Over the hill.....and loving it!

It’s been ages since I’ve written anything. The main reason is that I haven’t bloody done anything! My summer was mainly spent hearing, “I’m hungry mummy. I’m thirsty. Can I watch Paw Patrol?” Lack of finances meant that outings were few and far between, so we’ve been the reclusive family.

Last week, we finally got some sense of routine and normality back. I returned to college for my second year of my degree. I’ve stayed on at the college to do Criminology and Criminal Justice, rather than going to the University campus to continue with Psychology and Criminology. This was mainly due to the logistics of child care and travel, but I must admit, I’m not too upset to be leaving the joys of SPSS and Psychobiology and Cognition behind! Give me a serial killer any day!

I’ve been losing weight lately. Just over 1.5 stone gone so far and I already feel so much better about myself. I still have a long way to go but I’m enjoying the journey. It was just what I needed to kick start my self-esteem. I’m so excited about the prospect of buying some new, lovely clothes. I’ve felt like a frumpy nobody for years, wearing the same shapeless or ill-fitting clothes over and over. Now, I can finally see myself being able to dress stylishly and feeling good. I think of myself as being like a car. If you have a clapped out old banger, you don’t bother polishing it and making it look good. If you have a sleek, elegant car, you feel like it’s worth taking pride in. In all honesty, I often felt like my “life” as a proper person in my own right, was over. Sad, but true. I felt like an empty shell, going through the motions, day in, day out. Now, I feel like I have something to contribute.

My new home-care job is fab, but it can be an emotional roller-coaster too. It opens your eyes to the loneliness and isolation a lot of people, especially older people, are living in. In every street, there is probably at least one person living on their own, who sits and watches TV for most of the time. Now, I know from experience that there are only so many property or antiques programmes one can watch before one feels like gouging one’s own eyes out! I often wish I could get them all together and take them somewhere for a day out, or even just give them some company. I often wish I had an hour with each person so I could chat to them properly.

So, that’s an update on my life. I think I’m over the mid-life crisis and entering a new and positive stage of life. I have a long weekend in Belfast to look forward to and it’s going to give me a chance to get to know some of my new classmates better. Can’t wait!