hello! happy thanksgiving! i have just put a little slide show on my myspace (there's a link to the right there...)

so what am i thankful for?
this year, i am particularly thankful for opportunities to travel, which i love, and connect with people (YOU!), striking nature, etc. - our roadtrip around the states, australia in ten sleeps, and australia at the start of this year are all big THANK YOUs!

i'm ever so thankful for my bens, my eowyn and my coco. and that we all get to spend lots of time together.

i'm thankful for laughter.

i'm thankful for my body and its strength and beauty

i'm thankful for my friend susan, who is caring for eowyn and coco overnight this weekend for our SIXTH wedding anniversary! (happy birthday Mum!)

i'm thankful for books, for brian mclaren, whom i'm reading now, for new paradigms and freedom of thought

i'm thankful for the grace and acceptance and love of god. ((i never know whether to put god or jesus, as i was brought up with an emphasis on mentioning jesus whenever one can, and now i've deconstructed that i tend to say god, but don't want my deconstructing to be devaluing or even dismissing an important friendship, namely mine with jesus, for which i am thankful!!))

ahhh, back on track! i'm thankful that i get to see my whole family of origin in two weeks time! seren, sam, becca, rachel, victor, tom, mum, dad
i'm thankful for stephen
i'm thankful for all the newer people in mylittle family - anita, eddie, bump, becca and now victor
i'm thankful for rachel and victor's wedding, and all the people from different parts of my life i'll get to see (i feel a little worried, because there'll be SO many people i want to connect with, and i still haven't got any where near perfecting the social skill of conversation termination. in fact, i either am so caught up in the conversation i'm in i forget about all the other people i want to talk to as well, or i'm so self conscious about the fact that i want to terminate the conversation but can't think of how to, politely, that i stay in the conversation much too long)

HAVE YOU GOT ANY TIPS ON CONVERSATION TERMINATION? THEY COULD COME IN VERY HANDY!!!

Comments

sam becca zach and martha said…
i'm with you on being worried about seeing so many people at Pip's wedding and wanting to catch up with all of them.

I find starting a sentence with 'OK' a useful way to end conversations. For example 'Ok, well it was great seeing you' or 'Ok, I really need to pee', or 'Ok great, oh have you seen my girls' (then wander of to find them) or if all else fails 'Ok look, I really need to terminate this conversation NOW!' (then walk off). Good luck. I'll look out for you and try to help you out if I remember. We could get some kind of code going - if any Jones-linked person is seen patting their head we all know to go and rescue them from their present engagement.
Sam
Thu Nov 23, 11:42:00 pm AEDT
baker st jones said…
AA Gill suggests carrying two drinks; not only handy for terminating conversations, handy for avoiding them altogether.
Fri Nov 24, 07:27:00 am AEDT
Megs said…
i love the "OK...", the head-patting code, and the two drinks ploy! i asked my friend Jana (who is good at this sort of thing!) and she came up with this brilliant sentence: "I'm so sorry, I see X over there, whom I've not seen for ten years, and want to make sure I catch up with them before the night is over. It's been wonderful talking..."
Fri Nov 24, 02:35:00 pm AEDT
Anonymous said…
Megs,

I hope I'm going to be the one you haven't seen in ten years (and want to catch up with) and not the one you're frantically patting your head about!

Kate
Fri Nov 24, 04:34:00 pm AEDT
sam becca zach and martha said…
this is a tricky one. needing to go to the loo or going to get a drink i find usually work quite well.. or just go quiet and then say it was lovely to see them and move on... i like the two drinks trick :) looking forward to seeing you soon. love becca
Tue Nov 28, 01:02:00 am AEDT
Megs said…
Kate, of course you're of the haven't-seen-for-ten-years-gotta-catch-up kind! Can't wait!

Becca, 'twill be grand to see you! And Sam! And Mum! And Dad! And Rachel! And Victor! And Seren! And Tom! And all the haven't-seen-for-ten-yearsers! (But not, I guess, the frantically-patting-head-about-ers!!!!!!)

Love Megs
Wed Nov 29, 01:33:00 pm AEDT
Megan said…
just so you'll know, you can get a weekly podcast from brian mclaren on wiredparish.com
Thu Nov 30, 03:02:00 am AEDT
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