Ciao NY – A bit of Reflection

10 January 2015

A number of things to reflect on today as I prepare to travel back to the UK this weekend. My style, if you haven’t already figured it out, is rather to the point (okay – blunt) so it may include a bit of sarcasm here and there but it is my take here, personally, professionally and generally.

This week has been dominated by the tragic events in France. I so feel for the victims’ families as well as the country as a whole. I will admit that Paris has never been a city I liked but when atrocities such as the ones which happened this week I want to weep for what is such a formidable city. I find the Parisian French so different from the rest of their countrymen but I am sure their hearts are completely broken as is the rest of France. The World has certainly rallied around France and seeing #JeSuisCharlie and #JeSuisAhmed (apparently now tweeted over 5m times) hopefully makes them know we are all with at this time. What a world we live in. Doesn’t seem like anywhere is safe anymore.

The weather in NY while I have been here and been especially kind. Very cold (very) but very little snow and even on the bitter days, the sun has been shining a lot. I normally expect to be snowed in for a few days at this time of the year so thankful for the relatively mild weather. I am worried what I will be leaving behind and sure there will be a few storms. Will make sure there are provisions here for my mom just in case.

Professionally, I have learned quite a bit about myself. I have realised I haven’t been happy for awhile with my business life. I have done things to survive enough to take care of my elderly parents so from that perspective business has served me well. I want more though now and it will be interesting to see if a mature woman (think that is a fair enough statement) can start all over again. I think it should be possible but it will take determination as well as the drive and hard work to get there. We will see what the future holds upon my return to London.

Social Media has been great company while I was here. Facebook for me personally is great fun keeping in touch with friends and family. I have invested time in getting my Facebook Business Page up and running and I’m challenging myself to keep that going. I have also started to do more on LinkedIn again and will make more changes to my profile and postings. It is pleasing to see I have raised myself up 10 places in LinkedIn in the list of influencers in Marketing UK. Now number 17 in the list of the top 100 which makes me happy. With a little effort will try and boost that further but shows what a bit of effort will do. And I subscribe to the theory that LinkedIn is a great professional tool and good for new opportunities.

Oh and of course I now blog. I am impressed with my persistence but the challenge will remain to keep it going. I am finding it quite therapeutic for now - let's see if that continues. I can see by the stats that quite a few are reading my blog. Thank you so much if you are. Will be interesting to see if I can garner some comments at some point. More work is needed on the blog for sure. 

On a personal level, I am really thankful for all the home help I have gotten recently in regards to my mom’s health & well-being. She is getting visiting nurses, a physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, social worker and even a doctor’s visit or two. They’ve been great support and will be missed once they sign off. Medicare has covered all that for a limited time. Grateful for whatever we can get and my mom is responding well but alas it will end. Just hope the home aides can keep it all going. 

Been a tough time admittedly and I hate to say goodbye to my mom again (always the hardest part of every trip and just gets harder). Sad to see our loved ones deteriorate. The change in my mom has been profound over the last 5-7 years but that’s what Parkinsons, Dementia & now Congestive Heart Failure can do. The mental side is almost more difficult than the physical side. She is a trooper though and let’s hope she gets a bit better and is happier soon. Not sure about that one but we can surely hope.

I normally rant about some of the habits of New Yorkers but this time I haven’t had a chance to find out what annoys me which is a rare treat. I love New York and New Yorkers and it is only done out of love but this time they’ve pretty much come up trumps.

Will sign off now and get myself organised (another way to say ‘laundry and packing’). Got to run some more errands then spend quality time with my mom. Don’t forget to spend quality time with your loved ones. Never leave things for tomorrow. As this week has shown, you just never know what may happen.