New energy

It's only when Cape Town gets its vicious wind that I remember just how much it freaks me out. Especially at night. Right now, that kind of wind is blowing, carrying the threat of a storm so big, the radio stations have been broadcasting warnings for at least two days.

And life goes on. 

I returned to school last Wednesday, after our 13-day school holiday. I must admit, the day before school reopened, I felt like I'd achieved nothing in the 13 days, which was ridiculous for many reasons. Not only had I done a lot of crocheting - for our craft group's current project - but I'd also spent days doing schoolwork, in preparation for the term ahead. What I hadn't realised, until I actually got to school and started the new term, was that I had undergone a significant change. It's not visible to anyone, but I feel it strongly. 

Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that the first term of this year was challenging for me. But it turned out to be yet another example of life teaching me, as it's done so many times before, that some lessons can only be learnt the hard way. Every day of my holiday, I spent time journalling: I used the time to process my emotions that seemed to be all over the place, to methodically plan how I could avoid a repeat of the first term, and to find my centre again. By the time I went to bed, the night before school reopened, I was 100% ready, and quite excited about going back. Bear in mind that this is the most stability I've had, job-wise, since my retrenchment from a private-sector job in 2021. Returning to school, to start the second of four terms, was a big deal. I got into bed feeling ready, excited and sleepy,

But, as tired as I was, I could not fall asleep.  I used to have that kind of experience often, in my 20s. And it usually coincided with the Full Moon! I've since heard about many others who experience the same thing. I lay awake, I tossed and turned, I meditated, I did Mind Power exercises, I did a visualisation exercise, but sleep would not come. The last time I looked at the clock was 02h30. I knew that when my alarm went off, the next morning at 05h15, I'd feel inside out. And I did. And that's how I went to school - prepared for all my lessons, as well as an after-school meeting, but oh so inside out. By 5pm, I could hardly keep my eyes open. 

What's really cool is that I realised, over the past three days at school, that I had in fact gone back with my balance restored. I had learnt the lessons I was meant to, I had reminded myself who I was and what I was capable of, and I felt a new spring in my step. Thank you, Universe, for the lessons learnt. 

I haven't done much in the line of music, for a while, because of the demands of my teaching job. There's no sugar-coating it - it's a highly stressful job that consumes your private time as well. Very different to my part-time adult education job and worlds away from my job in the corporate sector. Most days, I come home from school, relax for an hour, then start my next shift of schoolwork. I often sit up working till almost midnight. It's insane. I'm figuring out ways to be more efficient and to give myself space to do more of my Trudy things, like playing music, dancing and crafting.

Tomorrow our craft group, Knit & Natter, has its April meeting. I missed last month's one, because I was marking assessments, and I needed to minimise distractions. Anyway, I'm going to tomorrow's gathering. We split into groups and are busy making blankets to donate to the annual "67 Blankets for Mandela" campaign. I'm happy to say that thousands of hand-made blankets are donated to the needy, through this campaign, which now has international reach. I've made quite a few blankets on my own, but quite enjoy the collaborative approach, as well. I'm focussing on blues and greens, this time, which makes me very happy. Unlike the blankets I've made on my own, this one consists of squares, which will be stitched together. Tomorrow I'm learning the special technique of stitching squares together so that the stitching forms a decorative feature of the blanket. Cool!

                        One of the granny squares I've made for my group blanket.

I'd really like to teach kids at our school to crochet and create functional items, but time is so limited. Intervals are short, and there are already so many other activities going on. It would best happen after school, but that creates transport problems, as many of the kids travel by chartered buses.  Maybe I should check it out - see who'd be prepared to stay one afternoon after school per week, to learn to knit and crochet. Even if it's a small group, it could spark further interest. Yep, I'll give it a try. Wish me luck!

It's not even 10pm and I'm feeling very sleepy! I had a lovely day. 

That's such a good feeling.