Marilyn Stowe Blog

2010, here we come…

New Year’s Eve and another year, indeed a decade, is almost over.

How has this year been for you? If it has been anything like mine, it has been a rollercoaster. It has passed by very quickly and, looking back, there have been some real highs. There was the faster than expected development of our Cheshire office, our acquisition of a London office set to open next year, and five of our cases included in the Law Reports. I also appeared on BBC Radio 4′s Woman’s Hour, debating against Baroness Deech on possible changes to the law on cohabitation.

There have also been some lows: my surgery and a long slow recovery from its complications, getting used to major lifestyle changes and a dash to Israel to deal with a family emergency. I’m no different to anyone else: we all have our ups and downs, our highs and lows.

I have chosen to share many of those very personal up and down moments with my readers, because this blog isn’t just about family law and how it works in practice. It is also about connecting with other people, sharing feelings and emotions, and going through good times and bad together.

Every one of us is touched by tragedy and bad times in our lives. We can’t win everything, and we don’t get everything we want in life. We all have to deal with tough times – and to try and help others through tough times, too. We may not realise quite how good the good times were, until they are over. Conversely we may not appreciate how bad some times were until they are over too. Then we can look back with relief. We were able to escape the worst. Some days we may find ourselves in turmoil: worried, scared, despairing and despondent. But that black cloud does lift, and we can smell the fresh air again.

We can’t predict the future. Instead we must be patient, taking each day as it comes, step by step. We can’t go faster than that. Time passes, the days, weeks, months come and go, and when we look behind us, we realise that actually, it wasn’t that bad.

If we try and use our personal experiences wisely and with humility, it can make us better people and hopefully more understanding of others and the challenges they face in their lives.

This photo of me isn’t the most flattering that I have had taken: I am at home, sans makeup, on my Wattbike! I do think, however, that it sums up my own year quite neatly: lots of hard work, a Wattbike, a determination to keep going and to never give in – which I haven’t, although I admit I’ve felt like throwing in the towel quite a lot this year –  and as you can see at the end the year, I’m still smiling!

Don’t let life knock you off your stride. Keep going, onwards and upwards!

I wish everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.