January Marches Onwards
My parents came to see me over the Christmas and New Year period. It was awesome to have them here, to show them some of the US, and I think it made what might otherwise have been a difficult holiday season a lot lot lot easier. Bonus: they very kindly brought us some of our smaller and lighter things. It's so wonderful to have some of our treasures back - strange little things like the quilt that was made for our wedding, and SCA tokens and my silk heraldic banner.
One thing one can say for this whole moving and earthquake saga is that it's given me new perspective on things - like that you don't need nearly as much as you think you do, that they are just things in the end and if they go, they go, but that although you don't need them at all, it's still nice to have some of them. I'm pretty sure I've come out with a healthier attitude about the whole thing than I've had in the past, anyway.
I'm feeling a whole lot better about the world than I have in a long long time. I realised yesterday that I am starting to plan in the longer term again, properly, without large question marks attached. It's been over three years since I did that, and I think it's a sign that I'm settling into this life. I still need to figure out what my primary purpose is - whether I'm going to figure out immigration stuff to work, or start a little business, or just go and do lots of volunteering, but at the moment I'm doing okay on keeping house, doing hobbies and going to the gym regularly. The point is, I'm not thinking "I'll do that then, *as long as I'm still here*”, so that’s all good.
Other things I did yesterday included teaching a class on Viking beads at Cleftlands’ Regular Event, which I was pretty happy with. A medium turnout, and I’m not sure of the level of interest, exactly, but I was happy with my class handout and level of preparedness, which is pretty much a miracle. It was wonderful to spend a chunk of the last week just buried in something I am so interested in, piecing things together from the new material I’ve gathered since I last taught.
And tonight I’ve nearly finished off a small project (rolled hem veil) I got frustrated with and put away a few months ago, which is nice, and also frees me up a bit from the Can’t Start Anything New, I Have Unfinished Projects guilt. Which is awesome.
One thing one can say for this whole moving and earthquake saga is that it's given me new perspective on things - like that you don't need nearly as much as you think you do, that they are just things in the end and if they go, they go, but that although you don't need them at all, it's still nice to have some of them. I'm pretty sure I've come out with a healthier attitude about the whole thing than I've had in the past, anyway.
I'm feeling a whole lot better about the world than I have in a long long time. I realised yesterday that I am starting to plan in the longer term again, properly, without large question marks attached. It's been over three years since I did that, and I think it's a sign that I'm settling into this life. I still need to figure out what my primary purpose is - whether I'm going to figure out immigration stuff to work, or start a little business, or just go and do lots of volunteering, but at the moment I'm doing okay on keeping house, doing hobbies and going to the gym regularly. The point is, I'm not thinking "I'll do that then, *as long as I'm still here*”, so that’s all good.
Other things I did yesterday included teaching a class on Viking beads at Cleftlands’ Regular Event, which I was pretty happy with. A medium turnout, and I’m not sure of the level of interest, exactly, but I was happy with my class handout and level of preparedness, which is pretty much a miracle. It was wonderful to spend a chunk of the last week just buried in something I am so interested in, piecing things together from the new material I’ve gathered since I last taught.
And tonight I’ve nearly finished off a small project (rolled hem veil) I got frustrated with and put away a few months ago, which is nice, and also frees me up a bit from the Can’t Start Anything New, I Have Unfinished Projects guilt. Which is awesome.