Life Changing

When I was little I loved children. I always wanted to work with them.
Ok as I got older I realised the power of them and decided that in fact I didn't want to work with them quite as much as I thought, although I would still like to be a school teacher rather than a nanny.

I always knew I would one day have children.
In my very early 20's, I was living in a community where everyone I knew was getting married and having children. I loved hugging all the little babies and helping to look after the young ones but my choice of life at the time, I was training to be a nurse, didn't fit in with marriage or kids, ok I was also lacking that other half of the equation!!
I did wonder at one stage during my 20's if it was ever going to happen but I think that had more to do with the amount of weddings I attended in a 5 year period more than whether I was actually at a stage to deal with it.

In my 30's my life took that turn. I was in that stable relationship and life was in tune and mid way through I had our 2 sons. Life was right and children were the perfect part of it.
Do I wish I had had them earlier? Sometimes.
I watch some of my friends who have kids older, much older than mine and wonder what life would be like if my boys were older whilst I was younger than I will be when they get to being teenagers? However the pay off of the experiences I have had prior to having the boys is the ying and yang of the story. I have had experiences that some of my friends are only just starting to consider now their children are older. Each to their own I guess.

Now in my 40's life is changing.
My days of having children are over, as much as I would have loved to have had more children, it wasn't a happening thing and I will always be grateful to the 2 beautiful boys I have the privilege of growing.
And next week life will change further as I under go a hysterectomy.
That finally chapter in the birth of children is leaving me. At present if I wanted more children, I don't by the way, actually got passed that feeling a few years ago, I could have them, well I need a complying partner but you know what I mean.
Anyway I am actually at peace with the change about to happen. Luckily Steve and I are both in the know and had discussed things prior to the first appointment so it didn't take us very long at all in the appointment to agree to the plan and set the ball rolling.
I am not looking forward to the first 2 weeks post, the discomfort and tiredness, but I know the full 6 weeks will do me good.
I am however looking forward to the lack of pain that comes from this decision and living a freer life.

Random Acts of Kindness

Today, here in New Zealand is Random Acts of Kindness Day, well that is what they said on the radio this morning.

I love random acts, I think they are just so great, makes you feel good for doing it and makes the other person feel good to have someone think about them.

I did a random act of kindness today whilst at swimming. Ben had finished his lesson and Alex was having his.

There was this little girl, probably about 2 1/2 yrs, sat in the playpen whilst her mum and baby sister were in the pool having a lesson.

Now this child sat there and sobbed. I mean really sobbed, talk about huge act and all that, she had mum just where she wanted her, at the end of her little pinky!

So the mum decided to get out of the pool and sit this child on a chair with her soft toys. She then went back into the water. So I decided to move and sit next to the little girl so mum didn't have to worry about her for the last 20 minutes of the lesson.

Mum waved to her at every oppotunity and she was very talkative.

She interacted with Ben and became quite relaxed and happy. Mum saw all this and carried on with her lesson.

Ben and the little girl even wanted to get in the playpen before the end and so I lifted them both in and they played together so nicely.

When the lesson was finished I went and got Alex dressed and then he wanted to play in the playpen, so I stood and let them all play together.

The mum then came and got her 2 children out of the playpen, looked at me with a funny look and then just walked off.

Now I wasn't expecting any huge praise or anything, but an acknowledgement of some small amount would have been so nice.

I didn't do a random act to get any praise or thanks, but I felt so snubbed.

But the day was not all lost, because we had to go downtown after swimming to pay some bonds for the venues we are hiring for the wedding.

When I had done this the boys and I had some other little errands to run.

Unfortunately they took longer than expected and so we stopped to get some lunch. When I had been served I then had to master a tray of food, with the puschair and Ben walking.

For 2 seconds I thought 'oh yea, like how will this happen' I was just about to get Ben to push the pushchair when this lady appeared and asked if I needed a hand.

Said she had heard on the radio today about helping people today and so she was helping me.

Ya ho, there is a kind world out there, it does go round in circles when you least expect it.

So go on, do a random act of kindness and make someone else smile today.