I have been thinking a lot about the world at the minute and where I see myself and Empathetic Educators having an impact.

Sometimes it feels like we are in a movie that some of my very imaginative learners are writing the script for which is farfetched and at times unrealistic (I enjoy reading those stories but not living them.)

Sometimes I have these moments of clarity where I can see the direction I want to move towards, enjoying the ups and downs. 

And sometimes I want to put my duvet over my head and hide until it has all passed not wanting to look at the good or the bad. 

Can anyone else relate? 

Dear Mammy and Daddy, 
Well that's it, today is the last day of the term before the Christmas holidays. 

I am not going to lie. I can not wait for the next three weeks off. 

2020 has been one hell of a ride. But I look at this photo and I think it is crazy this was us celebrating the end of my secondary school. Age 18. 10 YEARS AGO!!!! and what a ride it has been since then. 

As I think about what I want to write today I am so glad I have decided to write these weekly sessions dedicated to you both because you have always been on either side of me. 

Due to health or other reasons some people don't always get that and the older I get the more I realise how grateful I am to have you both.

​18year old Naomi in this photo, thought she knew everything with her 6 inch, neon pink heels haha and didn't realise how lucky I was to have parents who cared so much and wanted the best for me. 

I just wanted to say thank you for that. Thanks for always being by my side, physically or virtually. It's not always sunshine and rainbows in families but the older I get and closer I get to the age you had me the more I can't believe you kept it together....most of the time :P.

​I am proud sometimes when I wake up and make the bed never mind having another human of my own reliant on me.

And this ties into the area I have been reflecting on this week.... confidence....

Dear Mammy and Daddy, 

Can't believe while writing this we are going into the final three/four weeks of 2020. 

What a year it has been!
December 2019 - Had an MMA fight, got a concussion, lived to tell the tale and went home for Christmas for the first time in 2 years <3.
Jan 2020 - Explored Japan to see if we wanted to move there.
Feb 2020 - Decided to apply for jobs in Japan.
March 2020 - Got jobs in Japan. 
COVID STRUCK 
April - July 20204 - In limbo, quit jobs, sold our belongings, Didn't know if we could enter Japan (scary, changing, challenging times).
Aug 2020 - Leaving NZ and Rob behind, moved to Japan, not knowing what the future would bring.
Sept 2020 - Started a new job, in a new country with new cultures, customs and languages. 
Oct 2020 - Rob got his visa and came to Japan <3.
Nov 2020 - Permanent Residency of New Zealand got accepted <3.

Dec 2020 - That brings us to now, getting ready for 2021 reflecting on the year just gone.....

Dear Mammy and Daddy, 
So another week has gone by. Can't believe we are in the last week of November. 

Mammy you had your birthday - Happy Birthday another year younger...

Hope you had a lovely week of celebrating. 

Love this photo of us celebrating with Tobacco onions last Christmas - these are one of the long list of foods I miss from home!!

This week was actually one of the better weeks I've had in a while and I think it is because I am starting to see some light in the areas I have been finding tricky. 

So let's see what learnings and noticings I have had this week...

Dear Mammy and Daddy,

Back again - Happy Family Fridays. Hope you have had a lovely week.

Again this week had it’s ups and downs but we got through the rollercoaster and I am excited to go exploring Tokyo again this weekend!!

I know it is still lockdown at home so I hope all is well and you are enjoying your outside time :)

Numbers are getting higher in Tokyo again, they think we are going into a third wave so we will see what the next few weeks will bring.
​
Let’s see what my reflections from this week are, lots of experiences, lots of reflections…..

Here we are, back again. I am rebooting the system. There were ups and downs last week. I achieved some of my goals. I missed out on a few others.

And that's okay. We are back again, trying. 

How did your week go? 

More ups than downs? More downs than ups?  - I hope however it went you are ready to reboot and start the week fresh :) 

I think that is what I wanted to mention in the Monday Mindsets post this week - it's okay to start over. 

Acceptance vs expectations are key to this I think. I have high expectations for myself but I am trying to accept that things come up - meetings, unexpected late nights in school, missing trains, needing to pause for air. All things that came up last week which meant something had to give. 

But everyday is a new day and every day we can try again.....