Deja Vu?

 Deja Vu?

Hi Readers, 

Another gap between posts, not for want of trying, I’ve just had a mental block for the past few weeks and haven’t been able to get off my arse and write. Until this morning.

I have had a bit on over the past few weeks with work and recovery, and it has been the recovery that has held me back the most. As you saw in my last post, I recently had some hand surgery. Well, the first week post op I was thinking “How good is this, bring on the op to the other hand!” That enthusiasm has VERY quickly evaporated as my hand is taking a bit longer to recover than anticipated and continues to be so stiff and sore, meaning I have been avoiding using it where possible, and typing is one of the things that affects it a lot. I’m not complaining for a second, that’s just how it is.

This is the hand two weeks after surgery.

And this is the hand just now, two weeks later.

It does look a bit messy after a few ops on it to correct some tendon problems in each finger, and the carpal tunnel has proven to be more painful than I was expecting. So you can probably understand why I’m now not looking forward to the next one in a few weeks, I find out in a week or so.

Anyway, the focus of this post.

While there is a fair bit of Déjà vu in regards to getting my body chopped, it was not until a few hours ago that I started to think “When have I done this before?”

It was pretty early in the morning and I had to drop my car off at a mechanic in town for a service. Rather than walk the 45 minutes home again, and in the cold and rain, I decided that I’d spend the morning in town and just stroll around the place and actually stop and look at things that I only usually see fleetingly from the car.

                                     STOP PRESS!!!!!

Hi Readers,

you might be wondering why I did a "Stop Press"

This is because since finishing that last paragraph it has been nearly 3 weeks since I have added to this post. No real reason, I just got more involved with other things and although each night I put on my 'Tomorrow List' to finish this post, it has only been until tonight that I have finally pulled my finger out and done it!!! Talk about procrastinating!!

Let me continue from where I left off...

As I was casually walking the the centre of Bendigo on a cold and bleak morning, spending time to take in the sights, sounds and smells, I experienced this overwhelming feeling of "When have I felt like this before?". It just felt that I was reliving a previous experience.

And then it came to me.

We have been so fortunate to have travelled extensively over the past 15 years throughout Europe and Canada. Most of this has usually been done in the northern hemisphere cooler months, although we have experienced warm weather as well. 

And this is what it felt like- just like it has felt like when strolling the streets of Berlin, London, Geneva, Helsinki and Budapest just to name a few. Feeling the cold air against your cheeks, hearing the sounds of traffic and experiencing the different aromas drifting out of different businesses. This never happens in Bendigo. Or does it??

I'd never really experienced this in Bendigo as I'm usually in my car and just zipping around, never really taking the time to soak up the atmosphere. There was probably this thought in my mind that I can only feel these things if I'm overseas rather than in my home town, and it was only when I forced myself to look at some of the older buildings around me that I felt like I was somewhere in Europe again. Maybe this could be how a European visitor to Bendigo might feel when strolling through our streets.

Am I as clear as mud on this??

I'll have to admit here that it was lucky that I was in a small section of our CBD that had most shopfronts occupied, as there are just so may in Bendigo that are empty, a terrible look for our city !

Since that day I have now become more attentive to the environment around me and letting my senses take in whatever they ca.n As a result I am more in tune with my surroundings and appreciating it so much more, and not being in a rush to get from point A to point B. Unless I need to get there more quickly of course!

Just a few hours ago I was walking through the yard in my cycling shorts and a singlet out to the garage to do a cycling session on the roller frame I have set up in there. The rain was tumbling down so I was trying to dodge it as swiftly as I could and get to the shed, keeping in mind that I still can't run to save myself. As I was doing this, feeling the wind blowing and the rain coming in sideways, I was taken back to a similar situation when I felt the same way when Jen and I had to do a mad dash to escape a thunderous downpour in Prague. It was just so weird that this brief experience reminded me of a similar situation so long ago. It didn't evoke memories of a similar situation last month or last year, just the one in Prague 11 years ago.

Why is that??

Deja Vu!!

A lighter deja vu moment occurred on Tuesday when I was called in to work for a day at my old school. I still just can't say no!!

As regular readers would know, I've bought and sold a few caravans in the past two years, trying to find the one that suits me. A colleague very dry faced turned to me and says "So what caravan have you bought this week? Any caravan deja vu?"

I could only laugh as I have created this caravan situation, and even I have to laugh at myself with what I've been doing.

So what other deja vu moments have been happening, since I have lately become more attuned to them for some reason? How about you?? Maybe nothing at all lately, but tomorrow could be entirely different!! I'd love to hear your responses, just hit the comments tab at the bottom of this post to leave an anonymous reply.

For me, these situations are not necessarily 'repeats' of things that have happened recently. Strangely, something might happen to me today, and I straight away get taken back to a similar experience from many years ago.

For instance, a good friend passed away a few weeks ago from a shocking illness that took his life less than 6 months from diagnosis. We went to boarding school 45 years ago but have stayed in touch, even more so over the past 10 years. Another mate from the same friendship group rang me and said he'd come through Bendigo and pick me up and we could attend his memorial service together in Geelong. Dan, the mate who picked me up was soon at my place and the last time we had seen each other was at Jen's funeral 4 years ago, and only briefly on that day. As soon as he walked in the door here was no awkwardness from not seeing each other for so long. It was just like we hadn't seen each other for only a few days, we just seemed to pick up from where we last saw each other. It couldn't have been more perfect, and the 7 hours we spent in the car that day was filled with so much reminiscing , laughs, bullshitting and consoling. And the same occurred when we caught up with another 9 of our boarding school mates who also travelled from far and wide to pay our condolences to Chrisso.

It was mentioned quite a few times when talking with these great mates how we all felt that we were just continuing on with our previous conversations that occurred maybe one year ago, 10 years ago or even 45 years ago.

Deja vu!

I have been well and truly blessed to have met these blokes first of all as a 15 year old boarding school student, and then to have maintained an ever increasing closeness with them especially as we sail into the later years of our lives. 

Coincidentally, a few months ago a few mates from our group asked if I could try and get a 45th Year Reunion off the ground, and it has been a task that I've thoroughly embraced and it will only be a few weeks until we all gather together in Melbourne, and early indications are that it will be a good turnout. Already there are confirmations from WA, Qld, NSW and throughout Victoria. Hopefully another from the NT might be there too!!

Plenty of deja vu moments to be had for sure!!

Not sure if this next one is deja vu or just routine for me, you be the judge.

I went to see my surgeon yesterday for a post-op check up on my hand since my recent op. All was going to plan and he was happy with the recovery. Although it is still so panful, he assured me that this was expected and that the recovery would be lengthy.

And then it came to what would be done next- the other hand, or the shoulder?

He left it up to me, so I opted for the one that gives me the most grief, that being the shoulder. I just didn't want to be fluffing about with both hands really stiff and sore, so that was another reason for the shoulder. As I've already had jobs done on both shoulders in recent years I must have appeared a bit flippant when he spoke about the recovery. Until he stopped and very seriously and matter of factly said "This is going to require quite some work and you need to expect a long recovery" My only problem though is I have finally got my caravan modified and ready to go, but it looks like I won't be physically able to take it away for some time after the shoulder op. I better make the most of the next few weeks!!!

Dej a vu.  Again!

Anyway, as much as I don't want to get it done, I do want to get it done as I'm just totally over being in pain all the time. Just sitting typing this post has aggravated it so I think I'll start to finish up. Then the hand will get done later on and hopefully, hopefully, no more deja vu moments with my limbs!!!

Readers, what I've tried to explain in this post is how our life sometimes flashes before our eyes again at the most random of times. We experience a situation today and for some unknown reason it triggers an oh so similar memory from long ago that may never have come back to us until today. These moments could be super significant and life changing, or as simple as walking across your backyard in the rain wearing a singlet and lycra shorts (not a good look!!!)

I hope that you can make the time (not find the time!) to try and think about the deja vu moments that you might experience, and try to identify why they may have come back to you.

I'm still trying to work that one out, but in the meantime I;; just appreciate the opportunity to bask in the great memories of times gone by.

Until my next post (that won't take 3 weeks to write!)

Cheers 😁