August Reflections
The School Summer holiday has begun and much like the kids it has not yet settled itself into a rhythm.
My work continues through the Summer, with some time off here & there, so I get to observe the way the holiday pans out for various folk in my life.
Right now in these early weeks there is a sense of holiday frenzy.
I notice that lot of people are still working. I meet parents trying to do the impossible task of feeling like a good enough employee and a good enough parent as they multitask Zoom whilst hoping to have provided enough snacks & screens to at least get to the end of the 'free' 40 mins.
This is way too reminiscent of trying to navigate the pandemic, there’s no winner in this dance off.
I notice folk struggling now with the endless hot nights. Kids who can’t settle add a layer of extra body heat as they gravitate toward the hug. Everyone waking up in need of electrolytes before the cycle begins again, hovering over 'pay now' as you look again at the fan that’s been in your basket.
Those with older kids go through a different kind of nightly fatigue as they relentlessly evidence their ability to win the endurance race of remaining awake beyond 11pm (I hear some of you, I know you'd be in bed by 9.30 if it was possible).
But in amongst this then are the beautiful glimmers of moments that bring pure joy.
It might be that there is so much less traffic when the school run isn’t a factor. It might be that your child is so much more regulated when they get to be in their pjs all morning, or that you convince yourself sitting in the paddling pool is probably the same as a cold dip at some fancy place in Cheshire.
All of this and more makes up the Jenga tower of the holidays. Pieces stacked neatly all providing stability until one block at a time the structure starts to change if too many people pull at it.
This month our newsletter theme was supposed to be 'journeys'. I was chatting to my colleague Laura and explaining the pieces of work I’m balancing, the parts of the holidays that I’m noticing, that I needed to write the newsletter words and that I’m off camping with the family in 2 days. We talked about Jenga as a metaphor for it all.
And then, in Laura’s clear and powerful way she said - 'And Jenga’s not a travel game is it? You can’t play it on the move'. So with that true sentiment I am going to walk the walk and put all of this down until my holiday is over.
I hope your glimmers are abundant and I’ll see you all on the other side
- Katy