As Autumn Leaves Dance in The wind

It is a cool, crisp morning. Swirling leaves outside my apartment window send a quiet message that today will soon spin into a new week.
No matter at this moment.
I have spent the weekend in blissful repose, for the first time, easily, in a few months.
Of course Mum is still everywhere. But now, she's a whisper that brings with... a smile and maybe sometimes just a tear. Time to get on with living.
And so I do. And so I shall.
Recent events are a case in point:
I met a gentleman friend for coffee.
Took in an afternoon matinee, spur of the moment, on the weekend. (Have I mentioned I LOVE movies?)
Signed on to eHarmony after getting word of a 3-month special offer.
Spoke to one dear friend in a nearby city, another in a nearby country, and a third, all 3 this morning, from yet another country. I am reminded how lovely it is to speak with people who care about me. They have kept their distance out of either discretion or compassion, and now we are making tentative steps in both directions.
I am emerging into my newest self.
I like me.

Psychic Phenomenon

I just looked at the entry I made online before Mum died.
Considering hers was a sudden death, that is freakin' freaky.

Change

It's two and a half weeks later and I still hurt.
And I know she would want me to go on and be happy, so I am working on that.
The world seems a lot quieter.
And bigger.
I miss her.

Bye, Mum

She moved from this world into the next at 6:20 p.m. Friday, September 7.
I was with her when she released her last sigh.
What a gift was Dorrit Nash, especially during these past four years I have been nearest her...
I am blessed.

More Things Change..

Septembers are always filled with the electricity of change.
Next week is the Harvest Jazz and Blues Fest. I get to see Dr. John in concert. Not to mention some 30 other greats during the entire week. The downtown core is going to be closed to car traffic and will have live jazz and blues on every corner. Great weather for the outdoors.
Sounds then to be soon followed by the sight of the leaves changing colour - a different and even more lush and spectacular show.
Fall: my favorite season.
I have the sense that something is coming up that will change the direction my life. Have no clue exactly what that is. Only that it's coming. Speaking of which...have accepted French teaching/tutoring work until year end. I am going to learn as I teach..great gig!
So I am now committed for a little while. Roots sinking in deeper.

"If there is no wind...row"

...or, as that great American comic Milton Berle once said, "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door"...!
So that's where I'm at, after last month.
Am back in the land of job / career exploration, and still enjoying the ride.
Amazing my own self, at how much I am managing the unpredictability of every morning.
Much more fun than being a caregiver, I might add. (Mum's doing great these days...whew..!)
Absolutely LOVED teaching both English AND French, second language courses, to a cross-section of folks from both linguistic profiles. What a great way to be reminded of my teaching skills...!
Met some super new francophone friends this month.
Watched La Grande Séduction, completely in French, without even once switching to sub-titles..yay...!
Feeling the pull of la langue.C'est si bon.
Stay tuned for the next adventure...I know I look forward..!

Whew

It's been an unpredictable summer horriblis...
Mum has just been discharged from hospital.
This, after 7 frightening weeks instead of the one we anticipated.
I am glad I was here for her. I sure do appreciate the meaning of family now, more than ever..!
Have no clue what I'll be doing in the fall. Maybe working for the Feds, maybe teaching French full time. Fingers crossed for either / both.
Otherwise, it's a lovely Canadian summer. I am well. Catching my breath.
And still emerging.

The Best Things...

Today's the kind of day the phrase "The best things in life are free" comes to mind.

My sister flew in from Nassau for a whole week, and bought me a new summer / fall wardrobe while we wined and dined and reconnected in the way that sisters do. She is a queen.

This morning I will zip over to hospital, to tell its favorite patient aka my mother how grateful I am that she brought me into the world. Mum's had some real life-and-death events these past few weeks. I do not take for granted the time we have together.

I have received a ton of email greetings from pals from Winnipeg to Freeport - all of whom I cherish dearly and to whom I will send updates later today.

I am being treated to birthday brunch by the first friend I met when I resettled in Fredericton. Quality time.

My health is still great. I love my gym time. I am still looking for a full time gig... and still have no debts.

Such abundance, on my birthday..!

Doctor, Doctor..!

Quick update...me Mum is having surgery in a few days, and coincidentally, I am having day surgery same time, same place.
Shazam...(!)
My French tutoring gig is on hiatus until August, so the timing is actually good.
The queen mother will need a few months for recovery time, so caregiving will be my prioriy for the next little bit.

Will be.

I am not a has-been. I am a will be. ~Lauren Bacall
(Wish I'd said that...!)

Well, I have been so ...um..."delinquent" in getting back to this blog, that I actually got tagged this week by a pal whose blog I read regularly...So...about face..!
In a nutshell, the months since my last post have been filled with all sorts of job search adventures. I have traveled, written more qualifying tests than I ever did at university, got interviewed for a handful, with results pending, of course...and experienced two more seasons of the calendar year.
If there is indeed a God, She has a wicked sense of humor: The language school I surrendered to last fall, to improve my French, actually hired me...to give private French lessons! I am part-time, as I tutor elected government officials, on both sides of the Legislative Assemby. This media gal is having a ball as I actually meet one-on-one with six of them, an hour or two a week. Good brain food.
My E.I. ended recently, so I now fly by the seat of my pants.
Big plus: Still have no debts.
...and another miracle...through thrice-weekly trips to the gym (great for clearing away fog) have shed 10+ pounds since January. Intend to drop a few more, too.
So now I really really love shopping. Good thing I am on a budget..
Can still not explain this perpetual optimism, but am glad of it. I am the only unemployed (almost a year?!) person in my circles, and I still believe nirvana is coming.
Am convinced superb friends and family explains it. Que sera, sera..!


It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to. ~W.C. Fields

Enough, Already...!

Job update.
Flew into Ottawa for job screening with the Feds - should hear yeah or nay within a month.
If successful, I may relocate to either Ottawa or Montreal..at my own expense..ouch. But the money's good and nice benefits involved. The job fits me like a glove. Let's see if the HR people agree...
Am still in the running for a Freddy job - some $15 thou less a year, but also Federal, and therefore benefits, so am musing over all three potential scenarios.

Am ready to get an offer. It's been a good few months of getting things together in all ways..
So any time soon....
NOW is good...

Each Day New

That's my mantra these days.
I will be taking my French tutor out for breakfast in a few days, for our final ...um...class. She's been wonderful and I know the bilingualism exams I have done so far have her to thank for whatever good I do in them.
So yes, I am still looking towards the Feds for my next gig. I've written maybe seven or eight assessment tests for them, with not one exam resembling an other. Fascinating, actually. I'd love to see how they anayze the stuff..
But I digress.
Health good. Maybe even bordering on excellent. Wonderful feeling. I've sweated off 5 pounds and hope to continue till 10 are gone.
Finally we got the cold blast and snowfall one traditionally experiences in Januarys in Canada, albeit briefly.
Spring is coming on. I'm still debt free.
And each day still new.
Life short. Call now.