been blessed to have been surrounded by my friends, every step of the way.

No matter how hectic my life gets, no matter how hectic their lives get, there’s that little “ping” of a message of encouragement, laughter, love and empathy that comes through just as you need it.

As I look back on this year, it is not the business plans or fitness goals or spring clean action lists that stand out – it’s how bloody lucky I am to have the friends I have. It’s how bloody lucky I am to have the love I have. It’s how bloody lucky I am to spend my life this way. And my goal is to make sure my friends feel all that love coming right back at them.

We can’t predict the path our lives take, we can’t always be in control of the speed at which time passes – the only thing we can control is our appreciation of the time that others give us, our gratitude that whatever life throws at us there’s a friend there with a laugh, a cuddle, a pick-me-up or a champagne to celebrate your joy.

And that is what makes a life full, a life that’s valuable – it’s measured in our value to others and our ability to rise above the daily hectic-ness to support and love one another.

As we go through the craziest season of all, the busiest time of year, make time for your friends, sneak in that glass of wine on a school night, join them in a yoga class on a weekend, treasure the texts no matter what time of night – it makes the crazy busy days better, funnier and really it just makes life worth living.

To my amazing friends – thank you. I hope we are all able to look back on a crazy year, have a giggle, and think “oh, I get by with a little help from my friends” ….

With much love

Abby Crawford.

PS: Don’t forget you can reach me at [email protected]