D-Day

I got off to a rather wobbly start once I realized that it was the 6th anniversary of the day I broke my ankle in Calgary (like an idiot I was attempting to ski for the 1st time at 45). Needless to say - it was the start of a year from hell! I've never liked the 26th since then, or any number that arrives at a single digit of 8. I've noticed it doesn't work well for me - something to do with it being a Saturn number and all that... Once at the supermarket when I realised I was at checkout #8, I wanted to turn on my heel but it was too late! I went home to discover that the checkout girl had left out the sandwich meat and given me somebody else's bread soda!! It was so annoying when I reached for a slab of turkey breast to discover it was left behind.

Another 8 day happened at the ferry terminal - ignoring my warning cries, hubby boldly made his way to gate #8 laughing and muttering something about superstitious nonsense. What happened? - you guessed it - the ferry we were aiming for was full so a long, boring 3 hour wait in the heat ensued.

So along comes D-Day - the start of my YOSA (year of simple abundance) and it comes to a bloody 8!!

The negativity continued well after K (hubby) brought me my early morning coffee. I was suffering a bit of PTSD from the skiing accident when a heading from Sunday's newspapers caught my attention for obvious reasons 'Why the party is over' and 'High flying couples brought down to earth with a bang' (Ireland's Sunday Independent 18 Jan).

Not being one to wallow in self-pity (the kids would disagree) I put on my positive thinking cap and came up with a couple of nice ideas to help get me through D-Day (day ones of any new regime are always brutal anyway). It hit me that the Chinese love the number 8 - every house they live in has to have the # 8 and if it doesn't they have it changed and insert a number 8, so a Realtor once told me. Eight is the number associated with wealth, which is why our office neighbour, Dr. Lee, has the only office on the floor with an 8. He is Chinese so that makes sense. So maybe I'm off to a good financial year - only time will tell.

The day laboured on with mixed blessings. When I was driving the girls to school I noticed a big message on a passing bus which said 'Quitting is contagious'. I roared in delight - it was definitely a message from my angels for me. It reminded me of a saying I once heard 'when man decides to do something, the universe conspires to make it happen' - and yes I'm quitting being a shopaholic - I've thrown out my mall walking shoes -for a year at least.

I'll admit the two younger kids didn't conspire to make it happen today and it wasn't plain sailing. We had a bit of a showdown tonight when Vicky and Claudia announced that I was going through a mid-life crisis and that in a week or so (they hope!) I'll be back to my normal spontaneously generous old self - yeah right!!

I had to bring Claudia to the Mayfair Mall today to get a new cellphone charger. She lost her old one in Vancouver at the weekend and I made her pay for the new one out of her own spending money - don't worry her personal account is way bigger than mine. If that wasn't bad enough - I ignored the foodcourt and Starbucks completely. Normally I would pay them a visit on such occasions but not today. Later I passed a florist shop displaying the most beautiful Spring daffodils - my favourite! Prior to YOSA I would have bought them in a heart beat. I could just see them on my office desk. Then I had to pass several dress shops displaying all the latest bright, fluffy spring wear - YES -the devil and his brats were working overtime on me. I resisted. Yee Haw - I had the last laugh.

I don't intend to go back to that mall in a hurry - no way baby!

I am being sensible now. Instead of my daily fix of Starbucks cappuccino I bought a container of Italian espresso coffee which will produce 30 cups for the price of four Starbucks and believe me way nicer! When I got home from the mall, I was still a bit weak after the devil's attack, so I cleaned the cobwebs off my home made cappuccino maker (which I had got free on Visa points) and brewed Ali and myself a cup each of delicious frothy cappuccinos. Believe me, they were finger lickin' good.

Later I went outside to the garden and all around me I could see the sight of little daffodils beginning to emerge. They looked like fluffy little yellow goslings. In another week or so I'll have my daffodils for free!!

Honestly - I really did a lot to deserve a big pat on the back today!!

I ended up my first day of YOSA making four separate suppers - stew from leftovers for Kevin who loves that - salmon for Ali and me - mozza burger for Claudia, and vege burger for Vicky - Whoever said Mothers have an easy life!!

I'm going to retire to bed now before I get the urge... for a McDonald's strawberry sundae...

Only 364 days left in the challenge...

On that happy note - Goodbye.

Tomorrow is another day - wonder what it will bring?