Paper Bubble

~ fancypaperblog

Currently the Paper Family are living in a little bubble of transition. Like any good short story, I should begin with an atmospheric paragraph, pathetic fallacy enriched, as I set the scene and evoke genre. So I shall.

Deep in the heart of the Irish midlands, the Paper house was immersed in a heatwave, something as rare in that part of the world as snakes and being happy for others who do well in life. Day turned into day, becoming a week and then an entire fortnight of high temperatures. People were investing in new clothes, carelessly purchasing linens and cut offs and aweing at the fact that a second bottle of sunscreen would be purchased in households that kept old, solidly full factor 30 in a vague hope they might be needed in future.Picture_20180703_225055217

It was in the midst of the heat that the transition time occurred. Changes were coming. Changes that happened in the bubble of summer heat that burned fragile as crepe paper.Picture_20180702_210241649

With rising temperatures on the outside comes changing emotions on the inside. Blood thickens. Tensions build. Problems scaffold until one large argument occurs. The heat changes everything. Melting, expanding, drying out- everything was changing shape and our lives along with it.

We recently made a rather large decision regarding our daughters that I already talked about in Breaking Up with your Childminder. I think it was the right thing to do but I found the whole thing very sad. Leaving this little place signified a much deeper level of change in our lives; the beginning of a new stage for both girls. Primary school and preschool. I cried on the last day. The girls were blasè. Thankfully, the unusual presence of heatwave meant my shades covered all. I think.

sunglasses woman girl faceless
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In the midst of the changes, the Facebook message arrived announcing the closure of a blogging group that I think was pretty special. The Big Up Your Blog group worked. It forged friendships, allegiances and readership. Even though I could feel the end coming, it was still managed to gift me the heart swoops when I knew it was going. There are lots of groups however and I proudly enjoy and more recently but I will miss my first and much loved BUYB blog routine. I didn’t cry but I still feel the transition.

We changed the car. Another change for good- we have excellent air condition now, just in time for #HeatwaveIreland.Picture_20180702_213343372 Someone else’s old car becomes our new one. Mr Paper and I had a lovely lunch to celebrate this and then we spun about to get the girls in the new car. No tears this time. Just celebratory Pavlova.

My work life is on hold as I am a teacher and, as we all know, Teachers Get Holidays. Just before the break however, more than a few staff announced their moves to new schools, some were at the end of contracts and a few more retired. In all, a significant amount are on the move. This can happen. This year was different though as someone I would consider a best friend is moving too. We interviewed on the same day. My dad even gave us both lifts home. We spent our time working together, supporting each other and belly laughing. Mug after mug of rushed staffroom coffee. In the last decade we have married our partners and each had two children. The school amalgamated and we moved building. Illness, success, sadness and happiness: We were through it together. It is a good move for my friend. She will be nearer her family. It is the right thing. Selfishly I will miss her. It will not fully hit until work returns. Others will be gone too and the dynamic will change. On the last day? I cried. Selfish tears.

beverage ceramic cord cups
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The thunder will come. After that the rain. The pressure lifts. Normality can return. The Papers will work beyond the changes.

Heliophilia– the desire to be in the sun-will be taken metaphorically. I may not want to sit in a fever inducing heat blaze, but I can look to the light in the dream that we are making good decisions.Picture_20180703_224959878

40 thoughts on “Paper Bubble”

  1. Wow a heck of a lot of change in the Paper household! It’s not selfish to be sad when your work bestie is moving on – I totally get this! I hope you have a lovely summer this heatwave is set to last a couple more weeks at least which is a nice change!!

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  3. I’d never thought of that before – but yes, storms are like changes and everything is different afterwards. And your sentence about “rare as snakes or people who are happy when others do well in laugh did make me laugh, even though it’s a sad thing. Congratulations on the new car and I hope as well as good friends leaving, you’ll get some lovely new colleagues next term.

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  5. Sounds like you need a vacation/holiday. Seriously – most people spend more time with coworkers than with their family and I would worry if you weren’t a little sad. Given you have a blog, make sure she has the link so when you get together you still have common ground because she still knows you. Blog networks fall apart so often but you never lose your real connections, and, there are no rules saying you can’t keep doing something that works for you! Enjoy your summer 🙂

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    1. Thanks Kate. I am away to Wicklow with friends this weekend and my family and I are trying to get to England for summer holidays in August.
      Hopefully all will be well!
      You are doing very well with all of your changes I think but are probably ready for the move to be finalised x

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  8. Goodness. That really is a lot of changes.Poor you about your teacher friend. It makes SUCH a difference to have a good friend at work. At least it’s not the end of your friendship though. ❤

    I am sad about BUYB too as it was also my first fb blogging group. I love that we’re almost all now in Em’s group, so hopefully we won’t have to miss anyone. I wonder if Suzy will join the group too!?

    Anyway, enjoy the sun and your summer holidays. You deserve a fun break.

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    1. I hope we will stay friends!
      I think #PickledBlogs will be fab and hopefully we will see Suzie in there too. BUYB was my first too, there is a song in that I reckon 🤣
      I am away with friends today (Mammy guilt) so def will enjoy the sun.
      Have a lovely Summer you too!

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  10. Enjoy the rest of this glorious summer weather we are all having Orla 🙂 Dare I say it, I wish someone up above could turn the dial to a temperature just a wee bit cooler!

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  13. Sounds like a sad time, but a happy one too.. Change is good (so, people tell me… I’ll let you know when I witness this phenomenon for myself! 😉) this heat wave is definitely strange, I feel like it’s hit EVERYONE. I have bloggers from all over the world telling me how hot it is. I know it’s definitely been freakishly got here! I hope things go well with all of your changes!

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  15. What a lovely but sad post. I also work in a school and it is so hard when people leave, especially as in some odd way you forget they’ve gone over summer and it only really hits you when you return to work.

    We have a lot leaving this year, one in particular I’m really sad about.

    Let’s hope this year is kinder to you x x

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  18. My crepe paper self would burn so easy in the bubbling heat of the sun. I love this! It seriously takes me back without a care in the world when I was younger playing outside in the sun in the summer. Then reality sets in to having a car that the AC was awful in and felt like a sauna. This brings back so many funny memories.

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