Change Ready or Not

It  is Christmas 2014 and I am alone.  I made a decision that my children could spend time with their father. This decision was made in their best interest but has left me without them for Christmas, my birthday and the welcoming of the New Year. In my head I know this is the right decision for them but my heart now aches because I miss them. Somewhere in all this I know I am not the only parent feeling like this especially at this time of the year.   I wasn't going to spill my guts in a blog but then whilst looking on my Facebook page someone tagged a like for a comment that I had posted on their wall back on 2/6/2014. This drew me back to what I had shared and I share it with you because up until reading that post I was feeling a little raw but this is what I had said back then… “ I   believe my maturity is shown when I encourage my children to have a relationship with their father even though we are no longer a couple. Do I feel...

Why in the heck  can't  you get good customer service nowadays? Is it really too much to ask that people communicate sensibly with customers?  You know when you get poor service you can either act like some wild animal raging and snarling at the teeth or just be so cool that the sarcasm is lost on the intended victim. Are people really trained or just thrown to the front of the store? If I was one of them secret shoppers some people would be in serious trouble. Well at least that's the story in my head.  What’s got me upset?  Let me tell you. I go into this patty shop to buy a patty. As I enter the shop there is big dude in front of me and to my left there are 3 people sitting on stools like  they've  been served and waiting. To my right is another two and next to me is the elderly man who is the reason why  I'm  in this shop in the first place! Anyway behind the counter is a young male adult and behind him is a femal...

The other night I was talking to a mate of mine and one comment   he said made had me sit up. He said that it wasn't public knowledge that the UK blood banks had been sold off to a company that ran Burger King! I laughed however he wasn’t. I said I had to check it out and sure enough he was correct.   UK plasma supplier sold to US article 18th July 2013  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/is-there-no-limit-to-what-this-government-will-privatise-uk-plasma-supplier-sold-to-us-private-equity-firm-bain-capital-8718029.html .  Ok it is a subsidiary company but none the less the point stands. I tried to think about what this actually means to the service we might receive. Here in the UK there are blood drives where the public are reminded to give their donate their blood. There are people who regularly and freely donate their blood to help the NHS service in the work that they do. We do not sell our blood but is this where we are heading?  Why wou...

Life is funny or should I say some people in life are funny.  Something happened a while ago that I want to share with you and it relates to the faces that some people present to us.   http://www.rgbstock.com/ I spent the best part of two days with  two other people tasked to review candidates that had applied for a post. We used candidates CVs and an informal interview to help us to make effective recommendations to a voluntary board. Prior to meeting them we  looked at their CV's, noting points or anomalies that we wanted to look at further. When the candidates attended, along with all the usual welcomes, we made our role  and  purpose clear.  This meeting offered us an i deal opportunity to get to know them a little better and for them to ask us questions that would help them to gain more clarity about the role.   We  also asked them to think carefully about the time commitment involved in the role. If for any reason,  after...

In my career I have had moments when it has been as clear as day that a barrier has been erected and a wall is firmly in place.  But you see when I was growing up I was what was called a ‘tomboy’ so I kind of knuckle down, put trousers on and got climbing. Now don't get me wrong. I’m like anyone else when confronted with something.  I stop or stumbled.  Yes I will admit I've cried with frustration (just not doing it in front of you if I can help it!), I have stared in disbelief with my mouth open (catching flies), I have had that puzzled look on my face like that character played by Gary Coleman in the American TV sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. His catchphrase was "whatchu Talkin bout Willis? His  expression was priceless. I have seethed inwardly and when in my car screamed out loud cussing invisible people.  I have even turned the music up too loudly so that no one can hear me screaming profanities at the top of my lungs. Yep I w...

I hear you  when you say" things ain't good " and then there's a long pause.  I hear you. When I look at your face and I see that despite the make up under your eyes look swollen. I see you. Although you are looking AT me I recognise that  familiar  far off gaze shadowing your eyes (breathe now).   I feel you.  When I  see your lips slightly quiver as you speak and there's a rush of words tripping over themselves to escapes your lips (exhale now). Nuff said.  I  intuitively  hear that breath hurriedly forcing itself to escape the back of your throat (exhale now).  I feel the depth of emotions drip like tear drops between us . Drip, drop, pop! At this moment our spirits collide greeting each other with the  familiar "oh hi we back here again"  and yet rushing past each other so as not to linger for fear of recognition. I feel the unspoken fear that says if I speak too loud the emotio...