Less is More

I know that 2008 already came, one month ago. I am still rubbing my eyes to wake up to the new dawn that a new year promises. What with the unpleasant loud bangs that have so far characterised the entry of 2008! Very disorienting.  Nevertheless, I am hanging on to the hope that I will smile, as the rest of the year rolls out.

I am a junkie as far as new year resolutions go. The theme of mine will be to do less, which I guess should be easy to follow through!

The beginning of a new year has always held a huge significance in my life. It has always been a time to do THINGS. To conquer new horizons. To get more and to be more. One of my friends from childhood days was reminding me how we used to promise each other to ‘work very hard this year’. That was way back in primary school. Am glad we did, otherwise I would probably not be writing this post. What I am saying is, I have been chasing things, one more degree, getting certified in this and the other, jobs, more money, …the drift.

Looking back, I will agree with some who said that I possess tonnes of energy. I often wondered why people got surprised that I have three kids, a marriage, and still pursued a career. The truth is that, my career has been full of many twists and dents. On many a job interview, I go to great pains to explain why items on my CV overlap. [ (a) "so, you left this job, to look after your new born daughter. How come, at that same period, you were enrolled at XYZ college/institute?" (b) how come you did this project, yet at the same time you were working at ABC Ltd. ?" etc]. At one firm in South Africa, I was asked whether I have original certificates to back up my CV! 

Such has been my life. I get a job, then resign to look after baby number x. But baby x sleeps most of the day, so I enroll part time for a course in say knitting. (Ofcourse not knitting!) Baby X grows alittle, so I apply for another job, during which, I take days off, to do a side project with those others guys. Then I resign to follow my husband on his job posting, in South Africa. During which,  I make a vow to myself, that I will take some time off the job market, to chart a new frontier for my career, (as I look after my kids). Soon, I discover this other interesting civil society on the Internet, and before long, I am teleworking for people I have never met, for which I get paid. Etc..

So, the other day, I was lamenting to my husband how terrible my CV looks with so many gaps of seeming inactivity. (Currently, I am not on anyone’s payroll). He went out all nice, in short, giving me an ego boost, which I think is what I needed. Later, out of sheer boredom, I googled my name and the results were quite interesting. Somewhere on the web, I am listed as a Consultant for hire, complete with a daily rate! That was me in another life! That just made me take a jog down memory lane, of the many places I have ventured into, in the name of career.

Hence this post. I want to do less, from now on. Better put, I want to ‘Eliminate and Concentrate’. I think it sounds like a catchy phrase, but it weighs plenty. I only want a few things on my tray, thereby eliminating many (irrelevant?) others. I want to concentrate on those, to what I hope will be satisfying levels. Don’t I sound like a tired horse, already?

Thirty-Six, is a number that I have been muttering under my breath, at times loud enough for those in the vicinity to hear. I like the sound of that number, and come April, I want to wear that number and feel good in it. I think it has a nice feel to it, and I am liking it by the day.

When it comes to birthdays, my husband adds one more year to his age on first of January, even though his birthday is way down in September. Unlike me who waits for the clock to tick the last second, before I add 1 to my age! To him, it just simplifies everything.

But 36 sounds like a good number, and I am looking forward to it. It actually feels grown-up. And I am trying to act alittle more grown up, in anticipation. My daughter, Laura turned 10, this past January. My husband and I, decided that we won’t do any more birthday parties with friends, rather, birthdays will be our-immediate-family affair. Surprisingly, the kids complied.

I got  tired of doing children’s parties, because with time, they take on a new level of sophistication that I was simply unable to keep up with. With Alex, my youngest turning 5, I decided enough is enough. I will never forget one birthday party ( I don’t recall whose!) where my kids insisted that I hire a bouncing castle, which by the way was not too costly, by South African standards. But it rained all afternoon, so the kids never got to jump on/in it!

So, on Laura’s 10th birthday, we drove into a restaurant, just the 5 of us and had a nice meal. Then we gave her presents, all the while clicking a few photographs for posterity. The cake was delivered to school for her to celebrate with her classmates. Deal sealed, and my sanity preserved. Anyway, during this special lunch, we decided to give our daughter that talk, where parents go like, ” you see, Laura, now you are a big girl….bla bla bla school work. bla bla bla. being kind to your brother and sister, bla bla bla). And she seemed to take it very well, but after a few days of trying to act like a big girl, she threw in the towel, and reverted to her old ways.

Which I perfectly understand, because it is me, and not my daughter that needs to grow up. I get disgusted with myself that I still find American Idol interesting! And not when the musicians are refined and well-dressed. Nope, I enjoy more, when the prospective idols are so green and raw, and squek into the mic in the name of singing. It is the one program I can guarantee myself a good laugh. I will never forget one instance, in the south African edition, when some girl decided to sing a Dolly Parton song. All the judges went flat out in laughter, as I did too, while the poor girl continued with the song to completion! Do you see why I need to grow  up?

I was talking about new year resolutions, and why I will be doing less. The other day, I took a notebook and listed the hours in my day, alongside what needs to get done. Some may recall me stating that in Switzerland, cleaning is a big deal, and takes a considerable amount of time. The other thing they do here is to ensure than mothers can’t work, in an office I mean. Before you scream, let me explain. Children report to school at 8.20 am, and will be promptly home for a home made lunch. Alex rings the door bell at exactly, 12.03 pm. The word precision must have been coined in Switzerland. This is a big challenge for working mums, but yes, there are ways to work around this.

This story continues here.