Where is Miss Portmanteau?

It’s been a while since my last blog post. And that’s because, over the past few months, I haven’t had any time at all to finish off the various articles I have sitting in draft.

Since mid-2020, I’ve been BUSY. All-caps busy. B-U-S-Y spell-that-shit-out busy. I’ve pretty much been piling on as much as I could until I started overflowing with busy and teetering on the brink of a mental health crisis.

Wait, what’s going on?

A lot. And we’ll get to that. But first, let me say this. Busy is fine, if you have focus and control. It’s when you lose control, like I did, that it can (and will) become a problem. So here’s what I’ve had on my plate…

1. I’m a mom. Let’s start there. I’m also a new-ish mom. My son is about to turn 2 years old, which means I’m only a sophomore mom to a child that is changing every single day and who is, let’s face it, my entire world. There’s a big learning curve to first-time parenthood, served with an overly generous side of sleep deprivation that isn’t over just yet. And what that means is, you need to imagine that I live my life with the mental capacity of a teenager sobering up at 6am. Sometimes my vision blurs, my head feels thick and foggy, and all I want to do is close my eyes and pass out into a deep void of black.

2. I’ve been keeping a secret. I’ve written a book – almost. It’s not a novel, or anything particularly marketable, much like this haphazard blog. But I’m ok with that, because it’s a passion project. Something I started four years ago that I’m determined to see through and it’s almost finished. It’s a biographical book. I spent the first year and a half doing the research. Then at the end of year two I got pregnant, had a baby, got a job, lived through a pandemic, so it’s been complicated. There hasn’t been any quiet time. No long uninterrupted hours of concentrated time. It’s a book that’s been written during nap times, in 30 minute bursts, during lunch breaks, after putting baby to bed, and any other inopportune moments I could steal.

3. I’ve been keeping another secret. Last summer, my husband got relocated to Hong Kong. What? That’s amazing! Yes! We were thrilled. And we were supposed to move months ago. But the pandemic. The mother****ing pandemic. The visa office has been closed, flights suspended, a 21-day hotel quarantine and other challenges prevented this from happening. Meanwhile, we spent a few weeks in Greece over the summer and at the start of the year that got us thinking about a life over there. And in that time, the excitement of Hong Kong started to fade as other immediate, personal priorities took over. Like family. And not being half-way across the world from family. And that is why, (talk about burying the lede! Well done if you’re still reading this :P) I’m super excited to announce… that we’re moving to Greece!

4. Still with me? A child, a blog, a book, a move, and yes, also a full-time job. From 9:00-18:00, I’m at work! So ALLLL of the above had to happen…. somehow… at other times. And I think that’s probably the straw that broke the camel’s back. At the beginning I was working part time, which was incredible. I felt like I could do it all. But when I was offered a full time role, I couldn’t say no. Getting back to work and joining the marketing team full-time has had a major positive impact on my life and career options. I got to see what marketing looks like in a start-up with 40 employees right the way through to over 100. And I did my best to make the absolute most of it, learning all I could from my peers and working hard. So I am incredibly thankful for that opportunity, even as I’m relieved to say goodbye to that role and embark on something new.

That’s pretty much my story. So what’s the plan?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that I need to FOCUS!

Nobody can do it all. You can put your money to work like hell for you, but not your time. Time is way too precious and finite. And so it’s important to use your time well, and to focus.

Over the next few months, I’m going to prioritise my move to Greece and take some time off to decompress a little. I clearly need it. And hopefully get some more blog posts out the door!

Then, I’m going to finish that book! I promise, you’ll be the first to hear about it.

Work-wise, I’ve got my fingers in too many pies again. So I need to take the time to plan, focus, and make a decision. Keeping it all under wraps for now, but maybe something I can talk about more in the future.

To sum it all up, where is Miss Portmanteau? She’s moving to Greece! 🇬🇷