Getting well, cyber-sightseeing and delving into my handbag!

One of the only advantages of being sick is the recovery phase. It's that in between time when you're not yet well enough to return to the real world, because you still need to have regular naps and can't-cope moments, but you're actually well enough to catch up on all the things you were going to read, create or comment on.

Yesterday afternoon I spent a lovely afternoon in cyberspace. I finally sat and read the articles in Jot magazine (as opposed to just looking at the pictures). I even clicked on the links and that was when my adventure began! I read the article about A Piece of Cake Designs and next thing I knew I'd placed an order for some flair buttons and kits - I'm looking forward to their arrival, I've got a scrapping itch I need to scratch. Then I wandered through the wonderful blog of Janna Werner before completely losing myself in Julie Kirk's notes on paper. The Jot article was about Julie's way of recording her memories through her my month in numbers documentation system. But her blog has so many more goodies to offer, I was there for hours :)

But given that I'm a bit of a numbers junkie, I do love her Month in Numbers concept. So, I've decided to give it a whirl. Since August is still in motion I took a peek at last's month's post and discovered that July featured the inaugural  Month in Numbers Communal Count!

So even though it's almost September I'm giving this one a go. The handbag bit that is!

First up we have my bag. 

I love this bag, its shape, colour and functionality speaks to me! It's from Blue Illusion in case you want one too :)

But what's inside? 

 iPad, phone, drink bottle and my No Sweat Fashions In Your Hands Bag.

Only four things? No! This is where things get numerous :) This awesome insert goes from bag to bag, corralling my belongings in place so that I always have my essential items regardless of which outer bag I'm toting. 

No Sweat Fashions is, like its product, an amazing organisation: Its mission is to create meaningful and long-term social change for newly arrived refugees and other migrants who face social isolation and barriers to employment and education. By means of its trading activities, No Sweat will address these problems by creating jobs, providing training, facilitating community engagement promoting social inclusion. 

They made my bag and my friend is also on the Board, but I digress!

Here's what's inside that bag.

1 wallet

1 change purse

1 bag of tissues (I find a zip lock bag way more practical and environmentally sound than the custom purse packs)

1 blister pack of strepsils (a new inclusion in honour of my razor blade throat)

1 security pass

1 notebook

1 gym tag

1 set of earbuds

1 powder compact

1 tube of hand cream

1 note with the name of my dentist on it - Dr Fang!

1 shopping bag (that matches my drink bottle)

1 cab charge stub

1 button

2 pens

2 tubes of sunscreen

2 sets of keys (office and home)

2 packs of mints (tictacs and the itty mint box Qantas hands out)

2 USBs

6 assorted lip products (balm, gloss, lipstick, cold sore and ulcer treatments)

My wallet and change purse contained between them:

13 cards (credit, loyalty, health fund, licence, bus pass etc)

10 receipts (most of which I need to claim back, the rest of which I've thrown away)

1 book of stamps (half used)

1 cheque (really must bank that) 

$15 in notes

$18.35 in change (kids must have missed that stash!)

That's 59 items in total (excluding the money - it probably won't be there by tomorrow). Oh my! But on review, other than the receipts, the only thing I could take out would be the extra tube of sunscreen but then again Summer is on its way!

Oh and the other good thing about the recovery phase - time and energy to blog. Thanks for stopping by :)

Falling off the happiness wagon

Two years ago I spotted a job I wanted, it wasn’t advertised, there was someone already filling the position but, nonetheless I said to myself, that’s the job I want. Nine months ago I got that job.

It’s only now, after being sick for two weeks, I realise with crystal clarity that at some time during those nine months I fell off the happiness wagon. This time last year I had it all, fabulous work-life balance, I was doing interesting, rewarding work which fitted neatly around going to the gym, scrapbooking, friends and most importantly spending time with my family. Life, in hindsight, was pretty comfortable.

But I had put the wheels in motion and I was on an ever-upward trajectory culminating in the new position, the increased responsibility, the long hours and ultimately a complete loss of perspective. This abandoned blog is merely part of the fallout.

Two very  different conversations have made me realise just how far I strayed from the things that make me happy and are of real value. The first conversation was at 6.30pm on a Wednesday evening, the day before I got sick. I’d worked another 11 hour day, collecting Angus from rugby training on my way home.

As we walked to the car our conversation went like this:

“Have you got a new job?”.

 I shook my head, “no it’s the same one I’ve had since before Christmas”.

“Well, you’ve been working really long hours, I hope you’ve had a pay rise, I really think you need to rethink your work-life balance”.

His words stopped me in my tracks, I had successfully negotiated a pay rise just the month before but was that when I started working ridiculously long hours, when I stopped being there for my kids, my husband and myself? How could a 15 year old see and verbalise the things I could not?

Fast forward through a week and a half of truly miserable cold and flu symptoms that left me weak and wrung out. Rob and I were talking to Zoe about The Future – she is struggling with whether her decision about wanting to be a vet is the right one. Both Rob and I told her it’s ok not to know what you want to be and that lots of people don’t.  Rob then said she should be whatever she wanted to be and not be influenced by what others thought she should do. It was then I said:

“I knew what I wanted to do, but I allowed other people to influence me into taking another direction, but eventually I studied it and I’m still doing it 20 years later”.

Both Rob and Zoe looked puzzled and Zoe said “what’s that?”

My response, “PR, darling...” and we all laughed but it’s true. I love public relations, always have and always will. The job I’m doing now maybe a more serious version of it but essentially it remains the same – promoting ideas and actions.

So, where to now? Well first I’m going to get well! Then I’m making some adjustments, using the perspective I’ve gained from my children (again) and prioritising happiness. Life is too short and too valuable to fall off that wagon. I love my job but it should only be part of the package that is my life.