Chinese New Year - The Year of the Rabbit
"As we navigate our changeover from the fierce, straightforward and interpersonal-focused Water Tiger of 2022, the Water Rabbit of 2023 calls onto us to bestow upon ourselves what we are looking for. Concentrate on tuning into your gut and emotions—the universe is ushering us officially into our self-care eras. Everything we are working on and desire is in us, as long as we approach it with kindness, sensibility, cunningness and ambition."
https://stylecaster.com/year-of-the-rabbit-2023/#slide-2
Yesterday was the start of the Chinese New Year and this year it is the year of the Water Rabbit. I am a Dragon and Johan is an Ox; according to the Chinese Zodiac we are not a perfect match but we beg to differ! I am sure the 'eccentric' description below will be agreed upon by certain members of my family ha ha ha !!
We were spoilt with a delicious meal honouring Chinese New Year by Zen on Saturday night; such a treat!
As always Zen's entertaining was absolutely on point from the decor, food, presentation and we had an amazing time eating, conversing, always putting the world to rights, exchanging views on the podcasts we both listen to and it really was a very special evening.
No make up me - it was way too hot and I was not going to put it on just to have it melt off in the heat.
It was so interesting hearing about Zen's recent adventures and excursions to Madagascar which sounds like the most fascinating place to visit; if you decide to go it is imperative to utilise the services of an excellent tour company as Zen did and she certainly hit the proverbial jackpot with her choice. She spoilt us with a delectable slab of chocolate from Madagascar - Johan and I loved the story on the back of the slab:
The chocolate was indeed sublime!
Zen visited the Nan Hua Temple in Bronkhorstspruit on Sunday for Chinese New Year; I am sad we were not able to go as belatedly I see a whole day of cultural events was planned at the temple. Zen bumped into Morgan and Alyssa who were also at the Temple which is just amazing and incredible. I am definitely marking this so we visit the temple this year and next year for Chinese New Year.
Friday evening we enjoyed fish and chips with my Mom at her cottage so we have had 2 evenings in a row out and about, avoiding hours of darkness at home - this is such a rare novelty for us!
This last week has been a challenging and rather stressful week on the work front. Tuesday was an office day and our first monthly team meeting of the year; as always a breakfast meeting which I was late for which, contrary to popular belief, is actually something I have never done before. I usually schedule the monthly team meeting to coincide when Johan is at the office which means I drop him off at work and am at the office before 7.30am - Tuesday was the exception and I did not bargain on traffic lights malfunctioning apart from the many not working thanks to load shedding. I then spilt coffee on my dress and the day proceeded to rapidly spiral downwards!
I was asked to share on the topic of boundaries for the weekly co-anon support meeting which is so ironic as boundaries and me are usually poles apart. I will readily admit that my boundaries are chalk lines on the floor. Many years ago I was even given a book as a birthday present entitled "Boundaries" - I got halfway through it and never finished reading it. I did not prepare anything for my share on the topic but I did find a reading which I ended my share off with and I 'winged it'; but it was winging with thought and consideration as I took time to reflect on the topic, giving it careful consideration wondering where my lack of boundaries stemmed from.
A crippling fear at the potential prospect of failing was a major contributory factor to my opting to continue working rather than go to university. I know my Dad was bitterly disappointed and from there, and even now though he passed in 2007, I strived to make him proud of me in the work place which meant emulating his work ethic and my Mom's adopting the 'going beyond the extra mile' attitude, desperate to make him proud of me together with being true to my 'people pleasing' character. As a single parent, my boundaries were frequently more blurred than solid, attempting to overcompensate the loss of a decent Dad for my sons. Whether it was right or wrong, I did what I felt best and always striving for my children's happiness and contentment. My motto about parenting is that its flying by the seat of your pants!!
Tristan's active addiction of course rapidly erased any faint outline of a boundary and it took Johan's drawing a very solid boundary line to finally reach out for help admitting into a treatment centre; after he had literally fleeced us of all our savings but its through his addiction, my joining an addiction support group that I am learning to stand up more for myself and ensuring my lines are not blurred, let alone chalk lines but something start to resemble concrete. I am human, perfectly imperfect and flawed so my boundary battle continues and likely will be a lifelong project and challenge for me.
If my share and message helped one person in last Tuesday's meeting or started to work on changing a person's mindset and thinking, I am happy and as always grateful for the opportunity to be of service in a community which has helped me, continues to help me wearing my 'work in progress' hard hat and reflective bib.
It has been an emotionally stressful week; my emotions trampolining everywhere - could be the reason I retreated back to bed on Saturday morning after breakfast and slept solidly for 2 hours (until someone phoned me waking me up) and sleeping again on Sunday afternoon. My heart and soul has been battling with intense sadness which is baffling and really caught me unawares; and as suddenly as it appeared and entrapped me, just as suddenly it will go.
I have binged 2 very good British tv series - not on Netflix; series which Johan downloaded for me. Maternal is a contemporary series focused on women doctors returning to work after maternity leave, they missed the intense horror of the pandemic and its about their finding their place again in the workplace while male doctors are silently battling and losing the emotional and mental effects of the pandemic. Gritty, honest, tough, intense and very good. Flack is another series; I just finished season 1 - the dialogue is classic at times, really pithy and scathing - so many lines remind me of my late friend Howard whose tongue could lash deeper than a machete. Flack focuses on the PR industry mopping up faux pas and PR disasters created by their celebrity clients. I only recently became aware of Flack because of a clip posted on Instagram by Pottymouth Pollyanna whom I follow, and that clip had me intrigued with Eve (one of the characters) using very choice words to emasculate a pro life activist outside an abortion clinic. Both are excellent series.
What have I been listening to and watching:
Podcasts:
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
Queen of the Con
Scamfluencers
The Daily
The Damage Report
Something Was Wrong (this series is spellbinding; and to think that Tiffany Reese started the podcast with a US$100 microphone, YouTube tutorials and not much else and won an award for season 1 of her podcast is so inspirational!)
Downloads and my usual bubblegum tv (Real Housewives of Miami, Southern Hospitality)
Belfast Midwives
Black Snow
Call the Midwives
Chicago Med, FBI, Law and Order etc
Father Brown
Flack
Lingo (tv version of Wordle which I have watched a few British episodes and American but no more as I spend the time yellling at the contestants because they are just dumb)
Maternal
Will Trent
I am continue to read "Cilka's Journey" by Heather Morris
Be safe, be cool if you are in summery sunshine, be warm if you are in the icy snowy winter chill, stay authentic, humble and awesome!
