The end of my year of less is more

I’ve been asked a few times recently about whether or not I’m still writing a blog.  Well, yes.  I am.  Sort of.  I’m just sneaking in one last post for 2014. To end my year of less is more! 

Partly I haven’t written because I've had a busy few months at work.

But it’s also because I suspect I got a bit weary from oversharing.

I feel so grateful for all the support and encouragement that I received from folks while we were struggling through our daughter’sillness.  But then I suddenly I didn’t want to talk about it anymore.  Not just online.  It just started to sound repetitive.  As things do with chronic illness. 

We found a strategy to help her recover with her post-viral fatigue at the end of July.  It felt like some of the crisis/uncertainty lifted at this time.  But then the hard slog of just getting on with it kicked in. 

She’s done well.  But we didn’t end the year with a great success story.  She still hadn’t attended a full week of school by the end of term.  She had a crash after attending a taster day for high school (which included catching public transport there and back with her friends).  There’s still an expectation that it will be very up and down once school goes back.  

We enjoyed celebrating our 20^th wedding anniversary in the middle of December by going away to an adults only resort in Fiji.  It was truly amazing.  Spectacular setting plus the quiet and peace that we so desperately needed after the past 12 months.  We both had a very relaxing time.

Coming back home into the normal rush of life, my anxiety about anything and everything suddenly increased.  I have been surprised this year by how anxious I got about Miss J’s sickness.  I didn’t think I’d get that stressed and it’s been hard coming to terms with that.  I’m still processing the impact of managing a child’s chronic illness.  I don’t want to overdramatise it (because many people deal with much, much more significant challenges) but I also don’t want to just deny that it’s impacted me and not address it. 

My year of less is more certainly did not pan out the way I planned.  Not even close!  But those big decisions I made back in January were good for our family and no one has complained that we’ve done less. 

If you found those posts earlier this year interesting, use the start of 2015 to rethink your goals for your family.   I found it helpful to question and challenge myself about the values that I'd just taken on board without reflecting on why I was doing it.

Happy New Year and thanks for sharing a crazy 2014 with me!