Favourite year/s in your life/milestones

2015 - last time things were good for me and my family. My mum was healthy, so was I no mental or health issues.

Was a good happy year.

Ages 13 to 15. Right up until the Poland trip when everything started to go wrong. That was a good time. In a dorm full of rowdy teenagers; girls straddling their boyfriends on the beds, The lot of us frolicking on the beach. The girls in bikini’s splashing water all around. Baking sun.

I had no idea that the 2 Church youth groups I was a part of were about to rip themselves apart. Life, youth, was an exciting game and I was expecting to be invited to join in at any moment.

my PhD years were pretty good too and the nearly half a year beforehand just after I graduated. Finding that bunch of weirdos in Anime sock made my life feel so much more real. I felt so abandoned by life and I found people who weird like me. I started to find what it felt like to have a social life. Started going out and doing things, nightclubs, trips away. People started inviting me to birthday parties and to join in with stuff. I had interesting conversations about science and bizarre what if scenarios. I went to my first anime convention in several after that during that period of time some of the best trips of my life. I massively grew in confidence I started sharing my sense of humour with people shamelessly and feeling like at least some of them enjoyed it.

I remember towards the end of university sneaking out to go and see a questionable movie my parents wouldn’tve approved of on my own. that seemed adventurous. By the time I’d been in Anime soc for a few years I was going to places on my own where I was greeted by sights and sounds that would probably make the mods uncomfortable if I repeated them here.

don’t get me wrong the space between 16 and when I entered university was not entirely dreadful. there were some good moments and some formative experiences. The same could be said for the degree itself. But there was so much pain and trauma with the way life was  falling apart and then the way I couldn’t come to terms with it that it kind of overshadowed everything else.

before my teens I have to wonder if I was ever really happy. I mean in the sense of there being like a happy year. there were obviously happier times. trips on holiday to sunny Weymouth. Sat in the air-conditioned library reading the Encyclopedia. Playing mega drive. Laser tag for your birthday. Ordering rare technical books at the library. But a lot of this was bright spots in a Panorama of mundanity and loneliness.

Probably sixth form. Last time I felt like I was on top of everything. Doing well in all my a level subjects (special interests) and looking forward to going to uni. Not too many life challenges to deal with. I was in a small school and had had several years to settle in and get to know people. I think I can be a bit of a perfectionist and that was the last time it was possible for me to perform perfectly in what I was supposed to be doing. I did well at uni in the end too but it was much harder.

Tbh the last year's not been bad either, since realising I'm autistic and making new friends, but it lacks that excitement of imagining my whole life ahead of me.

I'm just bumping back up a few threads to see if there is any petrol left in their engines.

The year I left school.

The year I got married.

The year I paid off my mortgage.

Oh, I need to correct this: New earliest memory update - it was an even earlier telly thing actually 17:15-17:35  here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBStroGQjhY And the bit in the floating lift near the end rings a distinct bell also. 

No wonder I'm not right in the head, if that's where conscious memories begin! Two years and five months old, I then decide 'yep, this is too important not to have vivid recollection of for the rest of my days.'

This revelation came to me just two weeks ago. The ep was a year earlier than I'd always thought, and as far as I know never got repeated.  

Bump

Thank you. I like it here it's a place I don't have to mask. I wish I could be more frequent here but I'm only allowed limited periods online as it's "too much" for me otherwise. 

Enjoy it all the same.

I hope your time away was peaceful and relaxed. 

That's kind.

Thank you .

I'm glad you stayed here yourself

Welcome back. It wasn't the same without you.

My favourite year was 2018. I won a swimming competition, it nearly half killed me but it was worth it. My mother got to see me win and it was a wonderful moment that I won't ever forget. And then the same year an old friend came to me for help and together I helped reunite him with his son which took us from one end of the country to the other. All in all the best year I've had. 

I'll do my best to behave myself.

Thank you

You may but not for too long please.

Glad to have you back. Does this mean i  can go AWOL?

Thank you everyone for your replies.

It's nice to learn a little more about each other.

Thank you to AWOL for starting such a nice thread

As far as my young childhood goes, a lot of the early memories kind of blend together in a happy mix, I remember days out to the seaside and London with my parents, time spent at my Grandma's house (who was like a second mom to me), and time spent with other homeschooled childhood friends who were oddballs like me so I could be myself and feel comfortable with and all those things but I cant really remember the years of most of them

1999 I discovered cricket for the first time, something which has been a great comfort to my brain over the years, the slow pace, the certainty and rhythm of every ball. I watched the 1999 World Cup and my mom took me to my first cricket match 

2000 Joined a homeschoolers sports group at the local Leisure Centre and made some amazing friends, sadly not in touch with any of them now but we had some great years together. 

2005 The year I remember being at my happiest. We had found a church that had a great youth group and I made such good friends. I felt like I really belonged with these people.Also had my first girlfriend there.  I remember when Chelsea played Liverpool in the European Cup semi final, the youth leaders brought out a grainy old TV where you could barely see the picture through the static and we all gathered round and watched it together. At half time we just randomly decided to have a full contact game of rugby with a basketball in the church hall.  Happy times 

2014 I broke free from a really crappy relationship and had a whole summer of being free and single, I had a wonderful job helping special needs kids too which I really enjoyed and at the end of the year I met my wife!
 

2015 Moved in with my wife and started our first home together,  a few months later my gran passed on

2016 Got made homeless through violent drug gangs in our building. My mom and dad took us in, ended up staying there 5 years. Got married to my wife in May. 

2017 My life changed after I had a massive falling out with the group of lads who I had been friends for 8 years with. We havnt spoken from that day since. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Looking back I was able to realise how terrible they had been for me, being with them turned me into someone I wasnt and they treated me like crap. Since then I have started to be more free in life

2018 A wonderful year. I rediscovered my passion for my Christian faith, spent the year out in nature feeding ducks and being out in the countryside and attempted to do the whole Tom and Barbara self sufficiency thing. Grew three months worth of crops in the garden, sold my first article as a writer and kind of got out of the rat race

2019 My first child was born, my little boy who is my world

2021 Me and my wife finally got our dream house, a little council place in the countryside. Started building a life for ourselves in our new home

2022 A very traumatic year full of ups and downs but ended with the joy of our baby daughter being born 

2023 I feel more at peace than ever, although I still have big ups and downs, and I pray that continues 

Thank you for sharing this, its really amazing how you write and to know about your life like that

Oh that’s amazing! Such a kind thing to do for your mum! I would love to be able to do something like that sometime in future but not sure I will ever be able to.

This is a great idea!

2014: First time I spent time in a lab- I did a two week internship which really convinced me that I love science and research. The rest of the year was not good but at least one good thing! 

2015: Starting University - first time I ever made friends. Not an easy year otherwise but the university was a massive positive

2019: Again not really a great year, but I spent 3 weeks hiking the GR20 in Corsica which was one of the best times of my life- I felt so free and empowered and I loved every second of it. I would never have gone home if I could have stayed. 

So far 2023 has not been a good year, but as I am starting something new (which is terrifying and involves way too much stress and uncertainty at the moment), I am hopeful that it will make the list if I am asked about good years in the future :) 

Okay, well I don't like to invest in anything without knowing more than that, but good for you though. /gen (again)