What's in a new year?

I've long been of the belief that the way I spend my new years eve sets up my coming year.
So it's important who I spend it with and what I'm doing...I'd hate to spend it amongst drunks and aggressive people for instance, nor would I want to spend it with someone who's company I don't enjoy...  I sure wouldn't want to introduce that into my coming year, would you?
This year I spent it with 3 girlfriends, not just any girlfriends mind you but gf's who have been in my life for many years ...we had a few drinks we laughed a lot we messed about being silly and took lots of  photos and  you know what struck me the most when looking through all of the photos the next today?   we all looked so very happy...what a way to welcome in the new year.....that's what I want in my life...lots of laughter and happiness and the company of good fiends...friends who compliment me,  and I them.
Those particular girlfriends were pretty special to me....one I have known for 19 years...we met when I first moved from Victoria to Qld, our partners worked together and we became good friends...we drifted apart for various reasons, mostly because I'm considered a gypsy of sorts and move around a lot  but we built a strong foundation way back then and today we still have a special bond........then there's another special girlfriend I met at a speed dating night 11 years ago...we didn't much like the blokes but sitting around having a drink afterwards we hit it off and and we've shared many ups and downs through a multitude of interesting relationships and more recently travelled to Bali together.....then there's girlfriend number three and we met through a mutual friend around 4 years ago when I was looking for accommodation on one of my many trips south....it seemed we were such opposites but I moved in and we've remained good friends since.  I come and go her house,  in my many trips down to the Sunnie Coast, her door has always been open to me and without a tv for distraction we've become great scrabble partners!
It's easy to make acquaintances but it's those real friends, the ones you can always count on that sustain you in times of upheaval, laugh with you during your madcap adventures and give you a stern word or two when they see you getting off track....they're as precious as the most prized jewels.

I truly am so blessed as I have many friends that I consider 'special' .....they live all down the east coast of Australia and my lifestyle of moving about fairly frequently prevents me from seeing most of them on a regular basis...so to receive not one but two phone calls completely out of the blue on new years eve day from two very long time friends brought such joy to my heart....I love those surprises and the feeling of love and connection that ignited during those calls was sooooooooo uplifting.

I was happy enough at the time, no pressing issues in my life to grapple with and everything in my world was in order so the feeling of well-being that I got from those calls was a bit a shock really.
Was I on auto pilot prior to that, what was it about those calls that gave me such a boost?
Perhaps it's like the boiling frog....life just bubbles along with no real thoughts of how I'm actually feeling..what's happening inside?
Here I was thinking to myself, yes I'm happy or more realistically was I really thinking at all... I think the latter is the more likely scenario....life just keeps on drifting along.


Living so far apart from dear friends has eventuated in our paths getting wider and wider apart....but  friendships like these don't ever finish...we might get caught up in our lives, and feel the thread that connects us stretching wider and wider apart but on some deeper level I know they are still there as I'm sure they know I am still there in their sphere of being......and you know what I love so much about true friends? it's the fact that we might not have had any contact whatsoever for such a long time, we mightn't have seen each other face to face in years but when we do connect we just take up where we left off...the joy and the depth of meaning of those friendships surge up within and it's the greatest feeling....this is what has happened for me this nye....it's a wondrous thing, a very special gift and I do truly treasure the beautiful and genuine girlfriends that remain just that...
Something is happening in my world, something that has brought good friends back into my consciousness, something I can't quite put my finger on right now....I just know that it's a good thing and I'm so happy .

So what will 2012 bring for me, what do I want to manifest in 2012 and how will I go about that......I have a  big blank canvas before me, paint brushes in hand and I'm ready to begin............