I promise not to turn into a Mommy blog, but this happened and it was kind of intense, so I’m going to tell you about it.

So, as those of you who have both read my last few posts and can do basic math may have realized – I had a kid.  And I survived.

Well then.

Good Morning 2014.  Here you are.  And here I am.  I’m not sure I was quite ready for you yet, but I’ve noticed that the way time passes is rarely affected by what I am and am not ready for, so I suppose it’s no surprise that you arrived anyway.  You were right on schedule after all, according to my calendar.  I saw you in last night, if only just, and without a bang.  Try not to take it personally.  I was sleepy.  So far you are not raining, which I choose to take as an excellent omen for the year ahead.  Thanks for that.

The Passing of Time Makes Me a Liar

There are things I thought I’d never do.  I thought I’d never like avocados.  And then one day I did.  I thought I’d never get a “real job” that lasted more than a year or two, but I’m an accountant and next week is my sixth anniversary with my employer.  I thought I’d never own furniture or live in any one city for more than a couple of years, but then I bought real estate.  I thought I’d never get married (not because of any fundamental opposition to the idea, but because my list of criteria of what would make an acceptable life partner sounded shockingly unrealistic), but then I met a guy who ticked all my boxes.

This is what time does.  It takes your ideas of how your life is going to go and it laughs.  I’ve always known that.  My life plans have never been solid.  If something doesn’t work out, I’m ok to move on and if an unexpected opportunity arises, I’m happy to go for it.  Or if my whims take me somewhere I didn’t know I wanted to go, I trust myself and see how it works out.  As a rule, this has gone well for me.

But we’re talking here about vague plans.  Things I thought I’d do.  Things I thought I’d never do.

But then there are the things I swore I’d never do.  The things so based on my understanding of myself that I never questioned that I might change my mind on them.

Ok, seriously? I’m ready for a trade-in. (Bonus! Includes a short analysis of pain.)

Feeling cranky this morning.

I have scoliosis.  I think it’s pretty common and mine isn’t particularly dramatic.  You can tell if I’m wearing a bathing suit or something tight because my silhouette is a bit wonky.  Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t know.

But me, I know.  This is partly because of the small fortune I’ve spent on chiropractors, physios, osteopaths, accupuncturists and massage therapists over the years.  (If you’re interested, I find Chinese medicine significantly more effective than Western for muscle pain.)  There was also the time the x-ray guy x-rayed me about a dozen times over because he thought I wasn’t lying straight enough on the table.  (Sorry bud – that’s just how my spine looks.  But if I ever get cancer, I’m blaming you.)  Mostly though, it’s because of the pain.

Did I Mention I’m Going to Mexico?

So.  I don’t think I told you that I’m going to Mexico.

Tomorrow morning.  Bright and early.  Or, actually, dark and early, because I have to be at the airport by 4:30 am at the latest.  But who cares; I’m going to Mexico.  In November, which everyone knows is the second most depressing month of the year.  I suppose it’s patting myself on the back, but it’s also honest to say that this was excellent planning, time-wise.

Mexico is a home of my heart.

Numbers

I like numbers a lot.  They are such a superb way of organizing things.  I love the logic of them and the clearness of what is right and what is wrong when you deal with them.  I am very grateful to whoever came up with them (was it the Greeks?).  Sometimes I like to look at non-math things in terms of numbers.  Like my life.  So here, my friends, is my partial autobiography in numbers:

Remarkable (A Post That Quickly Got Wildly Out of Hand)

We live in this world.  It is huge.  It is varied.  And on it are all these people who aren’t me.  And, not being me, they all think in slightly (or not-so-slightly) different ways from me.  And, thinking in slightly different ways from me, they come up with ideas for things I never would have come up with on my own.  But sometimes I read about these things or I hear about these things and I get really inspired to do these things or to learn about these things, because so many of the things are just so amazing!  And who doesn’t want to be a part of something amazing?

I was over reading on Truth and Cake the other day and she’d been to see this speaker, Elie Weisel, who I’m sure I should have heard of, but hadn’t, and one of the things he said that’s been sticking in my head and that pretty much blows me away is, “Do something remarkable with every moment.”  Every moment!?  Seriously?  Can you imagine the lives we’d live if we did this?  The world we’d live in if everyone did this?  I work hard to do something remarkable once a week; it takes willpower, and even then, “remarkable” is probably a word that only I might use for a lot of the stuff I do.  But every moment.  I don’t even know what that would look like.

I assume it’s just a phase.

I’ve been having issues with my blog lately: primarily, that I don’t feel like writing in it.  I am in a mental place where I’d rather take things into my mental space than put things out in the world.  I’ve started a few posts, but haven’t found any of them compelling enough to finish.

Instead I’ve been reading some of your blogs.  And a lot of books.  I’ve been working on my silver and considering paint colours.  (We finally found a place!)  I’ve been reading guide books on Spain and Morocco and searching for a hotel for our night in Amsterdam, which is apparently an obscenely expensive city.  I’ve been getting full nights of sleep.

Presumably, one of these days one of these things will inspire me to write again.  In the meantime, to keep you entertained, I will put up small things I find funny or interesting or cute.  Like this fluffy baby donkey:

My dad had a donkey when I was a kid.  I don’t remember it being this cute.

Tis all.

On Real Estate: The Thoughts You Have When You Have Recently Liquidated Your Biggest Asset

1. Hey!  Money!  Sweet!

Make Me Laugh

Smile!

If you are the perceptive type, you may have noticed I haven’t been writing as much lately.  That would be because my life has suddenly become insanely busy.  And not busy with things that would be very interesting to write or read about.  (But perhaps I overstep myself – if anyone is interested in Canada’s Income Tax Act, let me know.  I am a fountain of information.) … (That doesn’t mean I’m offering to do your tax return for free.)