It all started when I showed my children the Premiere Movie Kung Fu Panda, a couple of weeks ago.My husband's mobile rang unusually early one Wednesday morning as I was preparing the children's breakfast in the Kitchen.
Leroy and Ryan where comfortably sitting in the lounge room watching their favorite Jungle Girl... Bindi Irwin!
Dad came into the room and suggested to the boys that we had better turn the TV off, as we need to have a family talk. My first thought was, "Nana has moved on."
Paul said to the children, "Remember last time we where down in Sydney and we visited Nana? Remember she was in bed and you where playing with the controls, before we got back into the car for the long trip home?"
Both boys nodded their heads waiting for the next piece of news.
"Well, Nanna died in her sleep last night. Do you know what that means?"
Leroy, our 5 year old piped up and said... "So Nana has gone to where the Turtle went in Kung Fu Panda, she has gone to heaven!"
"Yes," we both agreed, and we all had a little cuddle.
We tried calling Paul's sister, but she was busy doing midwife duties with new puppies, so we had to wait for her to call us back to break the news. Next, we would hear when the funeral date had been fixed, and then we could plan how we all could get to Sydney for family support.
It is so freeing not to be tied to a job where people expect you to turn up everyday and work. Neither Paul nor I have worked in a regular job for years. I so enjoy living in the moment, and that at the ring of a phone, we can drop everything and choose to go somewhere.
The funeral was to be on Monday. We had decided to stay at their granddad, "Poppy Merv's" on Sunday night and, because it was school holidays, we would travel on to Goulburn to stay with Leroy and Ryan's cousins.
That would allow Leroy to go have his Little Ninja belt exam on the Saturday and still leave time for us to pack our "Fun Bus" ready for the drive to Sydney on the Sunday.
The funeral was fit for a Queen, I was so grateful my step-father-in-law was present, because when young Ryan (3years) got stoppy, he took him out of the church on a safari searching for yellow cars.
Neither of our children had seen real snow, so we decided that because Goulburn was so close to the snow, we would load the fun bus up with the 5 cousins and take them all down to Perisher and go tobogganing for the day.
What fun we had!
We went shopping for snow gear in all the local charity shops. Coming from the Gold Coast, our boardshorts and singlets where not going to help us out very much against the cold wind. We all managed to get a ski outfit, beanie, and gloves; so all we had to hire was a small outfit for Ryan, everyone's snow boots ...and 5 toboggans!
Three hours drive to get to Cooma, where we hired the gear from. The owner of the shop was a lovely fellow. We told him the last time we had been to the snow was a week after the Thredbo disaster. He then told us a story about how his was the first business they contacted, at around 1am after the slide, for gear for the rescuers.
He even had a plaque on the wall noting appreciation of the assistance given at that time. 11 years ago..... How time flies.
That was back when I was in "tick tock" mode. Working "8.30 to 5," ha! More like leaving home at 7am and getting home at 9pm, back in the days of working for a boss.
Life is so much easier now, not having strict time frames. Helping other people learn that there is enough for everyone.
It is not about being super rich; it is about being free to do what you want, when you want. Life is about what you experience.
To watch the joy of your kids' first experience of snow. Watching Ryan slide down the hill on his toboggan, then come back up the hill and attempt to do it standing up like a surfer, ...yeah. Building a snowman, feeling the icy wind on your face as you walk around the snow fields. That is life.
Watching your kids see 4 day old puppies and how gentle and quiet they become.
I am so grateful that I have stuck to my guns and kept moving toward my dream, till now that dream is my reality.
All the hard work is now behind me. Now I get to show others my experience and what they can do with it.
Today we booked our ext holiday - to Fiji with 18 others - are there any other mums and dads who would like to come hang out in Fiji with us, all meals, airfares, accommodation, and children's activities included in the price? Anyone up for 10 days of no cooking, no cleaning, no washing... just relaxing?
Pass me the champagne!
Leanne Cane
