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Less selfish.
October 20th, 2009 by Tiff

On the weekend, I found out that one of the boys, who had moved in next door, died from a drug overdose.

He might have lived, except that his so called mates waited 20 minutes before they dumped him at the local hospital.

They were worried they would be arrested, because they were all high on cocaine.

I remember the police crawling all over the place.

The house was evacuated shortly after and put on the market.

I hope the next people to move in are quieter.

I mean, I’m sorry that the boy had to die, I’m sorry for his parents

but the truth is

my first thought was

that there were drug addicts living next door to my kids.

Last night I found out that the father, of one of the few families who made us feel welcome, when we moved out here, to the boonies, had been beaten and left to die on the side of the road, about 10kms from our town.

My kids play with their kids.

His wife came to William’s funeral, even though we had only moved in less than six months before that.

These are good people.

He’s in a coma, apparently beaten around the head and cut, over eleven times.

Nobody has any leads.

I felt so sad for this family and what they are facing and what they will need to face

but,

in all honesty,

I was also trying to remember why we moved here in the first place.

I need a holiday.

Seriously.

I am starting to feel quite desperate about it

and thinking up ways to borrow large amounts of money so I can escape.

Ivy’s health is all over the shop and somedays the stress is overwhelming.

I hauled the family out, late on Sunday, so we could watch a cruise ship depart the harbour, over an hour from our home.

In my mind, a cruise would be the ideal vacation for all of us.

It actually turned out to be a lovely night

but I’ll admit

it was because I wanted to encourage David to borrow obscene amounts of money that I dragged him there.

There is no way that we will ever be able to afford a cruise.

I do know that

but, you know

dreams are the goals of tomorrow and all that.

The girls gave me a serious awakening this morning, though,

when I discovered that they had neglected to give me notes for an excursion,

which cost $31

That’d be $93 all up because I’ve got three of them in the same year.

When I asked them about it

they said they didn’t want to go

because they knew I couldn’t afford that kind of money.

Oof

and so today

I am going to try

to be content with my little life

and make the best of what I have.

I’m going to be thankful that I have a large house, that fits all of us in,

that I live in a town where people care about what happens in the community.

I am going to hug my husband and be thankful that he comes home at night.

I will ground myself and try to forget about going on holidays

and think of new, affordable ways to alleviate stress.

I will try to be less selfish.

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17 Responses  
trish (304 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 7:48 am

(hugs) how awful to have to confront the sad realities of living in a diverse community. Tiff, though these happen everywhere it is sad when it is so close to home.
I am sorry for the young fellow and his family too.Heartbreaking , that I know is close to your heart too.
The father who was bashed too.
When you go on that cruise …can I come too ;) ?
Dream big …they sometimes come true.

Brenda (4 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 8:08 am

I hear you Tiff. It sucks not being able to afford a holiday when you desperately need one.

I promise to TRY to be less selfish too!

jeanie (128 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 8:09 am

Oh no Tiff - how awful for your neighbours. My heart breaks for you because I can understand a few of the issues raised.

peskypixies (51 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 8:32 am

how dreadful for your neighbours and you.

hugs

it isn’t about being less selfish…its about being stressed and needing a break.

I wish I could magic up a holoiday for you.

hugs

Tricia (46 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am

With all of that going on around me, I think I would be longing for holiday as well. I will pray that you get your respite right where you are. But maybe, just maybe, God will miraculously provide for a real holiday. Keep your eyes on Him and expect the unexpected. God bless. :)

Gemisht (77 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 9:50 am

Oh dear, I just sent you an email. Don’t read it, delete, delete delete :) I don’t want to undo your attitude change.

There is so much going on around you, both close and a little further afield. For what its worth, I don’t think that wanting a holiday is selfish at all. There is only so much stress that our bodies and minds can deal with without any kind of down time or escape from that stress. I guess its how you go about finding a way to have a holiday. But regardless of the holiday, do the other things, do them every day cause its the little things that help to get us through the every day.

Some suggestions for you to get some stress alleviation without costing a fortune - go and get a facial, manicure, pedicure or something along those lines. Even a massage or something. It will give you a little bit of time to just relax. Go out on a weekend when D is around and the other kids and just have a coffee with someone and aim to be guilt free while doing it. If I think of anything else I will let you know.

Sunny Road Mum (45 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 11:14 am

Oh, Tiff I think you are one of the least selfish people I know. But it’s OK for you to dream about something good for you and your family. So awful for your neighbours - I guess events like that do put things in perspective. xx

Kim (frogpondsrock) (14 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 11:22 am

Gardening barefoot works for me. When I thought that Veronica was going to give birth at 24 weeks I went out into the garden barefoot at 3 am. It helped a little bit. Everytime I am stressed to the max I put my hands into some dirt and try to “earth myself”. Works for me. Moongazing helps as well. Looking at the moon and remembering that as woman we are Lunar creatures helps. Other than that I highly recommend chocolate, the darker the better xox

Fe (38 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 11:55 am

These are both such shocking scenarios.. and they rock our ideal of a safe and secure and caring society to the core. It’s no wonder that it hits so hard when it’s so close to you geographically.

You, my dear friend, are never selfish. You are having a normal reaction to a horrible situation. xoxoxo

Janet (17 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 3:19 pm

Oh what a dreadful story! Our neighbour was shot and killed by her son - also drug related. My heart goes out to all people left behind - I wonder how you pick up the pieces?
Nothing wrong with dreaming - they do come true and I hope for you, a holiday is around the corner. Keep your chin up! :)

river writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 4:35 pm

Well! Now you’ve got me thinking about holidays and cruises……Tahitit sounds nice…

Barbara (155 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

Oh, I’m not surprised you feel like you need a holiday. I don’t think you’re being selfish. I think you all need to get away for a while. (((hugs))). I hope you find a workable solution.

SassyCupcakes (28 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 8:25 pm

Maybe you and David could go on one of the P & O short cruises (http://pocruises.com.au/). I know it’s not the same as a big holiday with the kids, but I’m sure two nights on a cruise ship would be a great way to destress and recharge a bit. You’re such a great Mum, you certainly deserve it.

badness jones (54 comments.) writes:
October 20th, 2009 at 9:16 pm

Sweetie, I don’t think you’re selfish at all - but you’re right, sometimes things happen that just put our own lives in perspective, and we need to choose to be really thankful for what you do have. I do think however, that you deserve to be thankful for what you have AND a cruise! Any good radio contests you could win?

Hyphen Mama (281 comments.) writes:
October 21st, 2009 at 7:07 am

You, dear Tiff, are the least selfish person in the world!

You deserve all the things you wish for… a holiday, a cruise, a week of letting somebody else do the cooking and the cleaning.

You’re right, though. Sometimes seeing other people’s hardships makes us feel petty with our big fantasies. I truly hope that someday soon you and your family can take the big trip you dream of! You’ve earned it.

Amy writes:
October 21st, 2009 at 1:20 pm

Not selfish. So not selfish. I shudder to think of what happens in my neighbourhood… but because ours isn’t a small community we just don’t hear about it. I do know that the guy in the townhouse opposite ours (who’s moved out now - yay!) used to sell hot stereos and tvs from his garage. There’d be all sorts of loiterers in our driveway some evenings. Just the sad way of the world now. Makes sense to want to run away from it - it’s depressing as hell.
I’m glad you all had a nice night out at the harbour though. Maybe you could do stuff like that more often…?

Liz (12 comments.) writes:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:30 am

Tiff, “selfish” isn’t the word. “Mother” and all the emotions it encompasses seems more fitting. You are feeling what any mother would feel - compassion, doubt, fear, protectiveness, love. You deserve a cruise. Whether you’re aboard it or watching it depart, you deserve whatever piece of it life allows you at the moment. Keep your chin up. You’re doing your best. And your best is pretty darn great.

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