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hey this is the christian o'connell show podcast all right so we're going to do this in the next half an hour, and it's, I think it's something you'll enjoy doing this.

I'm asking you to tell me about the story of your year in six words.

Now, the reason why it's six years, six words, is that actually Hemingway, so that you can tell a great story.

You don't need to write a great big novel.

You can tell a story in just six words. So this year, when you think about what's happened in your life, in our lives, in any year, there's so much change that goes on. There's so much joy, there's so much happiness, there's so much regret, there's so much loss, all of it, what it is to be alive, us, human, gloriously human. So I have a thing about your year.

And how would you tell me the story of it in six words? So to give you an example, for me,

I was thinking about this last night. Now, how would I sum up this year, another year of

extraordinary just changing in my life at home and at work? And I was thinking yesterday,

evening, my wife and I closed the door, literally closed the door and it felt like the closing of a, not a chapter in our lives, but an entire book of our lives on our family home that we've had since we moved to Australia seven years ago. And obviously when we moved here, both of our daughters were on the cusp of becoming teenagers. They're now 19 and 21. They don't at home anymore we've sold the family home we've downsized we moved out last night was the last night I closed the door my wife was getting emotional she said Chris I can't better close the door can you close the door I'm going to go and wait in the car I looked into that house and it was like a I don't describe it a museum it wasn't a home anymore it was like't a home anymore now. This is somebody else's home. I felt like I needed to get out of here. And actually, the new people, they move into that midday and they've got young kids. They've already picked out the bedrooms. And it feels like it's already moving on. So how would I describe this year? For me, this year will be the leaving year and the growing year. Both of those things are in our lives, aren't they? So for me, it's like Jack at work leaving the show, not the year I thought we were going to get this year on the show, nowhere near it. But Jack suddenly left a show and with all my love as well, and I wish him all the best. But Jack suddenly left in the middle of this year. But with that leaving, our youngest all turned leaving home as well, tremendous growth as well. This show has changed. Jack, I hired, you know, when I start the show seven years ago, it's me, Jack and Bat. Him leaving suddenly this year was a really big thing. I wondered how were we going to get through it. How were we going to grow through it? But we did. I'm very, very proud of the show this year. And Rio came along and Alex came along. So as much as it's been the leaving year at home, a youngest daughter moving out, and then Jackie Boy, which feels like another sort of kid I had as well, moving out of the family radio show home. that's how I would sum it up in six words for me. It's the leaving year, but also the growing year.

It's been an amazing year. I've loved this year. There's been leaving and there's been growing. So, yeah, that's it for me. Patsy, what's it for you? I love that. This, for me, I think it's this version of us even richer. and it's kind of a little parallel to yours in a way in that Chris and I coming up to Christmas

have really been lamenting about, you know, there's no Christmas elf anymore.

There's no going to visit Santa.

There won't be making the reindeer food to leave out on Christmas Eve because Audrey is going on,

you know, very close to 15 now.

And it's like, where have those years gone?

The years are going so fast.

But what has replaced it is this beautiful, you know, we're pivoting into this beautiful,

rich sort of experience with her as she grows into herself.

So, you know, she's really into a theatre this year. We've

been to two live performances with awards and just seen her shine and in her element. She's sung

in front of the school a couple of times and she's just got into this amazing peer program

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