Franglo

Yesterday was my birthday, this past year of my life has seen so much change it’s always a great time to stop take a moment to reflect. A year ago, I was working at a job with people I truly adored. The work may have been a bit crazy but the tribe of women (plus a few great men) that surrounded me each day made the office enjoyable. There was laughter; they were like sisters who celebrated all the life events and were there to pick you up when life knocked you down. Fast forward a year when you are in a new company, nobody knows you or any of your life events the day can feel a bit lonely. I don’t miss the old job; I do miss my tribe who made every occasion special.

Social Media helps bridge the many miles between my current residence and the people that I care about, my friends and family. I am always touched each year when people take the time to write a happy birthday note and acknowledge your special day. It’s a chance to interact with people you have not have heard from in months.

My other half and I live together part-time, and generally, during the week I am in Ottawa from Monday -Thursday and then reside in our Montreal home the balance of the week. It would be great for us to be together every day, but right now that is not possible, a corporate gal does what she needs to do to bring home the bacon. Although not ideal, Ottawa is a hell of a lot closer than Toronto. Last night I was able to go back for the night, to my adoring spouse who prepared a fabulous meal, and had baked me a gluten-free cake. If you can eat gluten, a cake is something you expect, but if you are GF, it’s another tradition that gets removed. It means the world to me that he took the time to find a recipe, bake and decorate a cake to make my day special.

Yes, my journey home last night added 4 hours of driving to the week but I believe being with the people we love is the key to happiness. He made my day and to add a cherry on the cake, the notes in my birthday card from the kids were very touching including, thank you for taking care of us like we where yours. (Insert a little tear emoji)

It dawned on me a few weeks ago; I have 4 hours a week where I am transiting from one city to another, that I could make that time more productive so I have started to listen to audiobooks. I was browsing through Audible trying to choose a book and author who would not put me to sleep. I preface this with I sleep to murder. My spouse snores, I have a mind I can not turn off, so sometimes a gal needs a little Forensic Files in a monotone voice to drift away.

I stumbled across Rachel Hollis’ book Girl Stop Apologizing. I am so glad I found this novel, she reads the book herself and is very engaging and entertaining. A real woman, giving authentic advice on how to reach your goals while busting so stupid myths primarily aimed at women.

You should check her out Rachel Hollis https://www.msrachelhollis.com and her blog https://thechicsite.com which I will start following.

She has me all fired up to make positive changes in my life as I move into the checkbox 45-50.

More to come on that…