New Year’s Day

Many, many years ago today, I appeared on this world in this current form. The real me, Tom, the secret identity of Aquatom1968.

Over the time, I have been witness to some rather unusual things. A lot of unusual things. The Seventies, for one thing. I seem to remember power cuts, national strikes, and a three day working week. Decimal currency was introduced back then, too, although I only remember using decimal currency. Oh, and a random coin that was worth two and a half pence that was eventually phased out.

I love seeing photos of people in the seventies. The clothes they wore were most definitely unique to that era. Even though some similar styles are around today, to me they don’t have the same ‘feel’ with them as the originals.

The music most definitely has a seventies feel. This was the time when I realised that songs actually had words in them – I had thought that music was simply music. How my perception was altered when I realised that one I can’t begin to explain. Although, I am glad that I realised it back then. I’d be in a bit of a mess if I still thought that today!

The Eighties weren’t as strange. Everyone, apart from me, wore Shell Suits. Funny looking things that looked good on some people and terrible on others. Everyone, including me, wore extremely bright colours. I seem to remember the Eighties always being sunny for this reason, but it must have rained at some time.

Oh, and we had The Great Storm on October 15th and 16th 1987 when half of the country was blown away. I was working at the telephone exchange back then, and started work early in the morning. As soon as I walked into the switchroom, I was blinded by all of the lights blinking away on the switchboard. The remaining night staff were doing their best to answer the calls, but more kept on coming through. I was of little help, but jumped on and did what I could. Well, nobody could get through to anybody, apart from the operator on ‘100’. Telephone lines were down in many parts of the country, and there was a ‘buzz’ around the place that was reminiscent of the engineer’s strike earlier that year, although far more exchanges developed faults during the strike than the storm.

The Nineties… I was here in the nineties, I’m sure of it. I have no idea what I did, what happened, or anything. No, that’s not entirely true. I remember some things… I remember New Year’s Eve in 1999 and the house party I was at. I managed to get everyone to do a conga in the street. The neighbours were all looking out of their windows as this line of people snaked their way around the road and then back into the house. It was fun. And then one of the others at the party set of a huge firework at the stroke of midnight, to bring in the new millennium. That was a loud firework. And the whole sky was alight with colour as it seemed the whole country were setting their own fireworks off too! That was a good night, that was!

The Noughties… again another decade where things happened that don’t seem to have registered with me yet. I’m beginning to think that I must have a twenty year gap for the memories to emerge! I’m sure these memories will filter through as time goes on.

And then there are the years on either side of the Seventies and the Noughties. I don’t remember much of the Sixties, and from 2010 the memories are very recent indeed. Aquatom1968 revealed himself to the world in 2010, but has been around quite a bit longer than that.

So, March 13th is my New Year’s Day. I am officially one year older. I say officially because I do not believe that for one moment. I have a motto, ‘Forever young, forever ageless’.

My body may look slightly different to how it did in the Sixties, and the Seventies, and the Eighties, and the Nineties, and the Noughties, and last month, last week even… but I’m still me. I still have the same mind that I had way back then. I’m using it better nowadays though. I like using my mind!

I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions, because I believe that we can make a resolution at any time of the year, on any day. But, I’m making one today. This body of mine has lived through decades and I haven’t really appreciated it until today. I’m going to take more care of it, take more care of what I put into it, and allow it to have the rest at times that it quietly asks for it. Yes, I’m looking after me.

It’s funny the things you think of when you look back…