A new Chapter begins...
One of the things about being a single mum is that you don't often get a break, which is fine because to mothers like me, raising my children, especially raising them to grow up to be decent human beings, is worth all the time and effort you put in, despite not getting a lot of time to yourself.
As my youngest is on the threshhold of turning 18, new journeys await both of us. It is with some trepidation (for me, that is!) as he begins his new path that is lying ahead of him and all I can do is hope and pray that the lessons that I have spent the last 18 years teaching, will stick, hoping like crazy that somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he will recall at least some of the things that I have tried to teach him! The biggest test, of course, will be when I head overseas in 3 weeks' time for a much-needed holiday for a glorious 6 weeks, all by myself, no less!
I have spent the last few weeks typing out lists of things for him to remember to do (like watering my plants!), putting out the garbage bins, instructions on how to use the washing machine (I even had to put a load in while I was writing it out because I couldn't remember which buttons to press in their correct order as I just do it automatically! haha), lists of phone numbers in case there's some sort of emergency (I'm REALLY trusting in God that nothing will go wrong!) plus I've been giving him a bit of a crash course in how to cook a proper meal! I've told him that even though it's tempting, and incredibly convenient, to not buy pizzas or anything else unhealthy. Yeah, right! I have a feeling that after the first week or so of me not being here, he'll come out into the kitchen and think "oh damn! I have to cook my own dinner!!" and, of course, I've told him countless times how important it is to not leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight - again, he may think "oh well, Mum isn't here, she won't know", until cockroaches start appearing, and then he might understand why I am so particular about keeping a tidy and clean house!
It's been while I have making all these preparations that it really struck me just how much I do and how much I really DO need a break!
25 years of raising children singlehandedly is exhausting!!
Then at the other end of the scale is the journey that I am about to start...travelling on my own, all the way across to the other side of the world! Eek! I have NEVER done anything like this in my life and it all seems a bit surreal because I've been talking about it since last year, and now that the time is almost here, it is with a mixture of "is this really about to happen?" to "I can't believe that it's finally about to happen!" to all the usual "what ifs".
Being an anxiety sufferer, this will, without a doubt, be my biggest challenge that I have ever had to face alone. No one to rely on to keep me grounded if I have a panic attack or a meltdown. It's a scary thought.
Don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited about it, but I'm also being realistic because I know myself so well. Being the organised person that I am, I have planned everything out to the letter, but as my older son keeps telling me "no matter how planned everything is, sometimes things just don't go to plan!" I think that will be the biggest challenge for me because I am a very organised and orderly person. I guess I will find out soon enough though as to how I will handle it if, for example, I either get lost (which is highly likely because I have a very questionable sense of direction! haha) or if I miss a train to a certain destination. Not having anyone there that I can call and ask for help will also be challenging. I've been told that the locals are friendly and helpful, but considering the main language is Spanish, I am fully expecting there to be moments of "lost in translation", despite my learning Spanish for the last two years, mainly via a couple of apps on my phone!
At least I will be creating lots of happy, and no doubt, embarrassing, memories to tell my loved ones when I return home!
I'm looking at this adventure as a cross between "Shirley Valentine" meets "Under the Tuscan Sun" kind of thing, the latter movie being one of my favourites, with a bit of "Eat, Pray, Love" thrown in for good measure!
I probably won't be writing another post for a while, due to my gallivanting across Spain for 6 weeks, so,
Until next time,
I am the Girl from Down Under xxx
As my youngest is on the threshhold of turning 18, new journeys await both of us. It is with some trepidation (for me, that is!) as he begins his new path that is lying ahead of him and all I can do is hope and pray that the lessons that I have spent the last 18 years teaching, will stick, hoping like crazy that somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he will recall at least some of the things that I have tried to teach him! The biggest test, of course, will be when I head overseas in 3 weeks' time for a much-needed holiday for a glorious 6 weeks, all by myself, no less!
I have spent the last few weeks typing out lists of things for him to remember to do (like watering my plants!), putting out the garbage bins, instructions on how to use the washing machine (I even had to put a load in while I was writing it out because I couldn't remember which buttons to press in their correct order as I just do it automatically! haha), lists of phone numbers in case there's some sort of emergency (I'm REALLY trusting in God that nothing will go wrong!) plus I've been giving him a bit of a crash course in how to cook a proper meal! I've told him that even though it's tempting, and incredibly convenient, to not buy pizzas or anything else unhealthy. Yeah, right! I have a feeling that after the first week or so of me not being here, he'll come out into the kitchen and think "oh damn! I have to cook my own dinner!!" and, of course, I've told him countless times how important it is to not leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight - again, he may think "oh well, Mum isn't here, she won't know", until cockroaches start appearing, and then he might understand why I am so particular about keeping a tidy and clean house!
It's been while I have making all these preparations that it really struck me just how much I do and how much I really DO need a break!
25 years of raising children singlehandedly is exhausting!!
Then at the other end of the scale is the journey that I am about to start...travelling on my own, all the way across to the other side of the world! Eek! I have NEVER done anything like this in my life and it all seems a bit surreal because I've been talking about it since last year, and now that the time is almost here, it is with a mixture of "is this really about to happen?" to "I can't believe that it's finally about to happen!" to all the usual "what ifs".
Being an anxiety sufferer, this will, without a doubt, be my biggest challenge that I have ever had to face alone. No one to rely on to keep me grounded if I have a panic attack or a meltdown. It's a scary thought.
Don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited about it, but I'm also being realistic because I know myself so well. Being the organised person that I am, I have planned everything out to the letter, but as my older son keeps telling me "no matter how planned everything is, sometimes things just don't go to plan!" I think that will be the biggest challenge for me because I am a very organised and orderly person. I guess I will find out soon enough though as to how I will handle it if, for example, I either get lost (which is highly likely because I have a very questionable sense of direction! haha) or if I miss a train to a certain destination. Not having anyone there that I can call and ask for help will also be challenging. I've been told that the locals are friendly and helpful, but considering the main language is Spanish, I am fully expecting there to be moments of "lost in translation", despite my learning Spanish for the last two years, mainly via a couple of apps on my phone!
At least I will be creating lots of happy, and no doubt, embarrassing, memories to tell my loved ones when I return home!
I'm looking at this adventure as a cross between "Shirley Valentine" meets "Under the Tuscan Sun" kind of thing, the latter movie being one of my favourites, with a bit of "Eat, Pray, Love" thrown in for good measure!
I probably won't be writing another post for a while, due to my gallivanting across Spain for 6 weeks, so,
Until next time,
I am the Girl from Down Under xxx
Have an amazing trip to Spain! ♥ I've been once in Spain when I was only 9-year-old but I remember that it was so beautiful country and people there were very friendly and they offered their help if we needed it. I really want to travel there again someday! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Sofia! xx
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