It has been over two months since I last wrote anything on my Blog and now it feels as though so much has happened that I don’t really know where to begin. I expected a break due to moving house, what I hadn’t bargained for was over 6 weeks with out phone line or internet due to the incompetence of BT; an on running saga that I wouldn’t bore my worst enemy with.
Just as I was recovering from the stress of the move, the inevitable legal issues, lack of fuel delivery, newly ordered furniture going astray….and so on…it was time to be ‘Granny’ for a week and care for my 3 year old grandson which was a joy but brought a different kind of exhaustion by day 7. Now I was no longer just mentally tired but every bone ached from endless visits to the park, long walks, train rides and sitting on the floor to make the Pirate puzzle for the twentieth time in a day!
One young man headed for home with his parents and I collapsed in to an armchair for a snooze before clearing up the house, removing Lego bricks from the fridge, finding a stray sock under the bed, sorting out the pieces of at least five Thomas the Tank Engine jigsaws and slowly feeling the house settle back in the rhythm of two middle aged people. The peace was balm but I missed the cuddles and the bedtime stories, the endless questions and the sheer delight when he came across anything new.
Within a couple of day I felt a spring in my step again, only to be floored by the news that my 93 year old father had been given a diagnosis of bladder cancer and was due to go in to hospital on Aug 24th. Thankfully he is otherwise very well, has now had his surgery which successfully removed all signs of the early stage tumour and he will need no further treatment. So after a few days he is now back at home, and having stayed with him to make sure he was coping, I am now back in my own home. I am in awe of his resilience, positivity and gratitude for his treatment; as I left him today he had his diary out making plans for seeing his friends within the week.
I have had a sign in my home for many years which reads :This too shall pass and whilst visiting Dad in hospital he told me that he always looks at it when he visits and how much it had helped him through the last few weeks. We talked about the simple truth of it, both good and bad times always pass, nothing lasts for ever and it is worth remembering to treasure the good moments because we know they will pass and not be worn down by the hard times because they too will come to an end.
Many years ago when running a workshop on lie skills I met an amazing American lady who encapsulated this thought neatly by likening life to a ride on the Big Wheel. In her words,
” Honey when you’re at the bottom and your feet are in the sh.. the only place you’re going is up to the blue skies but do remember as you sit at the top looking out at the wonderful view, the only place you’re going is back to the bottom !”
What a metaphor for life and one that has certainly been apparent in my life over the last few weeks and months. And right now, I feel that I’m starting to move slowly to the top of the Big Wheel again, the skies are blue and the sun is shining so I shall do my best to treasure it all.
pentopaper647 