time for another blog. At least four times I have sat down to write this and each time I wanted to write a different aspect of time. So this will be a four-part blog series.
In Time - Part One
time!
It's been a journey. I used to have a shallow understanding of time and thought that coincidences were a thing. I was yet to be disciplined and schooled by father time.
This blog will be raw & honest. It will tell a true story of when time played me. Most of my closest people don't know the full story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
It was the summer of 2004/05 and I was working as a vacation worker for a mid-tier accounting firm in Albert Park whilst on University Holidays. The office was overlooking the Albert Park Lake and the firm would host their clients for an annual function during the Formula 1 Grand Prix. I was enjoying big city life and the naivety of my first taste of the corporate world...
One morning there was a tram fault at the domain interchange and everyone became off time. All the trams sat backed up St Kilda Rd and because we weren’t at a tram stop protocol was being adhered to. No one was allowed to get off the tram and walk. Eventually the fault was rectified and the bottle neck cleared. I strolled into the foyer of the office building and this attractive brunette woman in her office attire gave me a large obvious smile. I returned serve and took my lift up to level 9 as usual. That night in conversation I remarked to my dad “…this nice office stunner gave me a smile today in the foyer. It’s good to know I still got it”. Everyone likes and needs a little ego stroke from time to time.
The next morning, again, there was a problem at the Domain interchange and another backlog. I walk into the office ground level foyer and who is there waiting for her lift. Yes, the same office stunner! She exclaimed in her chirpy English accent ‘Oh you got caught up again as well”. “Wow! and she is English too!!!” I thought.
Stunners with accents - I know my weaknesses.
So we caught the full lift together and made chit chat whilst some of the partners from my firm pretended not to be listening. Finally, we got to level 9, the lift emptied and it was just me and we will call her Sandy. Sandy was the aggressor in the conversation because what I have failed to mention was that at the time I had a girlfriend. We will call that girlfriend Lemon. I was answering Sandy’s questions until the point where she asked if I would like her phone number in the empty lift. This was the moment I had a decision to make. It was one of those crossroad moments where time actually slowed down for me and where I got time to process my decision. My curiosity got the better of me so I took my phone out. My hand was shaking from the nerves of doing something I knew I shouldn’t be and I entered her phone number.
Selah and Think…
Things between me and Lemon had been rough in the months leading up and I was ready to end our relationship. Lemon had been acting immature and needy so the lure of a Woman and an English Woman on top of that was an exciting prospect. Lemon had gone away to her family’s holiday house on the coast so I knew I wouldn’t be seeing her for most of the summer. She had conveyed her fear of losing me to the corporate world. I laughed and didn’t think anyone would be worried about the young Vacation worker….
No way in this blog am I excusing cheating on your girlfriend. I am just letting you into the headspace in my decision making at this time. Lemon was my first ever girlfriend and by that point I was sure I needed a womanfriend.
Sandy and I went out for lunch together at Albert Park Lake. I was very honest and upfront about my girlfriend. She laughed ‘no wonder your hand was shaking in the lift’. She didn’t mind and wasn’t fazed by that nor that she was 8 years older. Sandy was happy to have the company as she hadn’t connected with many people since being in Australia. Things went from there and eventually into a few diet coke and vodkas after work.
The Firms Christmas party comes around and is held at The Willows on a 43-degree day. It was Sweltering! Everyone was huddled around the air conditioners and just trying to survive. The mood was dim. The Firm receptionists and ladies who were closing the office for the Christmas break walk in late. They were laughing and calling out my name out so everyone could hear. They find me, give me this envelope and announce that I have this cute admirer from another floor!
Sandy had caught them just before they closed up and passed on a Christmas card. This made me laugh & smile. I had to give kudos to Sandy for making the effort. Respect!
It’s no secret that we are fans of gifts and special surprises.
Eventually a few months later my time with Sandy came to a crossroads. Being 28 years old she wanted me to get serious and make a decision. I needed to man up. Ultimately this summer fling had to come to an end as much as the pull was for a woman who knew her worth and wouldn’t roll over. I knew I wasn’t ready for kids and family at 20 but I only half manned up because I kept Lemon in the dark. The guilt from cheating slowly seared a hole in my conscious daily for the next 2 years. It didn’t matter what I did! It had setup itself rent free in the back of my head with a thousand anchors. Guilt wasn’t leaving!
I had left Lemon with an ultimatum before she went away for that summer holidays. I wasn’t interested in a needy, insecure and drama making girlfriend. She had time to think about that and came back with a changed attitude. Upon meeting with Lemon again I knew something was different. Rudy Clark was right with his eventual No.1 smash and that had changed from my end.
There is so much more power in the KISS than we realise! Don't be fooled into what culture preaches and waste it is what I would tell 15 year old me! Walt Disney and his writers had studied histroy well....
It took some time to rekindle things with Lemon from my end but eventually we hit a good flow and I appreciated her.
On the completion of my double degree, I planned a boys’ sports trip to Europe and the USA in lieu of the 2006 World Cup. I had secured a graduate position with a different accounting firm starting in February 2006. It was November 2005 and I entered the line to check in on the flight to London. Lemon was on my side and we were making the most of our final moments together for a while. I look up and standing 10 people ahead in the same line is SANDY!
Internally I was saying “NO way! What are the chances!” I actually had to laugh remembering back to the circumstances of how we first met. Something greater was at play that I couldn’t escape. I was being schooled. One area was it doesn’t matter how much you try, if you do the wrong thing eventually the truth will come to light.
As the line snaked around, we met face to face and understandably Sandy wasn’t super impressed to see me. Being a true Lady Sandy kept her peace. She had every right to expose me. Instead she chose to burn a hole through me with her stone stare. When we boarded the plane I took note of where Sandy was sitting, her steely gaze hadn’t changed. Once we had taken off and we could move around I went to look for her to apologise but strangely she was no longer in that spot. I searched all the aisles and rows and couldn’t find her. Eventually I gave up.
I do hope she got the upgrade… she deserved.
Upon return from that trip both me and Lemon were entering the full time workforce sadly at the same firm but in different service areas. I had protested Lemon’s decision to work where I was in case something happened "things could get weird." Lemon assured me ‘no no no I love you nothing will happen’. It didn’t take long and well well well how the turntables! I quickly lost Lemon to the other side…
…she had become confident, secure and strong and I had come to the end of my use by date. It wasn’t anything she said, but I knew because it had happened with me 2 years earlier…
It was bittersweet. Balance had to be restored,which I deserved! I had no reason to complain but that didn’t make things any easier. Heart break is still heart break. The fireworks that kicked off on 07/07/07 atop of Melbourne City however were not deserving! Lemon had grown but she was still sour and had not matured fully even though she had given me the flick. That’s another story for a full circle forgiveness Blog.
When I met Ruach Hakodesh, he introduced me to Father Time who showed me he had orchestrated the meeting with Sandy. He needed to get me back onto my destiny path. He knew my hearts desires and presented accordingly. Sneaky Sneaky!
OtherWise had Sabotaged my original Destiny path at 18 and in my disappointment I rebelled by asking out Lemon. Father time showed me who his next choice after the disappointment was if I stayed the path. Let’s just say she is known globally and appeared on the biggest of stages.
POW! Cop that! It hit like a sledgehammer to guts!
That said I am thankful that Wise had stepped in to to sabotage my Density.
Father Time taught me how to be On Time (the next blog) which was followed by walking into Bullet Time.
When Otherwise showed up once again to sabotage my new Destiny in 2020 I learnt this time I will hold the line and stay the path for the realest of MVPs.…or die tryin!!!!
-DT