Successful

It’s human nature to focus on the bad, anxious moments. Looking back, we relive those past moments over and over again, sorting and resorting events in our minds. Making sense of them. Fixing them. Cementing every word into our memories. Less so the happy moments. The times we are successful. Those are felt intensely at the time and then slip on to a lifetime mental list of things done, as we move on to the next project to tackle. It’s no wonder that less favourable times easily pop up in our thoughts and haunt us.

Successful

This week has been successful, so I’m celebrating it.

As anyone who has looked for a job will know, the process is a full time job in itself. Sending out applications over and over again. If you’re lucky, you’re invited to do online tests, videoing answers to questions and, hopefully a face to face interview. While steeling yourself all the time for rejection.

My daughter has been busy going through the process. As part of her Uni course, they are encouraged to take their third year out in industry, along with every other Engineering student around the country. It is easy to feel despondent as you see others go for interviews and get a placement for next year, but she kept going.

This week, she was successful. She has a place with a company, which should give her amazing experience and look impressive on her CV. It took a while to sink in after months of looking.

To top it all, she passed her driving test as well. In the same week. She did buy a lottery ticket, but apparently she’s used up all her good luck for the week. Seems fair enough.

Sustainable Clothing

In comparison, my wins this week seem minor, but they are still wins. I try to buy clothing sustainably. I am fitter and more toned than I have been for decades, so my wardrobe needs updating for the colder months, as everything feels and looks too big for me.

This week, I concentrated on office wear. Most of my day, I am sat down with my computer. It’s cold and wet for the next couple of months, so I need something warm and comfortable that also  feels the part. I like sweater dresses and often look online. It’s difficult to judge the sizes as some are modern sizing while others are vintage. Why can’t they be in inches or centimetres like menswear?

Anyway, I found three dresses. When they arrived I knew one was too short, but it is pure wool and perfect with trousers for dog walking. The red one looked too small for my hips, when I held it up, while the other was perfect except grey, which I thought would wash me out. I was wrong. I tried them both on. My greying hair seems lifted by the dark grey colour in a way I never imagined and the red one fits perfectly with just enough ease. Needless to say, both are firm favourites already.

This time I was successful. I’m not sure I’ve learnt much to improve my odds for next time I order on line, but maybe that’s part of the fun.

Socks

End of January and I’m pleased to report that I kept up with all my monthly targets I set. I exercised, read and knitted. I managed two pairs of socks. The pink pair are for me, which is a rare treat as handknitted socks tend to be claimed as soon as they fall off the needles in this household.

I need to cast on the next pair.

It was a successful week, which I’m happy to cement in my memories and revisit in the small hours of the night. It would beat the anxiety-ridden, should-have-said thoughts that usually pop up.

Joining in with Anne’s word of the week link up