So, another decade has gone by in my life, and as the years have passed I can honestly say life has got better. I think the older wiser Jay has emerged and feels better for leaving the naïve Jay of his 20’s era firmly behind.
The last ten years began with me working at the brewery until it closed in 1999. I was happy there, and still consider those years the best working years I had. After the brewery closure came a stint at college for about a year before I went to work for Atkins, quite a large global civil engineering firm, among other things they do. The six years I had there started the decade of decadence really, travel, girls (a good few!) and the money to get myself the finer things in life. I was still pretty crap at relationships in my early 30s and spells of two or so years were the best I could (and still can) manage. After my first 2 years at Atkins a relationship ended and with the help of the internet I went on to meet lots more girls (some nice, some not), it was a kind of renaissance period for me, all of a sudden I had a new found confidence, though I must confess to not being able to suss women out even at this age!
The last decade was one of travel, Hong Kong, China, Macau Thailand being favourite destinations throughout the decade, Thailand being a place I visited 3 times.
Years at Atkins fell off the calendar and I was happy there though I was becoming increasingly disenchanted at living in Mansfield, especially as the whole dynamics, atmosphere and fabric of the town seemed to have changed, and not to my liking.
It’s been a decade of technology, personal computers, the internet and probably a good few other things I can’t think of have changed and influenced my life, and for the better too, and just look at all the blogs I’ve wrote! It's also been a decade of learning, two and a half years nearly were spent on my psychotherapy diploma.
I probably grew more as a person over the last ten years, that’s not to say I haven’t made mistakes or done stupid things either, I’m guilty of both. The last decade saw me reconciled with my father after we’d both drifted for a few years; it also saw the sad loss of my mother. On reflection though the last ten years has seen more highs than lows. I’ve made more friends in my thirties and realised the true value of friends, sadly a couple of friends have passed away too.
The last two years have seen me move home to Newark, have two major operations on my legs which have made me feel 18 again and I’ve learnt to drive, yep the last couple of years have been the happiest of my life with only the odd glitch here and there but I’ve found you’re always and ever learning.
I'm sat here smiling and reflecting back, I've done a condensed resume of the last ten years, lots have been missed out but there's lots of me on this very blog too.
So here I am, in the twilight of being thirty something, a scant few hours before my life milometer turns to the big four zero. The thirties has been my best decade so far, for shaping me, defining me and making me a better and happier person.
All I can say is bring on the forties, I’m ready for you!
