It’s not technically the mid-way point of the year yet, but hitting the longest day does feel like a milestone. It certainly feels a long time since my holiday in India at Christmas, and this is a good moment to take a breath and mark the first six months of 2016 – and more importantly, look forward to the second half of the year.
Although January seems a long time ago, time seems also to have flown by since then. I started the year rested, but not entirely happy at work. I was starting to ask myself questions about what the next few years will look like (must be turning 45 that did that!) and whether I was excited and inspired where I was. After running my own business for such a long time, I was sure it wasn’t a hidden longing to go back to doing that full time, but more the feeling of not being happy where I was that was starting to creep up on me. Some fairly significant changes around Easter-time were unsettling, but quite quickly in the few weeks after that all the things that were bothering me were resolved and I am now the happiest I’ve been at work for a long time. I’m working on some great service design projects, with real grown-up business and delivery challenges. I’ve helped to bring in a new piece of business from a personal contact and building a team and seeing people develop beyond your expectations is properly joyous. There’s exciting things in the pipeline and I’ve reminded myself that when I’m happy, I’m hungry. Hungry to do good work with great people and to keep learning everyday.
When it comes to work, I’ve got the butterflies back in my belly. Yay!
But, I am tired. Really blinkin’ tired.
With the ups this year has come some downs – my Nan has been unwell for most of the year and in and out of hospital. At 90 years old it’s always upsetting when she gets ill, you can’t help wondering if she’ll recover and it puts massive pressure on my Mum and her sister. Last month my Dad was hospitalised and had to have surgery a week or so ago. It turned out not to be as bad as it could have been, thankfully, but for a time we were unsure, and once again we repeated the pattern of a Summer spent visiting hospitals. For my Mum, between my Nan and my Dad, it’s the fourth one on the trot. So I’m not the only one that’s tired.
Because it’s been a tough couple of years in that respect, and I haven’t spent a huge amount of time with my parents this year, we decided to book a family holiday – just the 3 of us. A lovely, relaxing mid-year break to recharge the batteries. That was curtailed by Dad’s illness and has now been rescheduled for later in July. I’m trying not to look forward to it too much, just in case lightning strikes twice in the same year, but it really can’t come quick enough. In fact, through lack of planning rather than by design, I seem to have bunched everything up and I’ve got a rocking part 2 of the year to look forward to, including:
- Going back to the gym – again
- A week in Antigua with the parents – sunshine, rest, cocktails and spa
- Aperol Spritz’s in the sun
- Race for Life in Hyde Park
- A week in Spain with the husband – cycling (him), lying around (me) and some Birthday fun in Marbs
- Going out more on the back of the motorbike
- Losing some more weight
- A quick trip to Italy, to meet Madgie after his epic ride from Venice to Rome
- Seeing Funny Girl in July
- Afternoon Tea at The Savoy
- A walk over The Dome
- Going to the theatre to see Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen
- 2 days in Barcelona with the the boys – now 18 and 21. Looking forward to taking them abroad and showing them the sights
- And possibly…a trip to Cartegena to watch him give the motorbike a spin round the track and catch some late November sun
Then…dare I say it, planning a Christmas at home, which will be a novelty. I bet it whizzes to December 🙂
