wow, i simply cannot believe that it's 6 hours before we hit 2019...
where did this year go?
i'll try and recap my year month by month noting highlights and lowlights (as this is where the learnings often come from)....
January:
- a quiet New Years Eve at home watching the 9.00pm fireworks from my balcony! yep, didn't need to leave the house to see them...surely an introverts dream!
- Dad and I enjoyed 2 days at the SCG and were lucky enough to stay in Matraville which was super easy access
- Georgie had some running repairs - yes repairs for where I had 'run' into things!
- one of the best birthdays ever with a week long trip to my dear friends Wendy and Kim and on the first night (my birthday) got to see the one and only Mr Bryan Adams, who I have loved for years...he was awesome...couldn't think of a better thing to do on the first night of my 50th year
- enjoyed a birthday lunch with miss Tig
- finally had the battery of allergy tests done showing I'm allergic to just about everything - in grass, dust, tree terms anyway!
- enjoyed most of January off; this seems to have become a tradition since iolite started :-)
February:
- back into the swing of work
- nice catch up with Wendy and Joe (Aunty Freda's daughter and husband) whilst they were visiting Aus
- travelled to Sydney and Matraville again (thanks Esther) to attend Evanescence with her at the Sydney Opera House; was pretty incredible! my love for music and live concerts continues to grow and I did a few more in 2018...
- against my better judgement travelled to Brisbane to help out a client....(more on that later!)
- first theatre outing of the year with Son and we saw Maria Callas, MasterClass - that was amazing! I knew nothing of her life previously and really enjoyed this production
March:
- the highlight is always the AFL season opener, Carlton v Richmond with my family, but wait, this doesn't happen until later in the month
- Mum's birthday on 5th so I hosted dinner a night earlier on the actual day :-)
- March is FFF (french film festival month) and this particular festival I saw no less than 9 movies - I picked well this year as I loved most of them :-)
- and true to form, at least form of last few years, highlight really was my annual trek to the southern capital and the home of footy (and cricket for that matter), the MCG for Blues v Richmond - the season opener which heralds the end of the off season! a lovely dinner with Sam, Dan and Pops, and prior to that Pops and I ran into none other than SOS, yep, Steven Silvagni....a treat for us! we didn't get over the Tiges but we gave them a scare - at the final siren 121 to 95...bring on 2019!
- travelled to Sydney late March for dear Suzy B's 50th birthday party which was a 'come as something beginning with S', so I cheekily went as myself! seemed to go down ok...lovely evening with dear friends (enjoyed the hospitality of KO and ER once again in their lovely Balgowlah home) - this trip also afforded me a chance to catch up with my best friend Sara
April:
- a very early Easter and lunch with M&D and the lovely Rothwells, Jennie and Wally
- Dad's surprise 75th birthday drinks at my house on the 8th
- despite being busy enough, I agreed to take on a job for a former client which was probably not a good idea. I was already stretched and as they were in two other time zones, it meant some very very long hours for me, which frankly, I don't think they appreciated at all; didn't go well...the client (not my former client but the CFO of the company) treated me poorly and it damaged my confidence a bit (funny that as I write this, some 7 or so months later, I wish at the time I hadn't thought his bad behaviour was anything to do with me, but his own stuff)....as I said, the low lights are definitely the learnings...so the key learning of this one was: don't take a job to please someone else even when every inch of you is saying no!
- Son and I saw Antony & Cleopatra; it was good, but not quite as good as the reviews...still, we enjoyed our theatre outing
- April was essentially a month where I worked far too many hours and mostly, didn't feel appreciated for doing so...beginning of a big lesson for me in 2019
May:
- our 3rd theatre outing for the year was The Sorrows of Daise Morrow; can't say I enjoyed it but it was interesting, made moreso by a woman in the audience passing out half way through...thankfully she was ok
- caught up with former WBC colleague Jen whilst she was here in Canberra; lovely to see her after so many years
- mostly an uneventful month in the lead up to the big holiday in June!
June:
- month kicked off with a Wentworth family breakfast to farewell Russ, Hayley and Miss S who were moving overseas for a year or two...enjoyed seeing my big sister
- Mum and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary on 4 June
- special highlight was Dad's RAAF farewell morning tea where a sea of 'blue' farewelled him in style...one of the very few people to have a combined 51 years of RAF and RAAF service. Deputy Chief of Air Force, standing in for CAF, gave a speech and presented Dad with a plaque. Sammy came up from Melbourne and it was nice for the 4 of us to celebrate this special milestone :-)
- a better month work wise having advised previously mentioned rude client that I felt there was nothing more for me to do and sent them their final invoice...notoriously late payers, didn't help the situation!
- 13th of June and I pull up stumps for just under a month, meet Mum and Dad in Sydney and enjoy dinner before our long trip to the big apple the next day (for the first time ever I flew with Qantas and went via Dallas - a pretty good experience to be honest and much nicer than LAX!)
- a wonderful remainder of the month with visits to my dear friends the Rubinsteins in upstate New York, Washington DC (a first for me) to visit Ange and Brady, then the big apple itself, before I flew West to meet up with big sister Lol and Hannah for a girls road trip to Lake Tahoe...
- Washington blew my mind and for sure it's somewhere that I would like to go back to and spend more time in....the Yanks certainly know how to do memorials and there is no more moving place than Arlington National Cemetary as well as the many other memorials including Vietnam and Korea...we enjoyed the Air and Space Museum and hanging out with our dear Aussie friends...B man was a particularly patient and wonderful tour guide...
- in NYC I enjoyed some favourites with Mum and Dad including the Guggenheim where I bought myself a little momento (my 'pill explosion'), Skaneatlas where I bought a beautiful hand made kaleidoscope, MOMA, Fifth Avenue, Top of the Rock, Del Frisco's Grille, Rue 57, loved our hotel (The Viceroy on 57th - I'll be back), Beautiful the Musical, a quick look at the Met after dinner at Bar Boulud, and shopping with Ma...all set against a backdrop of the 2018 FIFA World Cup....
- highlights of the month; hanging with the Rubinsteins, dinner with Anita in NYC, Arlington National Cemetary and showing the parentals around my fave city and enjoyed the escape from the Canberra cold....
- oh and a few nice 50th anniversary celebrations for Mum and Dad!
- seems surreal looking back that we were actually there, but we were!
July:
- a wonderful few days with Lol and Han and a first time visit to Lake Tahoe for me - absolutely spectacular...I can still remember the first time sighting of the lake as we came down the mountain...breathtaking! another bucket list item ticked...
- 4th of July was celebrated with Lol, Han and Kaia and my first time making a pavlova; not too bad! then the long flight home...
- a return to Canberra winter and the start of months of health issues for me (thankfully nothing major, but enough to put a dint in my sense of humour!)
- was quickly back into the swing of work and I did a most unusual assignment where I was asked to speak to a group of dancers (aged 4 - 17) on the importance of resilience...fun
- an uneventful month really; just really tried to keep warm and get better - wasn't successful at either!
August:
- was invited to attend an AIM communities of practice event; this has resulted in a contract with them as a trainer and further opportunities with CPM
- the highlight of August was a winter escape to Gaia (my 2nd visit) and a 5 night stay with dear friends Wendy and Kim
- on this trip I explored Byron Bay and the lighthouse; I just loved being at the easternmost point of this beautiful country
- I ventured to Bangalow, Newrybar, Lennox Head (where I climbed the steps up to the headland and walked across to Skennars Head)
- despite Gaia being a yoga retreat, I didn't manage yoga once, although I did do a lot of walking and exploring and read 3 books in a few days! was very relaxing and I was welcomed back with open arms...
- I also managed to get to the Crystal Castle...love that place!
- loved my time with the Chooks and we also did some venturing out....Margaret Olley's Gallery in the Tweed Heads (stunning) and Tyalgum and Flutterbies Cafe....cutest little town ever (literally one street!)
- had a postcard tarot reading whilst at Gaia; actually pretty incredible! must revisit that....
- oh, and Mum and Dad arrived home safely...
- second time I've had a winter escape North; think it might become a 'thing'...
September:
- the supposed start of spring; not in the capital!
- a visit from Peter and Lauren Ryan; so lovely to see them both. Hadn't seen Lauren in over 20 years! hope to see more of them now that we are reconnected
- a disappointing performance of Madame Butterfly here in Canberra; was sung in English - sacrilege!
- did some more work for PWC (love repeat business from a happy client) and also started off some new Circles with Defence
- the lead up to the big day meant plenty of footy watching, and even though my beloved Blues weren't there, there were some great games and interesting results
- this month also brought one aspect of a client relationship to an end, and whilst the outcome was not unsatisfactory, the manner in which it was handled, left me hurt and questioning myself...when I was explaining to Dad how hurt I was, he said something which has effectively been the biggest professional lesson of 2018; namely, that whilst I want relationship based interactions with my clients, some of them merely want a transaction...
- that was quite an eye opener to me and when I look back at my entire career and those relationships that haven't lasted, I can say with pretty much 100% accuracy, that it's because they wanted a transaction and I wanted a more relational focus...such a good learning to have but man did it come with some discomfort...
- so the bad client experience of earlier in the year, coupled with this, has firmed up the sort of people I really want to be working with
- so often I assume that when things change, it's my fault, but actually, in the latter case, their decision and lack of communication and even rudeness, has been a bonus for me! their decision has allowed me to do more one on one coaching, and has resulted in some other work which I wouldn't have had the time to pursue had I still been working for them in another capacity
- took me a few weeks to get over their treatment of me, but now I look at it as a clearing of the way for me....
- the Pies looked set to win the 2018 flag and whilst I was (I know!) cheering for them early on, when it became apparent they might actually win, I decided to barrack for Jack Darling (not the Eagles as I didn't really want them to win either)...
- enjoyed the game whilst celebrating Sal Deane's 50th....
- and on 23rd my beautiful nephew turned 17! how did that happen?
- and I bought the dress for my 50th birthday party! a beautiful navy blue Carla Zampatti; it's been years since I've owned anything from there!
October:
- i enjoyed a weekend at the coast with Roger and Max to start the month off; always love my time down there with them in their beautiful home
- enjoyed Grease with Shell, Em and Pam; and watched on with delight as Erin (Shell's youngest) did an amazing job as part of the cast
- finally had dinner with Carol O'Shea, a former high school friend who I'd run into whilst facilitating a workshop (what a lovely surprise); talked for hours!
- enjoyed Julius Caesar very much for what I think was the last theatre outing of the year
- a busy few weeks leading up to my week in Melbourne looking after the kidlets whilst my sister and her hubs celebrated their 20th anniversary with a trip to Italy
- loved my week with the kids; we played lots of Uno, plenty of driving range action, putt putt and Dan attempted to teach me poker...you know you don't have a poker face when your 17 year old nephew says 'Aunty, you're not supposed to look happy when you get good cards'!
- highlight of that particular visit to the southern capital was a trip to Victoria Barracks and a visit to the War Room....amazing!
- follow up visit to my immunologist who declares she's not overly happy with how treatment is going!
- that very afternoon I contract bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis and the next 5-6 weeks is pretty ordinary :-(
- managed one game of tennis this month in what I hoped would be a permanent comeback; more work to do!
November:
- my planned weekend in Sydney with bff Sara for her birthday is cancelled as my eyes wee so bad, I couldn't drive :-(
- enjoyed Melbourne Cup with Mum, Dad and Shell and opted for pink - to match my eyes! a good day had by all despite none of us having a big win!
- given some stuff from the past still bugging me, Rovaye (my dear healer and reiki practitioner) suggested we do some 'journey work'; so on Wed 14 November we did that and it was amazing...definitely a worthwhile process and has been 'freeing'
- lovely Glenva (an AICD friend that I spent much more time with in 2018) invited me to attend Anthems with her, her family and some friends; apart from the cold and very windy weather it was a lovely evening where I got to hear some Aussie greats...miss Kate Ceberano was there, always good! Linda and Vika Bull, also good and The Black Sorrows....Daryl Braithwaite was a bit of a disappointment and due to the weather I didn't stay for John Farnham - thankfully I'd seen him in December 2017...
- i decided to put myself out there this month and attend an AHRI speed networking function in a mentor capacity; lovely evening, met some great people and enjoyed networking in a different format!
- enjoyed a night with some gal pals and Nina for an Intimo party on 24th - always a great success and a lot of fun (now have more bras than one really needs!)
- cut ties with some people; freeing indeed!
- ended the month with a 2 day team building session in Melbourne; highlight was afternoon tea with my sister at the Westin; so rarely get to hang out 1:1...
December:
- stumbled my way to the end of what has been a very busy work year
- finally caught up with AY (former work colleague) for dinner; really nice to see him and catch up on all the news
- enjoyed dinner with Norm Laing this month; an incredible human being - met him through work with the challenging client and hope we stay in touch...he has single handedly opened my eyes to the plight of indigenous Australians for which I am grateful
- first of two weekends in Sydney; first one with my bff Sara...we did shopping, nails, enjoyed kebabs together and generally had a lovely time. was nice to see where she and her new man are living
- enjoyed a few hours with Jenny Morris and her female friends and family to celebrate her 70th birthday; such a lovely group of women
- enjoyed my second weekend in Sydney with Esther and David Colman; first up, Shania Twain who was excellent, then a visit to Tessarella House before heading to the Sydney Opera House to see Kitty Flanagan who was absolutely hilarious and WAY better than I had hoped for...loved staying with E and DC in their beautifully renovated home
- next up lunch with MJB and his family; lovely to see them so soon after the passing of Suzy's Mum on 22 Nov...:-( was nice to be able to give them a hug and see how they were all doing
- then dinner and sparring with KO and ER...always enjoy my time with them
- finished up this particular weekend in Sydney with a healing session with Bec...
- last week of the working year was busy! coaching, a team building session for a new client (who will, I hope, become a repeat client) and dinners with my AICD gal pals, and Roger and Max, before BBL cricket with Mum and Dad...
- a lovely Xmas Day at mine with M, D and Jane and Peter Ferguson and another lovely Boxing Day with M, D and the Bredes...
- after that plenty of cricket watching, reading and tea drinking as my holiday begins...
So 2018, that's a wrap! Summing up:
- a hugely successful year for my little business, despite some bumps in the road and am now into my 3rd year of being a sole trader (woo hoo!)
- a wonderful celebration of my Dad's RAF/RAAF career and my parents 50th wedding anniversary
- a wonderful week looking after my beautiful niece and nephew
- letting go of some stuff and some people has been freeing
- loving my beautiful home; whilst I didn't want to call it a sanctuary (like my Sydney place was called), it really is a sanctuary...there isn't a day go by when I don't walk in the front door and feel blessed that I live here...
- a number of fabulous trips (US, Gaia, Burleigh Waters, Sydney, Melbourne)
Key Lessons:
- everything is not about me
- don't take everything personally
- try not to be disappointed when people treat me badly (as it says nothing about me and everything about them)
- realising that some clients just don't want anything other than a transaction (and that has NOTHING to do with me!)
In 2019 I'm going to focus on:
- continuing to do more of the things I love
- enjoying having so many of my favourite people in the same room on Sat Jan 12th to celebrate my 50th birthday
- reconnecting with the country of my birth
- reading more!
- staying true to self...
Happy New Year!
