I’m back in a stage of life where things are measured by school years more than by calendar years. This week is the last week of school and it has set me to looking back and reflecting on the last year. Did it go well? Did it work out how we thought it would for the children? Did I achieve what I sent out to do this year?

The time seems to have flown by. My second daughter who went to Zürich to school this year for the first time has changed immeasurably. For her it was a year of huge change – friends who haven’t seen her for a while even notice that she looks different. She’s done an enormous amount of growing up this year; it hasn’t always been easy, for either of us. Sometimes she wants to spread her wings more than we think she should, but we’re getting there….

For the rest of us, the changes weren’t so dramatic, but we’ve still dealt with a dyslexia diagnosis, school problems, walked with friends going through divorce or serious illness, good friends have moved away and we have adapted and plodded on. Thankfully we haven’t had to deal with our own serious illnesses or the death of family members,which was a relief compared to everything that we’ve been through in recent years. Within the limits of children going through puberty and the ups and downs of an active family of five, we have had a good year. I hope it continues.

One of the successes of my year was to successfully extricate myself from both the PTA and the board of the local football club, in both of which I had been hugely active for many years. My goal to free up more time to spend the way I wanted to spend it was achieved, resulting in the birth of my blog – something that has stimulated creativity in me and which I have enjoyed more than I would have imagined. I have ‘met’ so many new friends and my life has been hugely enriched – to the extent that I can’t imagine not doing this any more. I feel that the creative possibilities are immense and, well, frankly, it has just been such fun! And also so much easier than I had imagined. So a big thank you to all of you out there in cyberspace who have helped me along my way!

At the beginning I couldn’t imagine who would find me, who would want to read what I had to say or that I would have ideas enough to even write on a regular basis, But here I am, almost up to my hundredth post and with a regular readership that fluctuates wildly, for no rhyme nor reason that I can see, between about 30 and over 100 per day. I look at life slightly differently now and my camera is my trusty companion.

My business is doing well as is my running and – apologies if I sound sanctimonious saying this – I feel for the first time in a very long while, or maybe even ever – that I’ve finally achieved a work-life balance that works for me. It isn’t always easy with the family and my search for zen in my life continues to be omnipresent, but taking time to slow down and learning to say no seem to be taking me down the path that I need to go .

I should touch wood before I say this, but here and now, I think I feel happy in my own skin.

I hope you do too….

Helen

This entry was posted on Monday, July 12th, 2010 at 1:34 pm and is filed under Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.