January is the start of our fifth month in Grenada. It really doesn't feel like we have been here that long! There are new things we are discovering all the time, and places we still haven't been.
It will also mark the tipping point for us if we are to return home in March instead of June like we had initially expected. When we had first signed on, the placement was 9 months (basically a school year) and this made a lot of sense given that I was to be at two schools. However because of funding agreements that need to be worked out in Ottawa all volunteers in the Caribbean are set to return to Canada in March.
I will never get all my work finished here (even if I can stay until June), and I am really hoping someone gets sent behind me to continue the work with NEWLO. I had high hopes that I would get a couple of hours of curriculum done each day I was on holiday, but with my mom here it never happened. And that is OK.
It was so nice to be on vacation with my entire family. In Canada, Brent and I often spilt our vacation so one parent is always with the kids. This will be one of only two times we have ever had three weeks off together as a family. I have come to realize how important it is to take a real break, not just to re-energize but to reconnect.
I know these next few months will go flying by so I am going to fill them with hard work, good food & friends, and new adventures.
A new find The Cave House Restaurant and Hartman Bay Estate Hotel
I am a self confessed planner. I always have been. I forget how old I was when I figured out that if I wanted a baby by 27 I would need to be married by 22 so I could have 5 years with my husband to make sure he wasn't a dud! Lo and behold at 22 I was walking down the isle with the perfect guy for me!
I have always known that if you want something to happen you need to write it down and then start working on making it real. In fact, when I do my goal setting for the year I break it down into categories because there is always so much to accomplish. Usually it is accomplished within twelve months. Sometimes even faster like our plan to live in the Caribbean!
As someone who teaches leadership development I strongly and firmly believe in setting goals and having a sense of clear purpose in your life. I also believe that New Year's is the worst possible time to engage in this activity.
Apart from it being New Years Day, and some might be a little more tired than usual, is there anyone out there who really wants to jump out of bed and get going? More likely you looked out into a dark morning and thought "just a half an hour more" and rolled over.
There are good reasons why we act like our animal friends in the winter and want to hibernate. This is natures natural order. In the Bible it says there is a time for everything and I absolutely believe this to be true. You don't plant seeds in the winter and hope they will somehow germinate in the snow.
The same is true with your hopes and dreams. You shouldn't plant them in the darkest season and expect them to bloom. Winter is a time to take care of yourself, rest and fill your mind and heart with what you will start in the spring. Spring is naturally a time of renewal; birds come to start again; the blooms begin to sprout; and the entire country (apart from the lucky folks in BC) seems to wake from a deep sleep.
So this year allow yourself the time to renew your mind with good books, your heart with good friends and leave the rest until spring, when you will feel more like going out and tackling your never ending to do list.
The only thing I do on New Years Day that has to do with planning is my finances. You should always know and understand where you are financially at the start of every year. This year it was a bit trickier than in the past because we are having to convert dollars back and forth between ECD and CDN but I think we have a good understanding of how much this adventure is costing us.
Oh yes there was one other thing I planned for today- a trip to the beach. This will be the only year I participate in the New Year's plunge!!!
