Tag: life stuff

Glass Full to the Brim

It occurred to me again today that life is all about perception.

I’ve been a little pissy lately about a couple of things I can’t talk about here at length, but I took a long look at our life of late and I have decided that, instead of being angry/hurt/sad about things that aren’t the way I think they should be I would be spending my time a lot more constructively by choosing to see them in a positive light.

For example:

I could choose to be upset about my Mother pulling The Full Hypochondriac on our GP yesterday when she had to take Mignon or I could choose to be grateful that she is there to help us out and take our kids to the doctor when it is impossible for us to do so.  So I choose to be grateful. (and roll my eyes quietly)

I could choose to completely lose my shit over spilt porridge in the morning or I could choose to be grateful that the kids demand to be independent. (Wow.  And how)(They get that from me) (Of course)

I could choose to feel sorry for myself when I leave a sick child at home or I could choose to be grateful that at least I work close enough to home so I can pop up and spend a little time with her and steal a hug and a cuddle. (it’s just sad that they only sit still when they are under the weather)

I could choose to resent Etienne because I *have* to work or be grateful that he is the kind of Dad that chooses to have balance and actually enjoys spending time with his kids. (truth is, I would have worked anyway.)

I could choose to get annoyed that our domestic lady isn’t great with understanding medicine and taking temperatures or I could choose to be grateful that our house is immaculately clean, our washing is done and our clothes are beautifully ironed and packed away.

I could choose to worry about money and Christmas coming up or I could be grateful for the awesome job I have and trust that we will be just fine.

So.

I choose to be grateful. I choose to feel rich.  Especially when I find all this in our bed in the mornings:

 

Daniel trying to hide, Isabel in the middle and Mignon looking as sick as she is at the moment. And Etienne. Poor guy.

What are the things you are grateful for today?

 

The Sick Post

I tweeted this at around 10:00 this morning:

“I have just realised that I can stay at work and be a stupid martyr or simply get in my car and go home to bed.’grabs bag’

Today I went to work when I shouldn’t have. I felt like crap and I sounded worse, but I felt like I would set a bad example if I just stayed home.

Now I’m wondering what kind of example I set by going to work and potentially making my staff sick.

In response @deniswright tweeted me this link.

The article deals with regrets terminally ill patients have about their lives so I have been pondering them and here are my thoughts. I challenge you to do this meme too as a sort of emotional barometer.

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
I think my life is true. Sometimes too true and in your face honest. And sometimes downright bitchy. I gave up living the life I thought my parents wanted me to live a long time ago and am much better off. Not that they didn’t only want the best for me, it just wasn’t the best for me right then.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
I was very guilty of this before we had children. I used to work 12 hour days without breaking a sweat. I once broke my ankle and after surgery and spending 3 days in hospital I still only took 7 days sick leave. Life is too short. Trust me.
In saying that, having children caused me to re-evaluate my relationship with work and my perception of my own worth in relation to work. It took me a long time to figure it out and I’m still busy trying to find the balance. I have realised that there isn’t a solution that will work longterm, you need to constantly check that what you are doing is still working. What I learned most recently is that I’m not ready to be either a Stay-at-home-Mom or a Work-at-home-Mom.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
I express my feelings ad nauseum, but not always to the right people. And sometimes when someone really really close to me hurts me I’m not able to say so. Another work in progress.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Tough one. I’m not a really good friend at the moment as I started working full day recently and I’m still trying to find my feet. So, to all my friends reading this: know that I love you and think of you often even though I don’t call and write as often. You know who you are..

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I’m pretty happy. Yes, I wish I could have less debt, an iPad and more time, but I have everything that matters to me and I’ll be damned if I’m going to jeopardise it.

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