So, 2009.
The short version? It’s been pretty fucked up.
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But that sounds so unfair, doesn’t it? Let’s try again.
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So, 2009.
Family
Riley began three year old preschool and loved it. Truly and utterly. Then, like Keira, we had to make the decision whether to put him in four year old preschool or repeat another year of three year old. We chose the latter, which will make him one of the older students in his class once he’s in primary and secondary school rather than one of the young ones. I still have lingering doubts whether this was the right thing to do (whereas in Keira’s case it was absolutely the necessary thing to do), but then I repeat what my local maternal nurse always says, “You’re not holding them back; you’re giving them a bonus year of childhood.”
Keira is looking towards next year with a mixture of nervousness and trepidation. Note I didn’t say, “excitement”. No. Although I prod and ask, and put on my annoying mummy voice (BIG SCHOOL! WOW!), she has not been won over, and this may be due to her general schooling anxieties, which I have not discussed publicly here (not since May) and they got progressively worse. Offline friends know more of what lengths I’ve gone to to try and improve matters, and they did for a while, but all this end-of-year chaos, and school orientations, have thrown my little girl back into the wash. I hope the quiet time over the holidays might help. I really do.
Plus, the day after Black Saturday, we went and adopted Whiskers. While there, we learned that people related to the shelter were missing on properties to the north east and the staff were all on the verge of tears. It was a horrible, horrible event and our area continues to recover from the tragedy.
Work/Writing
Well it started off nicely, didn’t it, when I finally got to say I’d signed with a literary agent. Then I hosted a panel at the Emerging Writers Festival (which was fantastic, even if my hotel got evacuated). Then I decided to enter a poetry competition and, golly gosh, won it. Then I announced my new book project: Miscellaneous Voices: Australian Blog Writing.
So far, so good.
Then I think I’ve dipped into a tired, grieving slump this second half of the year and haven’t worked on a lot of my own writing projects. My 250,000 word trilogy has been pushed aside – again – thanks in part from a poor reception from my agent. And probably rightly so. I honestly have no idea anymore. That said, I wrote another manuscript which is still out, though, so fingers crossed, eh? I quite liked that one.
The blog – oh, yes. Miscmum. Well. I encouraged you all to make the most of your blogging opportunities and took (some) of my own advice because I got a car. I got to go to Hanging Rock. Financially speaking, I’ve made more this year than any other yet.
But.
Am I allowed to say it?
At least as far as blogging goes, 2009 was the year of confusion and slight disenchantment. Please note that when I say this I am not shoving everything about blogging into a giant sack and walloping it with a baseball bat. No. Indeed, part of my intent with publishing the blog writing book is to celebrate writing as it is found on the Internet, in all its diversity and charms. I still love that, feed off that, and am inspired by that, as ever.
I’m talking on a personal level here; how I am beginning to wonder just how much my concentration span and ability to focus has been affected by constantly flicking through tweets, feeds, StumbleUpon,etc. just in the desire of being kept “up to date.” How often have I felt my children, or my husband, tug at my hand because I’ve simply lost track of time? Is this all coming at a cost? Or am I simply not organising my time properly? I’m still deciding. I honestly think, though, that our reading habits as a culture will continue to change, so perhaps I’d best sort myself out a system quick, lest I get left behind. And that’s the fear, isn’t it? No one wants to be left behind.
Personal Achievements
I ran the 10km local run fun and I waxed my legs for the first time ever. I mention them both in the same sentence because they have one thing in common: PAIN.
Um…I think that’s about it.
Never mind.
As I recently found out with Riley, I’m thankful for what health I do have because it can all change in an instant.
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So, 2009?
Perhaps we are at impasse. Which is as good a result as you could expect, really.
