It’s been a year…

It’s been nearly a whole year since my last update to this blog. This was meant to be a space for me to record all the work I was doing, the things I was enjoying and consuming throughout time, and a way to reflect on the things I loved about my job.

Unfortunately, around this time last year, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. My doctor’s advice was to take some time off, and the exercise physiologist I was referred to advised me to stop swimming. As much as possible I tried to honour the bookings that clients had already made, but from July onwards I took personal leave to give my body time to heal. While I was still doing things, odd bits and bobs and jobs, I not only lacked the energy to update this blog but also the joy and sense of achievement.

While at first I was devastated about the news of my health, some wonderful opportunities came as a result of my leave. So this post is dedicated to the things I found, the joy that was had, and the lessons that were learned in what was a physically and emotionally tough year.

Opportunities

Two pretty major opportunities came my way in 2022.

First, I was given the chance to join the teaching team in Curtin University’s Professional Writing and Publishing major as a casual tutor for the editing units. What many people don’t know is that teaching at this sort of level was a long-term goal of mine. I hoped that one day I might be able to tutor or lecture at a university. While I’ve done plenty of teaching, workshops, and guest lectures, to actually take on classes regularly has been a dream come true.

The second unexpected opportunity came in the offer of a fixed-term contract with Perth Festival as the Program Coordinator for the Literature & Ideas program. Working under the indomitable duo of Sisonke Msimang (Curator of the program) and Anna Kosky (Senior Producer) on a program I’ve been attending since I was about nineteen years old was an absolutely mind-blowing experience. I learned so much, met so many people, and am beyond grateful to have been considered for this role.

On the job at Perth Festival Writers Weekend

Truly, where one door closes another surely opens because I really couldn’t have taken on either of these opportunities without the break I’d taken for my health.

Joy

In April 2022 my first nephew was born. Watching him grow, getting to look after him and getting to be an aunty has been one of the greatest joys of the past year. There is also something about watching a child discover the world for the first time that brings life into a totally different perspective. The way they’re fascinated by the trees blowing in the wind and every new item goes in their mouth.

Logan’s birth also reunited me with a joy that I had left behind. Cross-stitching.

I first started cross stitching in my teenage years. My nanny (Dad’s mum) used to cross stitch and gave me a pattern book she’d used to cross stitch my brother’s name when he was born. I first used the pattern to create a cross stitch for my younger cousin, but with Logan’s birth I took the plunge to developing my own pattern. I used the existing pattern for the letters, but removed the characters from the original pattern and using graph paper and pictures online, I created a Winne the Pooh themed pattern for Logan.

Since finishing this project, I haven’t stopped. I’ve since completed several more projects, and have even embarked on my first attempt of embroidery.

In 2022 I also returned to the skies and went travelling again, went on the most epic indi bookstore tour with Emily Paull for Love Your Bookshop Day, continued to experiment with art and painting, and basked in the joy of books - both read and unread.

Looking forward to 2023 and beyond

We’re well and truly into 2023 now but for me it feels like the year has only just begun. There is so much to look forward to and so much I want to do.

2022 taught me that anything can happen, both good and bad, and that all we can do is our best. It taught me that the next opportunity is only just around the corner, but it also taught me to take those moments between to rest and heal and to re-engage with the things that I love. I’ve learned that I am flexible and resilient - even moreso than I imagined.

Who knows what the next year will teach me.