Hello September.
Historically you are one of my favourite months, you mark the end of the summer and ease us into my favourite season, Autumn. You also mark the return to the academic year and of course you are the month in which my birthday falls.
In recent years we have often taken a holiday during the first weeks of this month to avoid the summer holiday crowds. This year we did our travelling during August instead, but September still holds some rather significant events...
The first one is something that many other Mums across the country are going through at the same time. My four year old daughter, Elizabeth, starts school on Thursday.
Despite the fact that she has spent over three years at nursery, is a very social and confident little lady and is more than ready to start reception, I still almost break down in tears every time I think about it. She's my baby, my youngest child. It seems as though it's been no time at all since I carried her everywhere in my arms and she nursed at my breast. Since she took those first wobbly steps and babbled Mama for the very first time.
I am wrong though, plenty of time has passed and my very articulate little girl now skips, jumps or runs when she could walk and cannot wait to embark on the exciting adventures she will experience as a school child. Tears will be streaming down my face on Thursday morning, that I admit, but they will be tears of joy, happiness and pride as my girl skips into a new part of her childhood.
The second event is my birthday, I have to say I'm not feeling the sense of dread that came with turning thirty last year, I am now 'in my thirties' and I'm comfortable with that, it fits and feels right. Last year, as I reached the end of my twenties, I'd had a difficult and emotional year, I'd struggled with health issues both physiological and psychological and I was feeling lost.
This year, however has been so much better, with the help of amazing friends and my long suffering husband, I have learnt to live more in the moment, to experience what I can and to try not to expect too much of myself. I still have a way to go but I am approaching 31 feeling happy and content with who I am.
The final event of significance for me this coming month will take place on the 14th of September, when I start my new job. It marks a return to full time working for me and is not a decision that I have taken lightly, in fact I interviewed for and was offered the role back in May, but decided to put off the start until after Elizabeth had started school to make the most of family time together over the summer. The role I will be starting, although within the same organisation that I have worked in for almost seven years, will involve a lot of changes for me. I will be using different skills and will have to reach outside of my comfort zone. I do have worries about this but my overwhelming feeling are of eagerness and excitement to embark on a new challenge.
One of the deciding factors when faced with the choice of returning to full time work was the position it would put our family in financially, with the extra income alongside the reduction in childcare costs we are hoping to be back in a place here we can afford to finally get on the property ladder and own our first family home. For this reason am I taking this leap and I hope it will turn out to be the best decision.
So September, please be kind, I look to you with both excitement and trepidation.
