Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A Touch of Dengue Fever















Hello my old friend 'the blog'! It's been over a year since I posted any news, but oh so much has happened in the life of the gorgeous, young Madeleine Grace Nicholls and the Nicholls Family in general. It seems that it took a serious case of Dengue Fever to bring be back to blogging.

We have just returned from the most amazing holiday in Bali with our dear friends. It was by far the most luxurious holiday that we have ever experienced. Just take a look at where we stayed for 10 amazing days...
http://www.casaevaliza.com/

Villa Casa Evaliza. Complete with staff of 6 gorgeous people, we didn't quite know what to do with ourselves. If you needed anything at all, you simply had to ask. In fact, most of the time, you didn't even need to ask because the staff anticipated what you needed. Cool drinks, fresh fruit, afternoon snacks, laundry done, beds made, bathrooms cleaned... it was a holiday in every sense of the word. Pure, unadulterated, relaxation.

Our days were spent going on adventures everywhere from luxury resorts, to quiet mountain villages to a family day at the safari. The people of Bali were so warm, kind and generous. One of my favourite moments was sneaking away for a quiet walk by myself. Everywhere I looked my eyes met with the kindest faces and I felt an almost surreal sense of calm. In fact, I can't remember being that relaxed.

On the last day of our holiday, I woke up at a 40 degree temp. Things were not good. A blood test confirmed that I had contracted Dengue Fever and so began a hideous flight home, a special 'welcome home' greeting from the quarantine officers, and a week of sweating, aching, vomiting, skin itch, etc. It really was a blur of horrible, debilitating illness. Interestingly, it was Simes who had settled into life with a team of staff very naturally. He got a rude shock when he transitioned from having 6 staff to being the primary carer of Maddie and myself. Apart from being one of the funniest bastards I know, Simes certainly knows how to step up in a crisis. He is my rock. A splendid father and a first class husband.

One thing Dengue Fever did was force me to stop. The doctor has forbidden me from returning to work until I am 100% well. This has actually given me time to stop and think. Here's what I have discovered through having some time to think.

2011 was a year of soul searching for me. Though various forces of the universe, I have been sent to a spiritual healer, a health and wellbeing coach, a leadership coach and I have had the opportunity to work for one of the most extraordinary women I have ever met. All these people have imparted words of wisdom what I have desperately tried to hold onto and process in order to become a better mum / wife / career woman / person / friend / sister / daughter. The trouble is, I have been so busy trying to be 'better' that I have forgotten to give thanks for everything that I have!

This morning I walked Maddie to kindergarten. When I got to kindergarten with her, I stayed there and played for over an hour. I spoke to the other mums and dads and spent time with Maddie's teachers. It was bliss. In fact, it will go down as one of my favourite mornings ever. It was such a different experience from running madly to drop Maddie at kindergarten by 8:30am (she is almost always the first kid there) and rushing to get to work by 9am (which I am almost always late for!). But here is what I decided. My life is what it is. The truth is, that I need to work full time at this point in my life. I am lucky to have a job that is interesting and to work with really extraordinary people. Being a full time working mum is bloody hard. All the articles are true. You never really feel like you are succeeding at anything terribly well. But guess what? I have a plan for 2012. Here it is:


I am going to be kinder to myself.
I am going to enjoy every minute that I have with Maddie and Simes.
When I am at work, I am going to be focused, calm and results driven.
When I leave work, I am going to LEAVE WORK and be Kate (wife / mum / friend / daughter / sister). No Blackberry checking in the evenings. Sacred family time!
I am going to be grateful for everything I have and remember that happiness is learning to be grateful.
I am going to turn my frown upside down and remember to laugh every day.
I am going to stop from time to time and write down a little bit about our busy life on this blog. All the good bits and the tougher bits too. Its all part of this messy life.

Mads is now 5 years old! I can't believe it. She starts school at Forest Lodge primary in a matter of weeks. Big school! She is one of the most charming, funny, intelligent, cheeky, glowingly beautiful people I have ever met. She takes my breath away pretty much every time I look at her. I can't wait to be by her side on her first day at school and to watch her blossom as she learns about life, love and the universe. This motherhood gig is a gift that I will never take for granted.

Mum, dad and Uncle Mikey are all heading to Sydney for Christmas and our dear friends from London are also coming for a summer holiday. So many special moments to look forward to and I am going to lap up each and every one of them. So grateful for family, friends and fabulous people. Here's to a bloody marvelous 2012.

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