Procrastination - Don't Mind if I Do!

'Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow'  Mark Twain

I have never been a procrastinator...quite the opposite. If something had to be done I could not settle until it was completed. I am sure I have driven sisters, co-workers, husbands, children and friends quite mad with this over the years. I have run my engine on adrenaline and anxiey for years and for the most part it worked. Yet finally I have embraced this luxury....I am a PROCRASTINATOR and loving every minute of it.

I can now go weeks without checking my bank account, days without checking email, even more days without responding to email, survive on a half empty refridgerator, go for a day without a shower......

I had made a plan on reading a book a week and have probably read two books in eight weeks....and have no guilt. I have been married three months ad have only just sent off for my new driving license. I have been a US Citizen for 9 months and have not yet applied for my new passport. I planned on writing a small sales book, a training program, a pornographic story, going to the gym every day, yoga.......yet I have done none of this. I potter around the flat, bake cakes, clean, take the dog out for walks. meet my husband for coffees........I do what I want to do when I want to do it......

I have decided....anyone that tries to burst my lazy bubble will have to be hurt badly.........I LOVE MY LIFE

The Other Part of Me.....

What better way to alleviate the Olympics withdrawals than going to Florida for a healthy dose of family and friends cloaked with an Autumn tan. Revisit the other part of me I left on the other side.

It's been three months since I've seen the children and I could not go another month without them. Charlotte is ecstatic in her new flat with Ian and I was delighted to see the closeness of their relationship with their shared love of cooking , beach trips and beer research!!!!!

 

Ian was wonderful and gave up his bed to sleep on the sofa...scored some major points. The three to us had great fun together going to the beach, wine tasting in Alva, lunching and Kareoke style dinners with Darrin and Tim. Charlotte introduced me to a new drink too.....a Coronita-Rita...altho' delicious I will not be throwing back many of these!!!!

Tom is doing really well with gigs both Saturday lined up for the next few months. The crowd loves them and they just came second in Battle of the Bands for SW Florida too (the winner was an already recorded artist...NOT FAIR).

I worry about Tom, he is my little boy and I see him being hurt by these girls that fall for his on stage personality and then toss his aside when they see what a sensitive soul he is. He certainly seems to attract (and is attracted to) these free spirited girls, strong, beautiful and very much knowing what they want. I wish I could there for him when he hurts....the distance is too much. These water side chats are going to be few and far between.

Even though I worry, his solace is his music. The gang and I went to see him on both Friday and Saturday and everyone was in awe of his talent and confidence. Even Ruth and Chris came out. I can barely belive this was my eighteen year old wooing the audience.  HE IS FANTASTIC!

Managed to spend lots of time with friends which was great and Chris and Ruth hosted our 'Friday Get-together'. Even Darrin and Tim came over. Stayed with Julie Friday night in Tom's old bedroom.....felt warm to be in this familiar space.

 

It was lovely to have a visit without worrying about work and making appointments. I managed to have three visits to the beach which included Wiggins Pass where I had not been before. We even saw a manatee which must have been a little off track. Charlotte wanted Ian to go in the water and ride it but he wouldn't....AND, this is me coming out of the water looking less like a Bond Girl and more like a Bomb Girl ready to launch a pair of torpedos. Note to self...LOSE WEIGHT!

Eden Winery was a fun excursion. This winery has been ther since 40s but Hurricane Charlie gave it a run for its money and put an end to the growing of grapes onsite...now they bring them in from Northern Florida. I was pleasantly surprised by the Lake Emerald vintage which was similar to a Sauvignon Blanc....the owner, whose name I cannot remember for the life of me was a real character.

Very small winery with cattle that seemed to wander freely which provided a photo opportunity. One had a calf that was feeding....forgot that they like to drink milk too.

 

 

In between jaunts I manged to catch up on news from the United States and was delighted to be introduced to Psy and Gangnam Style.....could not resist the dance....look this up on YouTube...it's a riot.

 

 

Of course, all good things must come to an end and I was really beginning to miss my Andy....

Julie was an absolute star and drove me to Miami when my flight plans home changed at the last minute. How many people have friends that would do that for them!!!!!!! She also made sure I had some fun reading for the journey home with a very popular book!!!!!!! Thank you Juls!!!!!

Hopefully it will not be so long until I return.....in the mean time maybe I need to get a job!

Two Paralympic Heroes

Paralympics 2012 - Ellie Simmonds - Gold Medalist Swimming Freestyle

Ellie Simmonds was a force to reckon with in her race today, as she was at the Bejing Paralympics four years ago when she won gold.

At 17 she is in the midst of her A-Levels and a world record holder for the 400 meters free style swimming. She is just over four feet high and has a condition known as Achondroplasia (Dwarfism). Her frame is bulky and cumbersome yet in the water she glides like a mermaid as her short limbs serving her like propellers.  

 

Of course she is thrilled at her win and there is not a dry eye in the house as she is interviewed shortly afterward. She cannot stop crying ....relief, fatigue and joy.

 

Houssein Omar Hussan - 1500 Meters - Djibouti

 

The first competitor from a country that not many of us have heard from. Omar finished the race seven minutes after all of the other runners but the crowd of 80,000 gave his a standing ovation as he crossed the finish line. He may not have run the 1500 meter race but he won His race.

 

 

 

 

Paralympics 2012 - Lee Pearson Silver Medalist Dressage Sept 1st

Lee Pearson first came to my attention earlier this week on a news show which was doing a small piece on some of the competing British athletes in the Paralympics.

Lee Pearson was telling his own story and I was captivated by his warmth, humility and sense of humour. His start was a poor one being born with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita  where the muscles in his arms and legs had actually developed as scar tissue in the womb. His prognosis was not good and he has a marvelous way of recounting his story even though, I suspect there may be some humorous embellishments.

 “When Lynda Pearson gave birth to the youngest of her three sons by Caesarean section 30 years ago, she was kept sedated for 36 hours after the operation. When she finally regained consciousness, Lynda knew something was worryingly wrong when she heard one nurse hiss to another: "Sssshh, she's coming round."

"The nurses wouldn't reply to any of her questions and although mum's very passive, when riled, she's a force to be reckoned with. 'If I've got a live child – whatever the circumstances – I want to see him or her right now,' she demanded. 'And if I haven't, then I want to be told.' "

What happened next is a shameful scene from the Dark Ages. "She was put in a wheelchair and pushed down a corridor surrounded by a team of about 10 doctors, nurses and psychologists. Finally they stopped at a broom cupboard and there, in the middle of the pile of mops and buckets, was a crib with a cloth over the top.

"Remember this was 1974 not 1874, but I suppose I was not a pretty sight; my right foot was wrapped round my left knee, my left foot was wrapped round my right knee, my arms and hands were horribly twisted and I had an ugly birthmark covering half my face and the top of my head. Mum took a gulp, picked me up and gave the first of a million cuddles."

Despite his condition he lived. And his mother forced him to live a life without special cosseting. If you try singling me out to my mother, she'll be down your throat. She has three sons and she's equally proud of us all. That's why when I went to mainstream school at the age of nine, I thought it was no big deal. When the school asked if I would like an adult minder to carry my bag around mum snapped, 'You must be joking. He'll either make friends who'll carry his bag around or else he'll carry his own bloody bag'."

When his brothers got into  BMX his Mum bought him a donkey to trot around on …and there began his life in the saddle. He now has nine Olympic Gold Medals for Dressage and won a silver today. He attributes all of his wins to the horses and says that they have the ability to rip the glory away from him at anytime they choose and make him look ridiculous.

He chuckles as he recounts how often he has heard whispers from other competitors…”oh look how sweet, there is a disabled man wearing jodhpurs” and he laughs again and says, and then I go on to beat them…ha ha ha.

He even laughs about being gay and the fact that it was the second time he had to come out of the closet!!!

The Superhumans

I was born with my senses, my fingers and toes

My hands on the end of arms, not shoulders
Because my mother did not need medication for nausea
I was a normal height

I was not born in a war zone

I did not have to go to war or choose to go to war
I have not been besieged by shrapnel, bullets and bombs
My limbs have remained intact, my spinal cord un-penetrated

I have not been subjected to the twisted metal of a car crash

I have not had a devastating fall
I have not contracted a random virus which has stolen my sight
I have not lost the myelin coating surrounding my nervous system

I have been spared all of the above for now, for today

Our abilities are not a given, they may go,
It is random, indiscriminate
And how we deal with it is up to us
Our spirit determines the outcome

And now I celebrate the Superhumans, the heros
The Paralympic competitiors of 2012
 

I am in awe of these men and women that due to a broad variety of circumstances have found themselves in that category of invisible people “disabled”, the people we usually look away from and pretend do not exist. Instead these humans have made a conscious decision to enhanced their “abilities’ and encased them in a vast amount of spirit and dedication. Instead of seeing obstacles they just focus on HOW it can be done.

I am making a conscious effort to get to know these athletes and their stories, not because it needs their story to make them a worthwhile contender but because I, like many others, need to be reminded how random life can be and how we must be continually thankful for the abilities we do have. We have so much to learn from their determination, humour and acceptance that pain is a mere barrier that can be overcome with adrenaline.