Poyums From Campus Life – and the story behind

see also Mee Poyums

Referring back to my unpublished Journal Campus Life :

I dunno; reading back through this journal of a three month emotional roller coaster, dotted with bundles of words intended to convey pictures, it is hard to believe I was a middle-aged mature woman, and not a 19-year girl who shouldnt be let out alone!

I was a Mature Student staying in a flat with three wonderful young male students with disabilities on Alsager Campus in Cheshire, Midsomer Murder Country it seemed. My journal is dotted with poyums.

How had I come to be there?

I had been married for sixteen years, amicably divorced for 11. I had two grown up married sons with four grandchildren.

My beloved and seemingly very fit partner of five and a half years had suddenly died within four months of being diagnosed with lung cancer only a short time before (somehow my mind wont calculate- was it only two years at that time?.

With him had gone our plans for a new married life despite the Catholic Church (his religion not mine) refusing to grant me an annulment.

My job contract at the University had completed. I had massive surgery to have a blocked gall bladder removed. I was now on a disabilty pension due to several issues caused by an auto-immune system that had decided it too was constantly taking on the world and that it was my fault.

Lastly, but not finally, I had arrived home to find my ageing parents had been covering up an escalating situation of his blindness plus kidney failure and her mild dementia, but who were firmly resisting my sister and brother in law’s a ttempts to move them into care close to them.

So, actually, looking at it that way and the effort it had taķen to become an Exchange Student over the previous months that would let me spend time with the family I had hardly seen since I moved to Australia aged 25, I might be kinder on myself because this three months was where I actually learned to live, and enjoy, living alone.

Unfortunately two years later I went back for three months to answer the request for help from my parents. It would be eight years before I came back home to my own family.

Suddenly I was the Senior Citizen. I was the oldest family member, not the youngest. My grandchildren were eight years older and I had missed all the fun.

Three years ago fate/God brought me to this little village where I could safely draw breath and rest. My body enjoys that but my mind has brought me here because I have time, and security to gather my memories and share them.

From the timeline above you might not expect to find me happy and cheery, but mostly I am. What stories I can tell my carers!

This first poyum from my campus life makes me laugh every time. Quirky.

Its Not Impossiible

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More to come…