A Five Year Plan

I was recently asked about my five year plan. It was all work related of course, but no matter how hard I tried to stay 'on task', my five year plans always ended up being something like this:

1. Work long enough to pay for a pool. Then spend rest of life lying beside or in the pool, avoiding work at all costs. However, this isn't feasible at all. Remember this? Being a Farmer's Wife isn't all beer and skittles.

2. Stay home long enough to watch my children grow into school aged little people, and then living out the remainder of my working adult life as a relief teacher; surviving on a salary barely high enough to pay for chlorine for above mentioned pool. Yeah, no.... see this again...

3. Whenever I think about the IPP (Individual Performance Plan) I have coming up with my Principal, I am reminded of this cartoon...

So, my lovely Principal, if you're reading this...







I suppose that somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of my brain, I really do see myself as a good teacher; upskilling, excelling, better organised, blah blah blah. The truth is that after having been 'out of the loop' for the last six years, I really am quite intimidated at the prospect of starting over again. And that's exactly how it feels. And considering how much of a control freak I am, this is a scary thing for me to do - to write a five year plan. That's why I focuss on my 'happy place'...

4. I see myself here:



HAHA - Yeah - not likely.

5. It doesn't matter where I see myself. I have a busy brain. I always need to be doing something. I have my hand in a few local committees. I work to keep my brain stimulated. I like a challenge. I love being a Mum. It's incredibly rewarding. I like the pocket money that working gives me, and if I want to spend it on a pool, then so be it. Plans are awesome. But right now, with so many 'hats' on, I find I am functioning better on a 'Five Minute Plan'. Ie: "In 5 minutes, I hope to have dinner ready.", "In 5 minutes, I hope to be in bed.", "If those kids aren't asleep in 5 minutes..."

You get the picture?

Five years is an eternity when you have kids, and the blink of an eye, depending on which end of 'having kids' you are at. Five years is a place and time I can barely fathom at the moment.

Five years from now, in a perfect world, I am lying here:





But if I'm still working and lying here, then that's not all bad either.

It's five years away after all.

Here's to good friends, family, health and happiness. In whatever shapes and forms they may come in the next five years!