Summer in Sydney is school holidays and usually beach weather.
Today I am sitting in an outdoor cafe with long sleeves on - a milder day - just as well as the grandsons are a couple of hundred meters away playing soccer. It is overcast but pleasant. The avocado toast went down well. The trike and two scooters are next to me. Holidays are great!
Mealtimes are harder now I am on my own. They were ‘our’ conversation time. If we were not in the same spot, we tended to call one another around mealtimes, so it seems strange not to share life in this way anymore. I try to eat mindfully, conscious of the flavour and texture of food. Be present. It is a technique to stay grounded and sane.
Having grandsons is such a blessing. They are humourous and clever. They entertain me and they are generally good to be around. I help one with provoking creative imagination and the other with speech and elocution. He has plenty to say! They boys are very well behaved and enjoy life. At 9 and 11, they are full of energy and adventure. They are also good lookers - heartbreakers for sure!
Taking boys to football (soccer) is a delight rather than a chore. It is full of heritage and culture. I can hear Terry talking, whispering in my ear. He has plenty to say about how coaching should happen. He loved junior football - seeing boys grow and develop and learn to read the game. His soccer boys knew he cared that they cared. He wanted to instill values and consideration and team-sense. Mostly, he did pretty well and that - according to the boys anyway.
I am free again. I finished last week with my congregations at Parramatta Mission and I dont start for a few weeks at Eastwood. There is no-one here that I am fully responsible for now. Sure, I have the boys for a week or so, but I hand them back before school starts. Then, for a whole 4 weeks, I am just me, myself, I. I will invest in myself.
A few things I am hoping to achieve:
- daily yoga
- daily walking
- listening to Bible Project podcasts
- doing 1 hour each day of Chinese [Mandarin] lessons
- eating well
- improving my sleep patterns
- prayer and meditation
It seems like a long list, but COVID prevents some other goals and I really want to feel the holiday a bit and not get thrown too quickly into work, so this is the attempt at a wishlist. I might even lose a kg or two (I hope)!
