New Year's Wishes

Mr. Neil Gaiman always writes beautiful things for the New Year, and he has something of a greatest hits blog post which I fully recommend. Here's this year's wish:

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

While it's a fine and lovely wish, I hope that none of my mistakes in the coming year involve paperwork at the airport. Anything else is pretty much fair game, but I'd like getting through customs to be mistake-free. 15 days until I head off for Ireland!

I hope everyone had a really lovely 2011, and that you have great parties tonight, and an even better 2012!