You know how winter brings a dormant phase to plants, and then in the spring they have a surge of growth and life? Well I feel like I'm in spring right now, when it comes to personal growth ... I just feel like I am learning and growing so much at the moment. Naturally it's adversity and challenges that are causing the growth, and I certainly don't feel positive about it all the time, but when I do have a good day and a moment to reflect I am just amazed at how much I feel am developing. Part of it is due to the books I've been reading (I've just finished The E-myth Revisited by Michael E Gerber and it absolutely rocked my world - if you're a small business owner RUN, don't walk, to buy and read this book) and part of it is due to the juggling I'm having to do, working out a finely tuned balancing act fitting in time for all of my needs - marriage / children / church / personal / work / social / spiritual. It's a constant challenge as no two weeks hold the same demands. Sometimes the things that are important have to wait for things that are less important but are more urgent. Sometimes I have to force myself to do the things that are necessary and sacrifice doing the things that are more enjoyable. Sometimes I have a tantrum (um ... far too often, actually.) Eventually, inevitably, I get ill - I've recently had a cold and as soon as I got over that I got a chest infection, which I'm still trying to get over (oh and did I mention Noah is sick too? He is). And you know the saying, "When Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"? Too true. So Grant is very supportive of my plans to try and carve out some me-time when I get to escape and do something for myself. Tomorrow is my day off and I get to hole up in Daniel's room and scrapbook all day and I can't wait!
Some of the little ways that my life is never straightforward:
- It's been over 7 weeks and we still haven't heard the decision about planning permission. The maximum amount of time it's supposed to take is 6-8 weeks. Go figure that we'll find out at the last minute. As if it's not bad enough that it's been three months already, if you count the whole month they wasted by not telling us if we did or didn't need planning permission.
- We've been trying to register with a doctor's surgery (it's been almost 6 months since we moved home!) but nobody will take us. No, they're not allowed to do that, but what are we supposed to do - leap over the reception desk and register ourselves? So now we have to phone the area authority and complain and be assigned to a surgery. Who I'm sure will be thrilled to have us.
- Daniel is going to be in the school Christmas play, and his role is .......... wait for it ......... a chicken. Yes, you read right. Because we all know that poultry are central to the nativity. So instead of having to come up with an easy costume like an angel or a shepherd, I've got to magic together (you know, in all the spare time I have) a chicken costume, for goodness sake. Sheesh. Hope I don't "cock" up, wouldn't want him to look "fowl" in his theatrical debut. Cluck.
- I sent away for my passport application forms, because, you know, I'm now British and entitled to a British passport, hooray! Plans were to visit my mom in Norway in a couple of weeks. Anyway, forms arrive and because I wasn't born in the UK they want to know both of my parents' full names, dates of birth, nationality, places of birth and marriage date. And if neither of them was born in the UK they want all that information for all of my grandparents! Which I don't have and isn't relevant anyway, as none of them was British either! UGH. So the delay means I can't visit my mom at the end of the month, and with work and one thing and another I might not be able to go over this year at all. At least she and her husband are coming over for Christmas, can't wait to see them!!
Ooh, one of the ways I've cheered myself up when feeling down this week was to go to this site and listen to old Now That's What I Call Music albums from 1993 (the year I graduated high school) to 1995 (the year I got married). The songs bring back such memories ... partying with the sailing crowd, listening to music with my cousin and best friend as we discussed boy angst, meeting Grant and falling in love ... what fun! Have downloaded a lot of my favourites from that time period and feel all young and carefree when I listen to them. It's beautiful because even though there was crud going on in my life at the time too with my parents getting divorced, the music isn't related to that at all and it's just tied up with good times. Sweet. Memories are great. This evening when I was in the kitchen dancing to this song with little blonde Noah in my arms I had to laugh ... last time I danced to the same song with a blonde lad he was called Matthew and it was at a regatta at Theewaterskloof and we ended up snogging in a tent. How things change although dang, I just realised it has been 13 years!! YIKES, am getting old. No wonder I feel like a crone.
