This week my Word of the Week is: Balance!! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

This week has been full. There has been a bit of stress, a bit of laughter, a few complaints, a lot of good moments and somehow it all balanced out in the end. Not a perfect week but the kind of week where the scales tipped back and forth but settled in a good place.

All my family have been home for most of it and I’ve loved having them here. I know I sometimes moan about the noise or them not tidying up after themselves but when everyone is out doing their own thing I miss it. The girls have got along brilliantly and I mean brilliantly by our standards. There’s usually at least one disagreement about something tiny that turns into something big but this week there has been hardly anything. We’ve eaten meals together, had pancakes on Tuesday, watched TV and it felt like a week long catch up. There were chats about everything and nothing, random stories, old memories, silly jokes and a lot of fun!

Stu took a week off work just for a break after the Christmas and New Year rush and he has had quite a relaxing week apart from when he was painting the dining room. He didn't faff around as much as I thought he would so that kept me happy as he had it all done within a couple of days. Phew! It would have been done earlier in the week if not for the B&Q situation. I ordered some things that we needed and they said it would be delivered on Monday. Monday came and went and there was nothing. I rang Tuesday and they casually told me they could deliver on Thursday at the earliest. That’s practically next year when you’re waiting for something. Ugh! So in the politest way possible I told them to cancel it. Stu went into town and got what we needed instead.

Wednesday was the day I had been dreading all week: getting my contraceptive implant changed. I lost sleep the night before, which tells you how much previous experiences have bothered me. If you’ve been around here a while, you’ll know it hasn’t always gone smoothly. One time the bandage was put on so tight I ended up with huge blisters. Another time they couldn’t get the old implant out, I was so sore and last time they forgot to order the replacement, so I had one removed and then had to go back days later to have the new one inserted in the other arm. I was useless for a week afterwards. My arm ached, I felt drained and was determined not to go back to the doctors. So I found an alternative, a clinic in town and this time it went smoothly! I kept waiting for something to go wrong but it didn’t happen. The nurse was calm and confident, she removed the old implant and explained that it had originally been placed somewhere it shouldn’t have been, which could have caused issues if it attached to the muscle. At least that explained the previous drama with it being difficult to remove. She put the new one in a better position and that was that. My arm was sore afterwards but compared to previous times it was nothing! By yesterday it was already feeling almost normal. I built it up so much in my head and in the end it was fine. More balance, worry on one side, relief on the other!

While we were in town we stumbled across a continental market on the high street. All the little stalls had different cuisines from different countries with plenty of smells drifting around. We had a wander but didn’t buy anything because we already knew where we were heading for lunch, somewhere warm with proper toilets! It was bitterly cold on Wednesday and by the time we got home, we were frozen through. We spent the rest of the afternoon wrapped up, trying to thaw out.

Thursday was spent not doing much at all, my arm was still sore and we just needed a day to relax fully before having a busy day yesterday. We went to see my dad and Stu had shelves to put up in the living room which meant moving furniture. It's a good job Ellie was home to help with the lifting. Today is supposed to be 13°C. That feels practically tropical for this time of year. I might even get into the garden. It’s been on my to-do list for weeks but between the rain and the cold I haven’t managed it.

When I look back over the week, balance really is the word that fits best. There were moments I could have happily stamped my feet over: late deliveries, cold winds, stressing about my contraceptive implant but they were matched with laughter, time with family, jobs finally finished and a sense of relief when things went right. It wasn’t a perfect week but it was real life, a mix of messy bits and magic bits.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky!