It's funny where life takes you. Often you have no idea what is around the corner, or if you do, it's completely different to what you thought was going to be there.
I saw a quote on Facebook yesterday, and it went something like: 'Life didn't go according to plan... But that's okay.' To be honest there's no other choice - if it doesn't go to how you planned, you've just got to suck it up and get on with what has been given to you.
It's nearly a year since I wrote a post called Choose your own Adventure. At the time, a friend from primary school had just passed away, and I was very consumed with the 'what might have been' type thoughts. And a bit of my own mortality. Scott missed out on his fortieth birthday by only a couple of weeks. I had just turned forty.
If I'd known how much that post was going to be aimed at me in the next six weeks, I certainly would have had second thoughts about writing it. Obviously I've been very quiet on my blog for the last ten or so months, and there has been a reason behind it.
As so many other people have done, I had a marriage breakup. I left the farm, and now I'm living in Esperance with the kids and our little Jack Russell, Rocket.
It's been the biggest change of my life. I can't tell you how much I've missed the farm - working with the stock, smelling the fresh air in the morning and watching the sunrise. Out of everything I've been through, not being on the farm is the thing that hurts the most. I'm a farmer and a mum first and foremost. The writing gig, as much as I love it, is second to these.
This quote is what I've learned to live by in the last while, and I love it so much, I've used it in Emerald Springs as Milly's mantra too.
So, what do you do when things hit the fan big time? (And this is a little diary of what I've been doing for the last twelve months.)
Well, you run to your friends. I have the best support network in the world. Carolyn and Aaron, Heather, Em and Pete, Jan and Pete, Robyn and Ross, Amanda, Ann, Shelley, Jenny, Tiffany are just a few, but all need to be thanked publicly.
(Excuse the quality of these next few photos! They're mostly taken at our Sunday night drink club!)
My friends have the strongest hands, and as I said in the dedication of Emerald Springs: 'For the people in my life who have always held me up, I'm thankful your hands are so strong.' You will always have my heart.
Then you run to a different part of the state, to more friends! And do things you haven't done before, like go to the tennis.
I joined The Rotary Club of Esperance Bay. There were a couple of reasons for this. Other than all the fabulous work that Rotary does, our Rotary club has a farm. Need I say more? Prickle Farm is part of our fundraising. It has about 900 ewes mated to Texel rams and puts in an amount of share crop with one of our other members. It's a way for me to still be involved in agriculture (which I very much need) and to help my community.
I've made some new friends and help them out when they need it.
Don't you just love this little beauty?
I'm now the secretary of The Esperance and Districts Agricultural Society Show committee, and with all of this, I seem to be bloody busy!
Of course, in all of this, I spend a lot of time at the beach, and I have the kids to keep me busy.
I think my biggest achievement over the past year, other than keeping us all on track, was the fact that I finished and delivered to you all, Emerald Springs. It was written under the hardest circumstances I've ever experienced, and there were moments I thought it was never going to be finished in time to give to you all.
Now I'm on to Indigo Storm. I'm busy, and there are still moments that I wonder if I can keep going on, but for the most part, I'm happy, and the kids seem to be happy too. As I keep telling them, I'm certainly not perfect, and I make mistakes - there isn't a manual for what we've all been through, but I hope I'm doing the best I can for all of us.
So there you have it! My secret life for the past twelve months. I'm hoping to get the blog back up and running, and I hope you'll come on this new journey with me.
