#745 Fixing the File

Today, something great happened.

That something, happened to be my filing cabinet.

Or should I say, ‘THE’ Filing Cabinet.

Dum da dum! as baby girl would announce grandly. Why the looming impression though?

Here, I’ll tell you why… so begins my story…

OF THE FILING CABINET.

We bought this filing cabinet a little while ago. When we got it out of its HUGE box once it was delivered, Hubbie pulled open the first draw and –

CLINK!

– the bearings started to fall out. All those little shiny silver balls just plopped all over the floor.

I was shattered. I mean, we had just bought it. This OCD gal was going to use it for all of her ‘papers,’ both boring (bills) and exciting (personal writing) ones. I had a 3 file cabinet. Now, it appeared I was down to 2.

The task of doing ANYTHING AT ALL about it immediately went into the ‘too-hard basket.’ I filled the bottom two drawers, with some amount of effort, knowing dejectedly that the top one was out of order, for who knows HOW long.

Finally, the other day, we went to the store we had got it from, and explained the story… I was a bit embarrassed in telling them this had happened to an item of furniture we bought there, simply because we had purchased this item…

1 year ago.

1 WHOLE YEAR AGO!

I mean. Come on. We did not have our shit together. Maybe it was the whole moving process and the aftermath of too much going on that made us go so undercover in the fixing of the file. Maybe it was Hubbie’s lack of handyman-ship. Maybe it was the kitchen reno that took forever to take off, and subsequently is taking forever to finish (notice I haven’t posted any before and afters?)

Basically, we were shit. This had taken too long, and I was at a point that if it didn’t get fixed soon, I would move out… with my 2 file cabinet.

Well, guess what? The staff at the furniture store were more than happy to help. The only problem was, the item was now discontinued. Well of course it was, it only took the turning of 2018 to get our arses into gear.

But, they were still fantastic. We threw some suggestions in the air, they in turn gave us options, and a couple of days ago, I came home from kinder drop-off, to find this at our door.

I haven’t ordered anything from ‘Hard to Find’ recently, I thought as I stared at the parcel suspiciously. I then noticed the weight of the package, and saw the recipients name, before breaking into an appreciative smile.

I got Hubbie to work today. Once again, the whole thing seemed ‘TOO HARD,’ as the metal railings they had sent us were shorter than the ‘affected’ one currently screwed in. But somehow, i-t  a-l-l  s-t-i-l-l  w-o-r-k-e-d.

WHAT? I am still getting over it myself, I know. Hubbie stood back for a moment before saying “there, good,” and running out the room (probably before it broke or something) while I stood there looking at my now working and functioning 3 file cabinet, saying out loud…. “is this when I cry? Do I cry now? I feel like I should cry… but my head hasn’t caught up to all of this yet.”

The top file does not run as smooth as the bottom two, probably because one side railing is shorter… but honestly I don’t care. IT WORKS.

OCD Happy Dance, OCD Happy Dance :):):)

 

 

#744 Mills beach no. 2

Things happened today that required the space to think. Contemplate. Ponder the future and the possibilities that lay there.

How did this happen? Was it a cyclical thing? Is this the position of the planets, year in, year out? What else was tied to this number… sometimes happy, sometimes sad.

Today, surprising.

I promise all will make sense in due time. I need to make sense of the confusion, unanswered questions and insecurity that this day has brought, before sharing it for all to hear.

In this need of spirituality and light, of course the beach beckoned.

It was still. 28 degrees at 6pm. Tuesday evening, and we all had the day off from work/kinder tomorrow. Locals ONLY. Trying to get in as many Summer-y days before the weather changes.

Let’s face it – none of these things even mattered. Because when you see the blue waters stretching out to the horizon, they are reason enough.

The water gave me peace, provided me with calm and purpose, and when looking out towards the seas, I was assured that everything was happening as it should be.

 

#743 2 years and 2 days

I totally missed the celebration boat. Because, you know, LIFE. I actually thought the day was today, or tomorrow, but alas, I wrote “#1” 2 years and 2 days ago.

That is because on February 24th 2016, I wrote my first ever gratitude post.

YAY! For 2 years I’ve been doing this gratitude game. A game where I as recipient, always win. Because if you can find something to be grateful for, no matter how small or insignificant you may think it to be, as long as it does something for you and lifts you up, that is all that matters.

It need not matter if your neighbour doesn’t appreciate it. Your work colleague. The green grocer, taxi driver, hell even your kids or partner don’t have to agree – if there is something in your life you are happy for, pay attention to that, and then watch it GROW.

I’ve been constantly amazed at the amount of material I still manage to find to write about and be grateful for. Sure, I have a decent portion of posts with infinite ‘parts’… like my shopping posts, my dancing in the kitchen posts, even ones about coffee…

It was always a question, and a challenge for me to see if I could write every day about something novel that I was consequently grateful for. I have managed to do that for all of these days, despite also having hard days, trying days, boring days, uninspiring days, sad days, and depressing days. Despite all of life’s crap, I have tried as my own personal challenge, to find something.

I sometimes wonder if I should stop here and now – ‘thank you very much’ – and give this whole gratitude game a rest. Not for lack of gratitude or tiring of writing. I have done this for 2 years now and I know I can find gratitude, I know I can find something different to write about every day.

For now, I am happy to stay in this gratitude game and keep practicing it via this online forum. I am enjoying this process, and I think, as is the nature of Life, I still have a lot to learn.

And, if I ever do decide to finish up on this blog (insert shameless self-promotional plug here) there will still always be my parent blog smikg.com – where I talk everything and anything Life, gratitude or not-inspired (things that shit me, anyone?)

Ta for sticking around folks, and let’s see how far we can get.

Further more, why don’t you see how far YOU can get?

🙂

Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash

 

#742 A beau-tea-ful way to start a Sunday

Simply, with some good tea.

I sat on the couch this morning, memories, thoughts, conversations and happy images floating to me from last night’s wedding.

There were no plans for the day. Nothing pressing. In fact, we hadn’t even decided where the day would take us as yet.

So to sit, and drink, and allow the tea to warm my soul, as only a good and much-needed tea can do, well, it was absolute bliss. ♥

#741 Wedding Family Fun

In the car driving today – Question: When was the last time we went to a wedding?

The reason for the query was that we were on our way to a wedding.

Answer: A good 2 and a half years ago.

It is a LONG time between those delightful happy union-filled events for us, and because of that, also my first blog post on the subject.

We attended one today, and isn’t it just rad, awesome-nest of awesome things, and just freaking un-bloody-believable when you go to one, and a lot of your family is there?

Isn’t that just, like, ideal?

Well, it happened. We had a beautiful time with all involved, and right now, my feet are resting in bed, but really, really sore.

Too much dancing? Ouch shoes? How about BOTH.

Goodnight world from this Gratitude Girl 🙂

#740 ‘Not the best’ childhood milestone

Baby girl hit a milestone last night.

Not the good kind.

As your child grows, it is ALL about the milestones. Rolling over. Sleeping through. Solids. Crawling. Babbling. Walking. Talking. Toilet training…

It just goes on and on and on.

We hit another milestone last night. In this thing called Parenthood, where the first sign of anything horrible

• her first scraped knuckles when she fell pushing the bin up the driveway
• her first head blow
• the first sign of blood
• the first proper vomit – down my leg no less

well, we ABSOLUTELY FREAK OUT, we stuck to routine and did just that last night.

Baby girl woke in the middle of the night. Crying and so upset. And then…

Dum da dum dum.

THE DISCOVERY.

I won’t go into detail, just for the sake of her privacy as I write about this on this world wide web with almost every single eye available to stalk see, but let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty.

Fellow parents may guess, anyway.

We were horrified. Shocked. And then extreme sadness and disappointment… at ourselves. We as parents, had FAILED her.

We went to bed as she soon settled, after I had called ‘Nurse On Call’ (I should have them on speed dial) and spent a good half hour both in the silent darkness, the other half whispering to each other “how the hell did this happen?”

Relief for me this morning, as she woke happy and cheerful – nothing like the upset and crying image of the night before. Off to the docs we went, to find out…

It was not all bad news. Annoying yes. Serious, no. Apparently, for kids her age, it was very common.

A quote keeps going through my head today. My Mum on the phone, saying “you saved her.” Yes, maybe a bit dramatic Mum, it wasn’t life-threatening….

But then, gratitude came along, as it always does, especially when I am writing for this post. It was gratitude in that I decided to stop, think, pause, and pat myself on the back, because she was right.

If I hadn’t been as attentive as I was, I wouldn’t have caught ‘it.’ It would have gone undetected, and for God knows how long… I shudder at the thought.

But I did see it. It isn’t serious. There are far worse things out there, and as long as you can treat it quickly, you know your kid is still doing well.

Sure, she is growing up. She is doing 4 year-old things, learning and saying 4 year-old phrases, and also subsequently, catching 4 year old things… It’s a part of this growing up process. I am grateful for her growth, yes… just as long as it means I can buy an over-the-counter product if need be…

Yuck.

#739 Kinder days (amped up!) no. 6

“Hello Zumba my old friend

I’ve come to dance with you again…”

Simon and Garfunkel came to mind as I was walking baby girl into kinder today. It had been months since I had done any kind of workout, and if by workout you think I mean work out what the hell I’m going to wear in this temperamental weather, then you are WRONG.

As soon as she was settled I was back home getting ALL worked up.

“Within the sound of silence.”

Yep it was quiet alright. With the only sounds in the house being that of my TV Zumba instructor and his two female support acts, I jumped around ’til I was content I had completed a modest entry-level exercise routine.

(Not me – I don’t look so cheery working out)

I looked at my beloved ever-changing to-do list.

Do washing.

Iron shirt.

Upload photos to Drive.

Download photos to back-up.

Write letter.

Sort desk.

Fill out form…

I looked at it, my eyes skimming over it wildly, trying to work out the next best job for me to tackle. How could I go about it so I could achieve them all? What was the most important thing to do right NOW?

A couple of moments of this intense deliberation, and then I calmed down. I wasn’t going to get everything done in one day. No one can.

I remembered. It wasn’t only this day that baby girl was at kinder… She attended 3 times a week now.

My heart sung!

There were so many things I needed and wanted to do and catch up on, but with approximately 15 hours a week to find the time to do them, I had a pretty good start to get my shit together.

And it was the best realisation EVER 🙂

 

#738 Bedtime reading/singing

It’s going to be a mild night. We lay stretched out on her bed, our legs pushing back the blue sheets that will be even too much for a night like tonight.

She rests her head on my shoulder. The battery-operated ballerina lamp glows nearby.

“10 little ducks went out one day

Over the hill and far away

Mother Duck said ‘Quack Quack Quack Quack’

And only 9 little ducks came back.”

We do this page by page, and she sings along with me, emphasising the ‘one day,’ ‘far away’ ALL the ‘Quack’s, and bops along to the sing-song-y tune.

I then have an idea. All we do is read at night in her bed as she is winding down for sleepy-time. But she has been singing a song ever since coming home from a kinder class the other day, so I put the books aside and face her.

“GALUMPH! went the little green frog one day, GALUMPH! went the little green frog!”

And so the song goes. For those that need a refresher or don’t know what the hell I’m getting all delusional about:

Is it GALUMPH? GARUMPH? PATOOF? Maybe even just WOOF, hell it’s a kids song, so anything goes.

But the slow build-up of the frog bouncing, the fun actions, leading to the jazzy “la di da di da” bit, makes the song so much fun to sing and dance to in its absolute entirety.

Even more so when you have a very cute 4 year old beside you, singing the song with absolute delight and gusto 🙂

 

 

#737 35 minutes from company, makes for excited Hosts

At our closest, we have family that lives 35 minutes away. Most of the family are a cruise-control freeway length of 40-45 minutes, while the rest of them, well…

TAKE YOUR PICK.

We can be driving for hours to see someone. An hour? Yep. 90 minutes? For sure. 2 hours?

Yep even that far.

Our own parents, who used to live 7 and 15 minutes away from us, are now a day-trip length of 80 minutes.

We aren’t really catching up with anyone on this ‘side’ of town yet. In this town. We haven’t been here long enough to form those kinds of bonds, just yet.

I mean, we knew what we were in for. It wasn’t as if we didn’t know where everyone lived, or we didn’t know that we knew absolutely no one in the town we were moving to…

Still, it can get a little lonely. We wouldn’t change our location or house for the world, we genuinely really truly love it. However when we got home from our little Barwon Heads getaway on the weekend, after being just the trio of us for days already, we so desperately were seeking company, and needed to be with someone other than ourselves…

But locally, there was none to be found at our immediate disposal.

That’s why we are so happy when friends and family pop by for a visit. We had such friends pop over tonight, and we went to all efforts to make it a fabulous night.

We genuinely enjoy having people over and hosting, and being the fact that we are now further from many of them, we make the concerted effort when they do arrive on our doorstep.

Whether you have friends popping by unexpectedly, driving a long distance to see you, or you need to organise the meet up weeks in advance…

Having someone want to come and visit you, is happiness in itself, without all the food, the drink…

Even the CAKE.

Feeling grateful for those in our life who make time for us, and more so the wonderful friends who came through our door tonight.

 

 

 

#736 Cherishing the “Mama”s

“Help me Mama.”

“Mama can you come play with me, pleeeeaaaasssseeeee?”

“Mama where are you? Mama?!”

“No Mama, me do it by self.”

“Thank you Mama.”

(In the middle of the night) “Mama!”

I find it hard to remember the transition. The transition from when baby girl was a baby and not yet saying “Mama,” to when she was older and then suddenly, it was ONLY Mama.

Maybe because it is so swift a change. They say it a handful of times and you clap your hands in glee, with tears welling at the corners of your eyes, and then in a few days time they are following you with repeated “Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama…”

And you sigh a little and grumble under your breath “great.”

But today, on another quiet and down day, I took the time to try and be present in the moment, and in doing so, I heard her sweet voice.

“Mama.”

I hope she calls me like that for the rest of our lives.

And then at some point today…

“Mama… I like you best.”

HEART SWELLING.

Photo by Arleen wiese on Unsplash