March has been a good month.
I am now the proud owner of a new car. I have wheels and I can go places. It's nice to be on the road in a reliable vehicle.
As well as that, I am also the happy, happy owner of a new drink bottle and I have to say I'm very proud of it.
The car was not one of my goals for this year but it had become a necessity. I was not happy initially because I was all geared up to make a decent dent in my mortgage this year. Getting a car meant I had to divert some of that money, as well as incur a new debt. Eventually, I had to give in and be practical rather than idealistic.
On the plus side, I was able to manage it financially. That does not mean I simply took the spare change out of my purse. It just means that things I've put in place before now, made it easier to organise. I have managed to build up my emergency savings and non-planned savings over the years, chiefly by not going shopping "just for fun", spending sparingly and sticking to a budget.
I didn't tell the car sales people that one of the most important things I was looking for was a cup holder. The other most important thing was a good radio. I am tickled pink to have both!
On the negative side my friend's husband was upset. He works for a local car plant and was not impressed that I had bought a "foreign" car. Aside from the fact that I didn't have a lot of time to do research (it takes me ages to understand technical talk), my instincts knew this was the car for me. It's small and economical and I really love having it. I know buying "local" is a priority but I also know to follow my instincts.
My other great purchase was a water bottle. It looks good. It works. I still have it.
This is my fourth bottle in about two years. I lost a good one. The next one I bought was too hard to use when I was out and about and the third one leaked. That's why I'm so happy to have one that works. It's made it so much easier to drink more water each day which means I'm looking after my body better. Being healthy is one of my main goals for this year,so I feel like I'm finally ticking some boxes on my goal list.
I do try to buy ethically. I noticed many people buy the steel bottles but I really want to see what's in the bottle. I got plastic but I did try to buy "good" plastic!
I have had to accept that what I planned for in my budget this year had to change. It's been another reminder to embrace what is, as is. Fortunately, what started out to be an annoyance is turning into a challenge I want to conquer! I don't like debt so I am determined to look out for ways to save money and reduce that figure as much as possible. In the meantime, I hope to enjoy these two great purchases.
It feels good to write that title. After 30 years of getting up for work every day at the last minute, I'm actually getting up early.
What is getting up early?
- enough time to have breakfast
- enough time to get dressed nicely in an outfit rather than throwing together anything that is clean and wearable
- enough time to do something else, whether it be water the garden or take a few moments to compose myself before heading off for the day
My usual routine?
- a one minute shower
- a scramble to find something to wear
- grab bits and pieces that need to be packed in my bag
- mad dash to find glasses and/or keys and/or phone
- a desperate rush to find some food to take to work...often coming up with nothing or forgetting what I had organised, though I do sometimes take my muesli and yoghurt to work to have later.
Getting up at the last minute has been my story for most of my life until a few months ago. It struck me that I dream of mornings with a chai latte while others actually get up and have a chai latte. The message hit home after chatting with friends who explained how they get up very early in order to have the lifestyle they want. I sat there listening to their stories and I realised:
1. I want to be like them. I'm not like them. What's my excuse? No excuse. It's up to me....but I'm not a morning person...
2. The clincher....getting up late had become part of my story. I didn't want to retire with that sort of mad morning rush having been part of my daily story for my whole working life. I wanted to change the story. I wanted to do something nice for myself and not waste the precious opportunity that each morning offers.
So... I began.
It started with the alarm going off an hour earlier than usual and me pushing the snooze button two or three times. That was OK because I was still getting up earlier and I was enjoying doing a job or two before work. A few times I watered the garden. Other times I tidied up or did something for work. To counterbalance waking up early I had to go to sleep earlier.
Fast forward to March 2015....
At the moment I still wake up early but I do a mad dash to get out the door in time to catch the bus. Time gained now goes towards time on public transport. I have altered my routine, though. I gather things together the night before and I plan what I'm going to wear. I make sure glasses, money and keys are all in my bag, ready to go.
Next week, my routine changes again. I will have a car! I plan to keep my early morning schedule. It's getting harder as it's dark now when I wake up. This morning,waiting at the bus stop, it was quite chilly and I wondered how I would manage if I had to do this all winter. Regardless, I'm determined to stick to my new habit. I'm determined to have the occasional chai latte. Idealistic as ever, I want to enjoy the morning.
When I come home from work I find all I want to do is sit down and veg. Some days I have no energy. My inclination when I walk through the door is to sit down on the couch as quickly as possible. The problem is that I usually have plenty of things to do, including getting a meal ready.
One day, after thinking about my time-wasting habits, I realised that flopping down on the couch was the crucial point at which I was choosing to "slack off". I realised that I needed to change what I did right at that point. Ever the queen of making life easy, I challenged myself to do just one thing before I sat down. I figured that would lighten the workload at least a little. I don't believe in work, work, work but I know that relax, relax, relax is counter-productive as well!
So, one thing is what I try to do before I sit down and succumb to the need to veg out after I come home from work. Keeping it simple, is the key!! I usually assign myself something easy to do, such as put ten things away (yep, there can be a lot of mess sometimes), before I have a cuppa, or clean the basin, then have a snack.
You might have already guessed what I'm going to say next. After I do one job I feel a sense of achievement and I find myself doing a little bit more. The ten things I pick up, quickly and easily, become twenty things. While I give the living room a quick tidy-up, I start working out what I need to do for dinner. The other day I decided to water the pot plants and I took a quick walk around the garden. Most of the plants are dying off after the summer season but I found a zucchini ready to pick.
This is also where a meal plan works well for me. It helps if I start on the meal preparation before I sit down. I sometimes feel daunted by the task of cooking a meal after a day's work, so it is much easier when I don't have to think too much about what I'm going to cook. I apply the same principle to meal prep: just do one thing for the meal before I take a rest. More often than not, I end up cooking the whole meal.
I recommend doing just one thing when you need to do work but can't be bothered or you're just too tired. It makes life a little bit easier and lightens the load with minimal effort. And, if you're lucky, you'll probably end up doing more than you set out to do!
Some of this probably sounds outlandish to busy parents who don't always have the luxury of free time before mealtimes. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how they do it.
I do know that in the years gone by I would be totally drained at times by being with other people. There would have been times when I felt worthless (and worse) and it was very hard to turn around and do a simple task such as nourish myself with good food. Social anxiety can be extremely taxing on the mind and body.
It's a Labor Day holiday here and a great opportunity to catch up on one or two things. I think it's fairly obvious that my blogging routine is all out of whack so today I thought I would simply share with you a little of what's been happening lately.
Last week life was busy with getting Mr S organised in his new job. Things are off to a good start so let's hope it continues.
Meanwhile, my daily and weekly routines are taking a little longer since I take the bus everywhere. It certainly makes me appreciate the convenience of a car. I've made a number of allowances because of this.
I've been trying to get back on track with goals and the like. Last week Mr S, some family members and I went in the March Against Melanoma around Melbourne's Botanical Gardens.It had been my hope to enter and run the race in memory of my father. I knew I wasn't ready for that so we walked instead. It was a lovely morning, having been stormy the night before. Mr S said that next year we would run and it is my hope that I will be able to do that.
Our garden is neither here nor there at the moment. When we get some wheels we will try to get some good soil and build it up for the coming seasons. There are some end-of-summer delights: we've got 7 apples, one zucchini and a basket of prickly pears from the plant hanging over the fence.
Ever resourceful, Mr S is keen to make the most of this good food. Back home for the weekend he is in his element, pottering around the garden and kitchen, doing little experiments with what's on hand. He tried making juice from the prickly pears this morning. I'm not sure whether I'm gain to try it.
I'm finally getting to a point where I'm comfortable tackling some of the more demanding jobs around the house. For the last couple of months the house and garden have been so neglected. I'm still cautious and I make sure I go about the work slowly. This is where I find teaching a troublesome job. I do love the job immensely but I really cherish my time at home and want it to be for family, home and friends and - an introvert at heart- for me, so that I can reboot!! It's easy for me to fall under the spell of "domestic bliss" but the call of work preparation and corrections always beckons.
Last week was a week of bought lunches! My energy levels were low and resources (transport, time) limited so I decided to buy lunch at school. In the end it was a good decision. We have freshly-made hot lunches available at school so I ate well and I had a light meal in the evenings.
On a positive note I bought a new drink bottle and it works!! So I've just started to drink more water and I've stocked up on bread and fillings for the coming week. This is my year to be healthy and happy so I welcome the chance to take any step I can in that direction.
Now I really should drink some water and attend to school work , even though I would love to potter around the house and enjoy the sunshine. I might try a compromise of school work and some time in the sunshine later this afternoon.
Have a good week.
It seems that the last couple of months have been one pothole in the road after another.
Tonight a mechanic told me that my car is in no condition to be driven. Not even to the garage to be fixed. Last week I took Mr S up to his new job in the country and the realisation hit that he needs a car to manage that job. Up until now he was happy taking public transport. All of a sudden a new car is on the must-do list and that certainly wasn't part of the plan for 2015.
Yet, we're both OK and as frazzled as I've been, at times, we're managing fine, which got me to thinking: "Why?" Years ago, I would have cried, felt burdened and been down on myself.
When I look back I can see that many of the challenges I encountered through the years have actually made it easier for me to deal with what I face now in my life.
I remember backpacking many years ago. I was terrified before I set off. At that time, my friends were married and settled while I was still navigating the hassle of life. However I so wanted to go travelling, nothing would stop me. I remember challenging myself to go into Target alone and not walk out straight away. I figured if I were going to travel the world I might need to practise walking around new places by myself. That's right. As a young woman in my twenties, it was quite a challenge to go into a small, quiet department store and actually wander around.
So that particular day I did it, excruciating as it was.
I ended up travelling the world for 11 months on my own.
That was the year I learned that dreams can come true. I came to realise that if you really want something you can find a way to do it. What I also know is that life may not be easy... but amazing things can still happen one way or another. It helps to remember this when the going gets tough.
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| at the bus-stop |
A few years ago I noticed I was getting really impatient, stressed and upset waiting in traffic. I eventually decided that I needed to tackle the problem instead of getting frustrated and upset.
So these last few weeks, as I waited for buses that didn't come, I was reminded that getting upset and stressing hurts no one but me. I've learned that no amount of cursing will make that bus come any faster, nor will my anger allow me to find a better way of dealing with the situation.
I watched my dad die slowly. I've seen friends deal with infertility. I have students who don't have a parent. Over time, all of these personal encounters have taught me how to keep things in perspective.
Waiting at the bus stop might be an inconvenience but that doesn't mean my life is no longer abundant. It's a pothole in the road, and I need to walk around it and get on with the journey.
I have to be honest. For me these lessons took a very long time and it's only with hindsight that I can see the value of those earlier life experiences.
So now, when I'm faced with a car that doesn't work and a partner whose job is far from home, I know that tears and self-deprecation are not effective coping strategies. The fact is life is really OK. I'm now extremely grateful that my life experiences have included inconveniences and experiences of hardship. I'm grateful that I faced them- even if begrudgingly- knowing that today I am better equipped than ever to navigate those potholes in the road.
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| walking home |
