Changed forever

It’s been a weekend of parties and guests for us. Dolly D celebrated her 16^th birthday on Thursday, so we had the inevitable invasion of relatives. Actually we had a good time and things went smoothly (but don’t tell them that or they might want to come again!)

Every year at this time I recall the events of 22 January 1993, at least the first few hours of it. There was a specific moment when I knew that my life had changed for ever. The Fish Wife and I were in the delivery room and the monitors were showing a lot of fluctuation in our unborn baby’s heart rate. At one point during the long wait – at 3:30 a.m. - I realised that we were about to become completely responsible for a new life. This baby would depend on us totally.

In that instant, I felt a strange mix of emotions – I was worried and happy, expectant and apprehensive. Those emotions have remained present through the last 16 years, and I imagine that they’ll continue for many years to come.

We’re very proud of the young woman that she is becoming, and we hope and pray that her growth will continue.

(In a strange and amazing coincidence, one of my blogging mates’ daughter was born on the same day! How weird and cool is that?)

The price and the promise of citizenship

What to make of Obama's inauguration speech?

I listened to it live as I drove home from work yesterday. A few phrases stuck with me, but I got the impression that he was holding back, toning down the oratory. It was good, but not necessarily great.

Tonight I watched it and took notes (as a cloudscape) and the themes became clearer. He was holding back, there was a seriousness in his demeanour to match the mood of the times. But his speech was loaded with social justice and historical references; it was determined and forward-looking; positive and realistic. For me, the common refrains throughout the speech were 'enduring' and 'extending'.

It may not be the greatest speech in history, or the greatest inauguration speech from a President, or even the greatest speech from Obama, but there was a forceful honesty about it that I admire greatly.

I need to read it now to get another view of it, but for now - it wasn't what I was expecting, but it was a pleasant and challenging surprise.

Anticipation

Is Barack Obama's inauguration speech the most anticipated speech in history? Well, I certainly can’t remember anything quite like it.

Which raises another question – why is there so much anticipation?

A few thoughts from me:

• He’s an excellent orator, who seems to connect with people whenever he speaks;
• He conveys a sense of passion and belief in what he says;
• He inspires hope through the vision that he communicates; and
• Most of us are expecting him to change things – in a positive way.

Is it fair to place so much of our collective aspirations on one man? Probably not. But with exceptionally high approval ratings – and inevitable comparisons to his predecessor – Barack Obama has a large burden to carry.

Of course, there are many waiting for him to fail, or to fall, but I hope that he can maintain his clarity of vision, purpose and communication. I was heartened by Andrew Rawnsley writing in yesterday’s Observer:

“Better the audacity of hope than the timidity of cynicism.”

I’m looking forward to the speech tomorrow (which may be a bit sad!), but I’m also looking forward to see how Obama deals with the job. I hope he emerges from the presidency as fresh and as vibrant as he enters it.

A problem shared is...

... a problem passed on to you, off my plate, no longer my problem!!

Just noticing a wee trait emerging and thought I'd note it down for possible future reflection.

How do I know this stuff?

One of the TV highlights for me over the festive period was Jools Hoolands' Hootenanny - I think it's the first time that I've watched it. Of course, the R&B Orchestra were fantastic and he was joined by a host of talent. (You can still catch it on the BBC's iPlayer for a few days.)

Some of my favourites included Kelly Jones doing Handbags and Gladrags, Annie Lennox - Why, Sam Sparro - Black and Gold (I'd never heard of him before) and the Tings Tings (my current gym music). I was also stunned by Lily Allen's rendition of The Lady is a Tramp - she was fantastic!

As Motown is about to celebrate 50 years, Martha and the Vandellas were on. To be honest, the years haven't been altoghether kind and Martha's voice isn't what it used to be. But hearing them again motivated me to go and buy a celebration of Motown - 61 tracks for £6.49 from Amazon's new download service - a real bargain. As soon as I started listening to it, I was smiling and wanting to dance. The songs are so familiar - but I'm not sure how! My parents wouldn't have listened to this type of music, and in my teenage years I would have treated it with contempt - so how did it permeate my consciousness? I've got no idea - I'm just glad that they did! Here's Martha and the Vandellas when they were in their prime!

Continuous professional development?

Around this time of year I am required by my professional institute to confirm that I have completed the mandatory amount of continuous professional development over the past 12 months. This is something that I've been doing for many years now - having participated in the scheme when it was voluntary, and maintained that now that it's mandatory. The Institute specifies a number of hours that we must achieve, but the rest is largely up to us.

So this morning I flicked through my diary for last year, highlighting the events that I attended and the major projects that I was involved in... and as ever, I easily exceed the minimum requirements.

So what does this have to do with developing discipline?

Well, it occurs to me that 'ticking the box' is easy to do - you just need to turn up to a few events. The discipline issue revolves around the reflective aspect - have I actually grown in the last year, professionally and personally?

To answer this question, I'm planning to write a narrative review of my cpd year (which I'll probably use in my personal performance appraisal in a few weeks). I want to think about the good things that I was involved in last year, and also some of the not-so-good ones. What have I learned? Have I adapted accordingly? What do I need to work on this year?

In my opinion, cpd will only be developmental if we move beyond compliance to growth - but that requires a degree of discipline!

Continuous professional development?

Around this time of year I am required by my professional institute to confirm that I have completed the mandatory amount of continuous professional development over the past 12 months. This is something that I've been doing for many years now - having participated in the scheme when it was voluntary, and maintained that now that it's mandatory. The Institute specifies a number of hours that we must achieve, but the rest is largely up to us.

So this morning I flicked through my diary for last year, highlighting the events that I attended and the major projects that I was involved in... and as ever, I easily exceed the minimum requirements.

So what does this have to do with developing discipline?

Well, it occurs to me that 'ticking the box' is easy to do - you just need to turn up to a few events. The discipline issue revolves around the reflective aspect - have I actually grown in the last year, professionally and personally?

To answer this question, I'm planning to write a narrative review of my cpd year (which I'll probably use in my personal performance appraisal in a few weeks). I want to think about the good things that I was involved in last year, and also some of the not-so-good ones. What have I learned? Have I adapted accordingly? What do I need to work on this year?

In my opinion, cpd will only be developmental if we move beyond compliance to growth - but that requires a degree of discipline!

New Year Prayer

Almighty God,
by whose mercy my life has been
yet prolonged to another year,
grant that thy mercy may not be in vain.
Let not my years be multiplied to increase my guilt,
but as age advances,
let me become more pure in my thoughts, more regular in my desires, and more obedient to thy laws.
Let not the cares of the world distract me, nor the evils of age overwhelm me. But continue and increase thy loving kindness towards me,
and when thou shalt call me hence,
receive me to everlasting happiness,
for the sake of Jesus Christ,
our Lord.

Samuel Johnson: 1709–1794

May God bless you all in the year ahead!