As this summer draws to a close and the nights inevitably get both shorter and decidedly colder, I’ve decided to take a look back at this summer and all the various changes that have occurred over the last few months.

At the beginning of spring, I was in a comfortable job that I had been doing for a number of years and I honestly didn’t see my life changing very much at all. The most I expected was to move to another archery club to continue to practise my chosen sport. Everything in my life had a kind of rhythm, a routine to it, and I’m sure that by now you know, routine is something that I love.

I soon came to the sad but inevitable conclusion, though, that I needed to find a new job.  I’d been unhappy for a while at my job, but had pushed on, because it was familiar.  This was a scary thing for me to even contemplate, as I have such an aversion to change.  That  being said, I went to several interviews and was offered a few positions, but I couldn’t see myself feeling at home in those places. In the end, I accepted an offer at a place that I felt was “me” and that had an unusually good feeling about it, I started in my new role which was a step up from my old job, and I must admit I was nervous about this new role and the responsibility it entailed.

However, I was blown away by the place and how it was run. It was different to anything I’d seen before.  We were busy – I mean really busy.  We could easily do 60 covers (meals) in three hours, yet there was no stress or arguments as my team worked exceptionally well under pressure. This made my work life easier, and I felt more content than I had in a long time.

During the summer months, I started on a new project that is one of the hardest tasks I’ve set myself for a long time. It is really pushing me outside of my comfort zone and forcing me to grow emotionally. It is also keeping me very busy during my time off and I can’t wait to be able to share it with everyone, I have also had a couple of people look me up due to my work as a poet and a blogger, who are also trying to raise autism awareness. One wanted to interview me one as The Aspergers Poet, looking at my work and influences; the other was an in-depth interview with me as a blogger and an independent adult who is on the autism spectrum.  I was thrilled to do both and I was excited to see the results.

This has, in turn, had a knock-on effect with social media and web-based traffic, and has also lead to me being offered a spot as a contributing writer to Mental Movement. This was quite a shock and a huge privilege for me. As the saying goes, from small seeds giant redwoods grow…

We are now coming to the end of the summer and the tourist season once again,. Some of my great front-of-house team are preparing to return to their studies at university in the uk and further afield. I’m going to miss those I’ve been working with over the summer, and wish them every success as they start their individual life stories. Hopefully, they will return for Christmas or maybe next summer and we can swap stories, who knows? Throughout all of this, though, I’m forced to think back to all the changes that have happened over the last few months, nearly all of them I would have never predicted happening if you spoke to me a year ago.

Finally, I have recently had some very surprising, exciting and unexpected news that my eldest child is now expecting a little one of her own. And so, the circle goes round again. I must say that I was quite pleasantly shocked by the news and I think that, like most people, even if I was 60 I was never going to be ready to be a grandparent! I’m incredibly moved by it, though, and filled with weird emotional stuff that I’m not entirely sure how to process. This new addition to our family is due at the end of the year and will be the fitting end to a year of change and personal growth.  I can’t wait to meet my granddaughter.

Stay Safe X