Back to the Chopping Board

Back to the Chopping Board!


Have you ever been in one of those situtions where you think everything is under control and something happens where you find yourself at square one again?

Up until last week, I was very proud of myself getting resources, systems and processes in place and as close as possible to under control in a place like Bali. Then the unexpected happened. I found myself going back to 'Go' and without collecting $200!  Life can be like a game of Monopoly at times. Even when you move from 'Go' you don't quite know where the dice will take you and whether you'll land in a good place or not. The best strategy in Monopoly is to know what you want and head in the direction you want to go by buying as many properties as you can to give you the security you need. Similarly in life, the best strategy is know what you want and head in that direction, so even if the unexpected happens to you, you can still feel under control.

So what happened to send me back to 'Go'? Last week I returned from dropping off my girls and their friends at the Green School's Green Camp. They had a day of outdoor activities lined up for them from climbing ropes and trees to making chocolate and wrestling in the mud. I was pleased with myself as my children and their friends were having fun while on their school holidays and I could get on with some work.When I got back to the office, my assistant looked concerned.
"Can I speak to you Ms Janet?" (My Indonesian assistant is always very polite and will only refer to people as Ms or Mr, hence Ms Janet).
"Yes of course." I replied positively, bracing myself for bad news as this is what 'can I speak to you' usually means.
"Your cook will no longer be working for you."
"Really?" I responded slightly surprised. "What has happened?" I was curious.
"He didn't turn up for work today, so I phoned him and asked him why. He said that he would not return to work unless you paid him twice his monthly salary. I told him I didn't like his attitude and that we don't require his services any more." My assistant gasped for breath, after she said all that she needed to say. She seemed relieved to have shared this 'breaking news' with me.
"So my cook didn't turn up for work, he didn't phone in to say that he wasn't turning up for work and when you phoned him he refused to come to work unless we doubled his salary?" I summarised to make sure I heard everything correctly.
"Yes Ms Janet and you've told me how attitude is more important than skills when we interview and employ people."

"Yes, it's most important." I nod in total agreement as I think to myself it was nice having somebody with cooking skills! "I'm glad that you told him not to return to work." I concurred, knowing that it was for the best.

So back to the chopping board for me. Our cook had worked for us for a short stint of two months. Although I can cook and did cook for the family for the first six months in Bali, it was good to have an Indonesian who could source and cook the local food. When we first moved to Bali, I had to take a dictionary with me to the supermarket, to know the Indonesian words for salt and sugar etc. I returned home with endless bottles of black liquid and not one of them was soy sauce until I discovered the right name - Kecap Asin!

I had been recommended to employ a cook by an ex-patriate in Bali who said it was the best thing she had ever done. One of my friends told me I was so lucky to have a cook, she lives in Australia and said she would have to win the National Lottery to employ somebody to cook for her. For a brief moment I panicked , it had all happened so quickly and I was already addicted to having meals prepared for me. It was those finishing touches such as placing pretty coloured frangipani flowers on the dinner table and preparing healthy snack boxes for me when I travelled from Bali airport that I enjoyed!  It also occurred to me that we have a constant stream of different visitors staying with us over the next few months.. Yikes, I'll be tied up in the hot and steamy kitchen forever!

Before spiralling downhill too fast, I remembered there must be some good news coming out of the bad news. The good news is that there were things that weren't right, so I don't have to deal with those challeneges anymore and ...... I can actually cook. I haven't become a totally reliant, incapable and incompetent person. It just takes planning, preparation and knowing what we want so we can head in the right direction.

This life lesson reminded me that as with anything in life, whenever we feel that we've gone back to 'Go' without collecting any reward, we can focus on what we can do, what we do have and head in the direction that will take us to who and where we want to be, otherwise we may just end up somewhere.

I love this quote from Alice in Wonderland that sums this up nicely:

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.
Alice: …so long as I get somewhere.
The Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.

Enjoy life's challenges.
Janet