Leaving Northumberland.

Today has been my last day in Northumberland. I'm heading back to Nottingham tomorrow for the start of my second term, which is pretty exciting but also kinda sucks because I love home so much. I love University, Notts is a really great city but my heart belongs in the countryside. The county which I call home is the ruralist in the UK so there aren't many people living here, most of it is taken up with hills and fields. I live in a really tiny village which has no bus services and no phone signal. At stages in my teenage life, I would find that really annoying, especially when first starting high school as it was a 45 minute drive away. However in the past few years I've grown to be truly fond of it. When my friends would come to visit I'd usually hear 'Alexa I don't know how you can live in such an isolated area, it's so far away from everything' and I'd always tell them that if they lived here, they would grow to love it. I think it's important to take note of the little things in life and learn from different opportunities. This is what I've learnt from living in Northumberland:

1. The world is such a playground. My parents would always say to us 'If you're bored, find a way to entertain yourself', this made us go outside more, go on walks, adventures and become more curious about our surroundings.

2. Beauty is literally everywhere, you just have to open your eyes wide enough to notice it.

3. People who sit on their phones all the time are missing out so much on life. I'll admit that sometimes I sit and browse the web but It's a continuous effort of mine to not do it too much.

4. Be spontaneous, travel often, always explore but also make plans. Having passed my driving test last year, I've been given so much more freedom. Living so far away from everything without a driving license is a bit of a bummer as it means that mum and dad would have to drive us everything which would mean we would pretty much have to plane everything about a week in a dance as we would all ant to be in different places. 

5. Be patient, appreciative and grateful for what you have. Patience has come from having to organise a lot of trips growing up and planning around others. My parents have been so great growing up and always helped us out which has made me appreciate them so much more. There were stages in my life where I dreamed of living in a New York apartment, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, however now I'm so eternally grateful for being able to grow up in such a breathtaking area. 

In the past few years I've tried not to set new years resolutions, just continuous goals throughout the year. However this year I'd really like to...

 -Travel often

- Get outside each day on a walk.

- Express my gratitude towards others more often

Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier 

- Be as kind as possible and to always smile.

What're your New Years resolutions and what do you love about where you live?