Episode Transcript
Kia Ora and welcome to the Cyclone Gabrielle Smash-up Podcast, with your host Geoffrey.
This final episode is called 1 year on – Reflections.
The 14th February 2024, the first-year anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle, passed several days ago.
On the day itself, I had been out of town on a work trip and was late getting back so we had to cancel our Valentine’s dinner reservation. Instead, Jen, Mark and I enjoyed mouth-watering home-made burgers cooked on the BBQ – complements to the chef.
The day ended without much fanfare or fuss – we were all quite tired so appreciated a quiet night in.
Life continues to be full and hectic – several weeks ago, I began a new secondment with my employer and this dual-role is definitely keeping me busy. Meanwhile, the restructuring which began last year was halted by the new Government. We are now awaiting confirmation of next steps and timeframes from the relevant Government Minister.
On the good news front, even greater amounts of business activity have returned to my workplace as the post-Cyclone rebuild continues. On some days recently there’s the familiar hum and vibe which used to be normal during working hours before Cyclone Gabrielle struck. It’s also great to be able to catch up face to face with colleagues and clients when our paths cross organically, rather than have to deliberately schedule an online meeting or phone call to discuss issues of the day.
We have moved house into the freshly renovated abode next door as renovations to the kitchen, bathroom and laundry are now complete. Work is underway outside on several things, including re-building the back and front outdoor areas, constructing a shed and woodshed, and painting the exterior.
Off the back of some work-sponsored counselling sessions last year, I am now seeing a Life and Career Coach. Through regular online sessions, we are figuring out who I genuinely am, what my best-fit career options are and how to move there from my current position. During one of these sessions, a book by Martha Beck, titled “The Way of Integrity: Finding the path to your true self”, was mentioned. I have since purchased a copy and read it carefully – there were so many ah ha moments. For example – and I quote, “Listen: the problem isn’t how hard you’re working, it’s that you’re working on things that aren’t right for you”. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in self-help and who may not feel whole or complete yet.
My life partner Kenny remains overseas. He recently resigned from his job so will be relocating back to his hometown and looking for his next professional opportunity. We intend to work on this together – hopefully we can reduce the more than 8000 kilometres between us. While we have been in a relationship since 2004, most of that time we have lived in different countries or even continents. We are still very much in love, care deeply for each other and communicate multiple times a day.
My weekly 20-kilometre seaside walks continue without fail – they are my secret to remaining healthy in mind, body and spirit. Documenting these walks, with photos and video, shared to social media, holds me to account to my followers.
To conclude, here's hoping that the new Lunar New Year of the Dragon, which began a week ago, will bring lots of incredible things for us all over the next 12 months.
Xin Nian Kuai Li – Happy Lunar New Year.
