Blog

As I sit relaxing in the Bahraini sunshine, enjoying the warmth and soft sea breeze, I can hear my kids’ laughter in the distance as they are playing in the clear blue water, I notice several couples. Man and wife, with their children, enjoying a day out together or perhaps even an entire holiday. They look happy, sometimes very much in love still, strolling on the beach, hand in hand kids at their sides. Often stopping to admire their children playing or swimming, talking amongst themselves, enjoying, and sharing these special moments. Moments they created together the day they decided to start and become that family.

Some couples even grow to look alike whilst others just have the same mannerisms. The one thing they all have in common is that recognisable look of sheer pride and joy between them as they watch their biggest accomplishment ever made.

Their children.

The music playing through the lunchbar speakers makes it all even more idyllic and I find myself seeing everything through rose coloured glasses. Thinking all these people are as blissfully happy as this holiday scenery is making them seem. Or maybe….they truly are happy. Maybe… some couples go through life happy to have found each other in their distant past. Is this really the case and what makes and keeps them happy?

It seems so rare these days that I can’t help but wonder if only a few lucky souls are allowed to know the secret formula ?!

From what I can see, it has nothing to do with looks, physical appearance, or size. It’s a strong bond and it’s found within a certain glance they share with one another, unreachable to the outsiders naked eye, yet so apparent and soul reaching. A specific glance only known to them, and exchanged between them.

I lay here admiring it. Remembering what it was like and feeling proud to recognize it. Still at times sharing rare moments of it, but never quite the same. Is it possible to experience it more than once in life? Or is this something shared only within that family circle. Would I be prepared to let someone in to such private “territory”. Risking letting down the newly set up “boundaries” to build new ones creating a new and totally different  “formation” and “configuration”?!

Seeing the world today through these ‘happy’ glasses, feels good and once again establishes hope of what may one day be found somewhere over the rainbow… for now I’m sharing this feeling without the glance, with me, myself and I …. and my own inner soul.  😉

Coming soon……!!!!

Packed our bags…ready to go….

The kids and I are off on our first intercontinental trip together ever…just the four of us. I feel utterly responsible and a little nervous because I’m the only adult in charge, and for some strange reason I still kind of feel an UM (an Unaccompanied Minor). First we’re taking the train and then a seven hour flight to Bahrain. Will I manage with two suitcases, and three kids to watch over ?!

Of course I will !!

It will be peanuts….I’ve gotten used to travelling alone with them now. Last year we took a trip to France. I drove for 9 straight hours, the kids felt like the Three Musketeers in the back of our Volvo and I was their hero mom, with my GPS man always available for on the spot traffic news updates.

We had a blast that summer. Packed a picnic, drinks and plenty of junkfood to survive any major six month war, and off we were. By the time we’d been in the car for 20 solid minutes, most of the sandwiches had been devoured, and our first sanitary stop was pleaded. Impatient as I am, I explained that at this rate we would never get to the south of France. So, after a quick stop, we jumped back in the car and decided to only stop again if strictly necessary. I must say the kids are now pro’s at this. We stop, jump out, refuel, pay, kids and I rush to the toilets and then we dash back to the car, ready for our next stretch. Sometimes we only stop for fuel and my son has become very handy at urinating in an empty plastic bottle in full motion ! 😉 I am so proud of him !

So, this should be a piece of cake.

I’ve explained about the different religious customs over there and even though they find some aspects incomprehensible, I think they understand that they need to be on their best behaviour. We’re off to visit my sister and her family, who left last year to settle in dust town ! They have been enjoying the expat life one that we too had as children of expat parents. Sunny weather and warm temperatures have been predicted and so we’ve happily packed our swimsuits and slippers, sunblock in hand we say goodbye to the cloudy, rainy and cold European weather !

Something I may have casually left out of my heroic tale, is that I am terrified of flying. Hence my drive to France last year. It is a fear I do not wish upon my children, so I buckle up and bravely pretend I love it. Last year on a trip to Denmark with the kids, my son kept asking me when the plane was going to crash. Having no idea what or how to answer him, I kind of ignored the question, constantly pretending I could spot something utterly amazing through the window and so leading his attention away from my biggest fear. It’s true I think, what they say, children have a sixth sense for these things and so tomorrow we will all be getting on the plane and whilst my kids are scared to death that we will crash, I will be in utter zen mode, pretending I am totally at peace about flying. As usual we will say our prayers before take off and hope that God will stick to our unspoken deal. (If we are to crash, let it be straight away and not after a long and stressful flight, that is just plane plain cruel.) Supermom and the three musketeers flying off to new horizons.

Who’s kidding whom huh ?!!