As we welcome in the New Year here at Lake, we do so by recalling events that filled the global headlines in 2022 - a year of sorrow, loss and tragedy for too many people. Across the world, and especially in Europe, too many families have shed too many tears, and too many children have suffered too much and been removed from their homes, their families, and even their countries. However, even in the darkest days of the past 12 months, there were moments to inspire us all, and people who came into our lives through the media, who will live in our minds and in our hearts and in our memories beyond any of our lifetimes.
Love is all we need
Many years ago, a Priest I knew talked at length with our family. The reason is irrelevant. The fact that he was a Priest is irrelevant too. What is relevant to us all, is that he reminded me that all that ever really matters is ‘love, nothing else.’ And so yes, as we head into 2023, we all need to pause, reflect and remind ourselves that, as long as we live with love in our hearts - for our families, for our friends and for everyone else, wherever and whoever they are, then that’s a good starting point for a New Year.
Being able to ride a bike is an insignificant issue in the wider scale of things. However, seeing the cyclist training on the streets of Kiev in late February last year, weaving around the debris and the tanks, it was both humbling and immensely inspiring. Why - because it was so defiant and such an amazing and yes, an heroic act of personal strength. Images are what capture history, and they speak with a voice so loud that they reverberate in our souls and they cause our hearts to sing. Yes, the past year, whilst filled with loss and tragedy, was also filled with images captured by the lenses of brave photographers and journalists, to make our hearts sing out very loud indeed.
Time is our greatest gift
Over Christmas, many families were doing their best to gather together in strange countries, and too many were gathering in unlit basements or in tents put together from debris. It’s a reminder again that in truth, we have so much to give to others and it’s all so very simple. We have our time, the greatest gift of all - a wonderful, and quite priceless gift. Yes, each of our lives is a privilege and we should do our utmost to celebrate every single day of this New Year, and to use each of those days to share our time with others and to spread love… and yes, maybe cycle once or twice too.
Celebrate Life & Adventure
Every day of this wonderful, bright and beautiful New Year will be the first day of the rest of our lives, so let’s grab 2023 by the handlebars and ride the heck out of it. It’s a year for us to explore new horizons, new sports, new careers, new adventures, new places and to renew ourselves after 2022. Let’s all make sure that 2023 is a year of renewal and of personal celebration, as we traverse this amazing, varied and beautiful world, and let’s seek out new places and new people, and smile as often as we can, as we share our time with others. Whoever you are and wherever you are, the team here at Lake want to wish each and every one of you a very magical and special 2023, filled with love and adventure.
In seeking adventure, we can show those who have inspired us that we appreciate the freedoms that we have, the time that each new day gives us, and we can celebrate life and do our damnist to show that we can and will succeed in whatever challenge faces us. We owe this not only to ourselves, but also to families everywhere, to shine a light of freedom and of life in 2023.