Another new year is here, and 2024 holds more significance for me than most. It is, after all, the first calendar year I’ll be spending in my own flat, and my flat is a base from which anything is possible. For the first time in my life, I truly believe that. One of the worst things about waiting for the sale to go through was the instability it inflicted on each day – I may have had a job, but its continued existence relied on also having a place to live sharpish. If anything fell through, my life would be thrown into disarray again. I may have alluded to this before, but when you’re freshly out of a long spell of unemployment, there can be nothing worse than the thought of going straight back to square one.

I therefore feel blessed that – at least for the foreseeable future – I don’t have to, and it’s not something I ever intend to take for granted. I’ll really savour not having to give vague answers to questions about where I am or what I’m doing. I’ll be able to respond with total certainty, and that’s worth its weight in gold. Someone told me that life becomes easier when you have a place of your own, as it enables more new connections and more solid plans. One thing is for sure – over the coming year, I can’t wait to find out if they’re right.

Mason