4. One might dust off the cobwebs, sharpen up the old pen - to work out what your New Year’s resolution might be - to point you toward greener pastures.  You will be surrounded by like-minded individuals, who will therefore be keen to keep you accountable and on track. That means everything if you’re going to follow through, to keep your New Year’s resolution alive and kicking.

     5. Not to mention, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on how your year went.  What were the highlights and what were the lows?  Congratulate yourself on jobs well done and give yourself a good talking to, if you haven’t quite come up to par – but don’t be too hard on yourself. One has to enjoy life along the way.

     6. Give thanks for all your blessings and the warm, kind, considerate and loving people who support your life – in highs and the lows.  Both are equally important, for without which we would not truly sample a full life.  Our helpers bring validity to our burdens; cheer and celebrate our strength, resilience and success when life shares its fruits.

Just like you, I am guilty of this misdemeanor, I tell no lies. The above photo was taken with my son a few months ago and we have not spent quality time doing something together for such a long time. We both now live separate lives, our life demands are very different; we are separated by hundreds of kilometers. That should not deter us, but at times, it does.

So over the years, I have used other means of spending time together with love ones. Having lived more than half my life overseas, one learns to adjust ones way of doing things, but it does come at a cost - massive phone bills, Skype calls, sleepless nights (time zones are not always compatible) and extra flights home to Oz. Yes extra, because by the time one forks out two and three hour calls every couple of days, one might as well buy a flight ticket home. A $600-$700 phone bill every quarter or so, racks up the pennies fast! So coming home for a week of R&R is a great way to recharge your life batteries.