My words for the year... and a favour to ask you
Happy New Year badgers!
Pretty bloody late to be saying it isn’t it? It’s basically 2025 at this point.
The thing is, I’ve been exceptionally busy eating a great deal of cheese.
Due to my New Year's commitment to eat a lot of cheese, it’s been a wee while since I wrote a blog post.
In fact, last time I emailed was to tell you that Bloody Good Bloke had proposed, and I had accidentally walked off. If you missed the video, it’s on Insta here. I’ve watched it 247 times, myself.
That was a couple of months ago. Perhaps you’re even wondering…
“Who is this unseasoned cauliflower emailing me about cheese?”
So here’s a wee sporadic update from me (and as always, I’d love to hear back from you too — what’s going on in your world?)
In case you were wondering, I’m a big fan of cheese, even though it makes my face red and my love handles handlier.
Yesterday I did an extremely dumb thing and attempted to bike across Adelaide in 41 degree heat on a broken old bike that only had one working gear.
You’ll discover just how dumb this was…
when I tell you I was on my way to a medical appointment that I flew across the country for, at which I was finally diagnosed with POTS.
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, of course.
“POTS and pans?” Asked my English Dad when I called him with the news, always a joke on his tongue.
“Yep dad, I’m a pot and you’re a pan, and being a pot makes me really bloody dizzy, shaky and nauseous. My heart races, adrenaline runs down my arms, and my brain goes all foggy and I have to lie down and wait for it to pass”.
“Right. Well I’ll throw away all my pots and only use pans from now on,” he replied.
“Also,” he continued, “I think it’s a bit late to take your body back to the manufacturer that made you, but I’ll write them a letter just in case it can be replaced under warranty.”
“That’d be great Dad, this one is a bit fucked!”
I’ve currently got long-covid, coeliac disease, and POTS, among other things, so I wouldn’t mind a new human-vehicle for my soul to get around in sometimes!
As I’ve written about a few times over the past couple of years, I’ve been having a few extra health challenges since Covid. Sometimes, managing my health feels like a full time job.
Hence I’ve been a bit more MIA on the ol’ typewriter.
Gratefully, I’m very lucky to have a wonderfully supportive and patient fiancé (oooh), family, and friends.
The Australian government, however… welllll, they could do a bit better when it comes to long covid and POTS support.
So I have a wee 30 second favour to ask you…
If you would be willing to help me out and sign this petition here, it would mean a lot to me and the many long-covid affected people in Australia.
A long-covid inquiry was commissioned in 2022, but the government hasn’t actioned any of the recommendations that came from it, all of which are desperately needed. Hence the petition, which we’re hoping to get to 10,000, so I thought I’d ask if you could help us!
Tanks a million!
Despite the roller coaster health, and my overconsumption of cheese and pavlova over the holidays —which probably didn’t help— I’ve also had a lovely relaxing time camping with friends, swimming in the sea, and spending time with mine and Bloody Good Blokes families.
Two of my three parents flew over from NZ for Christmas and met BGB’s family for the first time!
Getting a POTS diagnosis this week also makes me really bizarrely happy…
It’s so validating! Finally my lifetime of random, unexplained symptoms make sense! It’s not just in my head, as many doctors implied! This actually feels like such a win.
My words for the year are: “Not 2023.” 😂
Just kidding, my words are Presence (Because even mindfulness facilitators fall off the mindfulness wagon…) and Purposeful.
This year I’m keen to be more purposeful and intentional (rather than being swept around in a blender, aka 2023), and to come back to the most important thing I’ve ever learnt: presence. Ecky Tolle is back on my bedside table. I might even repeat my own program!
Righto, that’s enough from me.
Let me know in the comments or by reply email — what are your word(s), intentions, hopes, plans for the year?
I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and well, and that your 2024 has gotten off to an enjoyable start!
Much love, gratitude and passionfruit to you.
✌️
Andrea