deviousways

I dress up more now if I'm going to meet my girl friends. Yup it's true. That's when I fish out the tweezers, give the brows the obligatory wriggle-stretch-and-stare and then do the oh-god-have-I-put-on-weight, and need-I-do-the-razor-thingie routine, again. And it's not just me. My 19-year-old niece did exactly that when she was meeting her girlmates. Soul Sisters from school, no less. In my case, my rare night out gave me a lovely case of the girlies. (Okay, even I don't know what that means). So, I chose my clothes with care. Does the skirt hug the hips? Yep. Now, where's that heavy fake-silver chain from Mapsa fleamarket which invariably gives me neckpain. Check. Eyebrows? Not bad. Slippers? Comfy but in a nice warm shade so glam as well. And then, we did the breezers, the fishy cutlets, the fried chips, the cold pizza, the silly giggles. And it was such a good feeling. There's nothing quite like getting together with friends, female friends, and then le...

Having baby's been life-changing, of course. But beyond that, I've come to cherish every moment. Nope, that's not a cliche. I literally live minute to minute. So a spare half hour of quiet is soul-nourishing. A chance to enjoy just being by myself. A little window of self-reflection. A walk is not just a stroll, it's my time to cleanse my body and mind of bad thoughts and ill will and sloth. A hug is affirmation that a little person finds me lovable, warts and all. Watching baby say hullo to stray dogs, kambli poochies (blanket worms, ugh!!), and even, dead cockroaches, makes me realise children really are pure beings. There's no malice in baby. Yup, there are tantrums and bouts of bad temper but that, to my eternal regret, he's probably learnt watching me being angry and mad. Every day, I see the world anew. Every day, I learn I can be good and yet, in a flash, be very very bad as well. It's humbling, enriching and a learning process. Every single day.