Ask Steph

Yeah That ugly 'something has happened back home' experience has reared up again this week.  My mom had a fall, and has broken her wrist . It's a clean break, but a bad one, and she may need surgery.  *speechless*  So it's on the mend , and the doctors are trying something to help it heal without surgery first , she will go back in a week for more X-rays to see if it's working, and if not, then into theatre she will go.  The most frustrating part of all of this - is that there is absolutely nothing I can do . Nothing.  Helplessness is not a feeling that sits well in my Type A , fixer, doer , go-getter mentality.  Sigh.  I can let go of many things ...my family, my friends and those I love being in pain isn't usually one of them.  Human emotions are such raw things, and it constantly amazes me how they smack us down so completely whenever we feel like we have a handle on this thing called Life. 

Just one small tip for a newly arrived immigrant to Australia : start making friends early on . Go out and meet people, join clubs , find a hobby , chat to the people that you meet through other people. Chat with the Mums at your kids school. Rugby tackle the lady who drops off your post if you have to. You will need them. Women need a gaggle of helpers when they get a haircut . Particularly dramatic changes from very long to short. It's a traumatic thing. What we don't need is a husband who tells us it will make us look fatter than what we already are. Seriously.

This weekend has been dedicated to getting the final touches on my guest room , in preparation for my in-laws who arrive in a week's time to visit from South Africa. Part of that process has involved finally unpacking the last of the boxes that we brought with us from South Africa over 2 years ago. And putting all my curtains into the car to go and drop off at a charity somewhere during the week. So here's some things you don't think about when leaving South Africa. Getting rid of perfectly good things that you don't need any more, and finding someone to give them to. No problem in South Africa , something of a conundrum here in Oz.