We do tend to look back as we approach the end of a year... It is different this time, as we are at the end of the first decade of the new millenium. Mmm... that's a lot of reflecting to do! Over the last twelve months I choose to reflect on the wonderful new friends and acquaintances I have made. I take all those experiences with me through to the next decade with the anticipation of building stronger relationships with those I have come to call 'my friends'.

I invited the thoughts of my contributors on: "What did 2009 mean to me?" Here are some of their replies. Add your own too in the box at the bottom of the page.

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Anne Naylor: The tremendous value I received in writing the Huffington Post articles each week, and through them developing a new voice for my work.  Learning to live more fully in the here and now, trusting in the goodness of the process of life.  Enjoyable moments with remarkable people.

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Deborah D'Alessandro: 2009 was a year of stepping out of my comfort zone and throwing myself into a lot of unknown territory.  Whether in social situations or attempting to learn new things, I challenged myself to feel comfortable in "foreign territory".  It proved to be an excellent exercise since my comfort zone has expanded and I now feel more confident about what I have to do in 2010.   On a more global scale, 2009 has taught me that I can't depend on others to make the world a better place - it is all up to me and what I can do.

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Nikki Thomas-Orler: The economy of 2009 for me : losses and gains:

Like many this year, I have lost money, funds and/or "buying power", but haven't honestly had the desire to delve into my purse to count. Perhaps because other losses have meant much more to me, such as those of family and friends, which sadly, are part of the natural course of life. This year however has also been one of encounters, discovery and thus learning which, for me, represents a non-quantifiable gain that has nothing to do with the Dow Jones.

I didn't await 2009 however to savour some of those things that money can't buy : living here on the Riviera,  I particularly appreciate the sunrise over the horizon on a very clear day in the winter, which can reveal the outline of Corsica. I also seek the fresh scent of the woods at dawn and, according to the season, a bunny tail disappearing into the bushes or a rust-coloured squirrel coiling up a tree, to pick a twig of thyme, or make a lavender posy. I am often mesmerised by the turquoise sea, illuminated by the stunning Matisse mix of the golden sun in that cobalt sky. And so this year, despite the world economy, has been for me, like so many others, another very rich and enriching one.

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Janet Holroyd: "Keep learning, take on big challenges, it what gives us our self-confidence and we are capable of much more than we believe. Keep optimism alive and have faith in yourself. Age is always somebody else's problem."

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Mary Jo Delaney:  "2009 was a year of 'letting go' for me; many of my formally held ideas and attitudes have morphed, shifted or been entirely abandonned. It is a process that was already well underway, but came into being in 2009."

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Anne Pilling:  My year, "2009 has proved very exciting by developing the "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" workshops and a lovely connection with Susan Jeffers' work and company.  The workshops are growing all the time now as the words spreads around.  It has also brought some extremely special new relationships with the Riviera Woman web site, EPWG and my Complimentary Therapists Networking Group.  I really value the diverse and spiritual qualities of the Cote d'Azur more and more, not to mention the glorious sun, sea and super warmth we  are privileged to enjoy here".

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Alice Barker:  It was a year of discoveries, opportunities and challenges. The year gained momentum for me - culminating in taking shop premises and becoming a sole trader - something unthinkable at the start of it! Above all, 2009 reminded me how important it is to go forward with life, no matter how scary it may appear at the time. The rewards are worth it. I take that lesson with me into 2010.

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Kim Defforge:  As for 2009 and what it meant to me, hmmm --- I guess I would have to say new beginnings since I launched my 'new' concierge biz in Jan 09, 'beginning' with a website and advertising/marketing strategy, leading to new clients to begin services for with a newly-purchased car!

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Helen Brotherton:  Our first full year in business as Fine Wine Works - so you could say it's our best year yet - what crisis??

Big learning curve - bit of a wild scatter gun approach to what our core activities should be but have narrowed it down. Can't do it all for love, you know! Most importantly - thoroughly enjoying working with my husband, Nigel. We have such different skills and they harmonise brilliantly into "departments", mine being mostly creative and wine & food, Nigel being a superb and dogged challenger and "dealer - with" of all the many barking mad obstacles, bureaucratic madness and frustrations of doing business in France (horrid banks included).

Hopes and goals for 2010 include triumphantly receiving my long awaited Carte Vitale (applied for in July 2008) and getting off the merry go round of continually filling in forms and re-sending documents.

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