Here we are, 2020. It sounds excitingly futuristic, however in reality, today is just another day. At the time of
writing, it's the middle of the afternoon on New Year's Eve. At the time
of publishing, I'm likely half-asleep, perhaps hungover from the
midnight revelry, although one would hope I celebrated responsibly. It would make a pleasant change to wake up on New Year's Day having not attempted to compensate for the annual anticlimax with excessive inebriation.
The month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, endings, transitions and time, for which he is often depicted as having two faces that gaze simultaneously into the past and future. If one such face were to look back on the previous decade, it would see ten years in which I transitioned between two seemingly different people. The seventeen year old Joseph at the start of 2010 was shy, socially awkward, confused by his identity, and possessed a questionable taste in fashion. Today however, twenty-seven year old Joe has a loud personality, he is ambitious, an extrovert, certain in himself, and I'd like to think he has a superior sense of style (even if some have raised an eyebrow or two at the blonde hair).
That being said, some things haven't changed.
I'm living with my parents again at the same address, although my bedroom has been reallocated three times since, and our kittens are now fluffy beasts. I'm still playing Pokémon SoulSilver on the very same Nintendo DS, albeit I'm committed this time to finishing the game, thanks in part to a level 56 Espeon. Ladies, form an orderly queue.
We then turn to Janus' other face, the one looking towards the decade to come. It's anybody's guess where I'll be in another ten year's time, but I can say with some certainty that 2020 is going to be special. I was recently appointed a director at
Amasia Architects Ltd, the practice for which I've been working for more than six years (check out our
shiny new website!), and in March I'll have joint responsibility for managing the business. Not long afterwards in September, I'm then hoping to begin a part-time post-graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning to complement my profession. To that end, blogging and my social life will be taking a back seat for the foreseeable future, but it will be all the worthwhile by the time I reach my thirtieth birthday, when I hope also to have bought myself my first home.
Although today
is just another day, a new year and a new decade is as good an opportunity as any to begin afresh, or to make steps towards changing our lives for the better. So however 2020 pans out, I hope it brings everybody happiness, success, and - if we're lucky - slightly fewer hangovers.
