Before and after end of / new year clean up fun
December 30th 2007 by Megan Bayliss in Child Abuse
As a therapist, I accept that there are multiple truths and always two sides to a story. As a person moving house, I am a great procrastinator and constipator of throwing stuff out because I just may need it….one day. While packing (and now procrastinating), I came upon some old cards I had sent home from Dublin during Christmas 2003. Whereas my assessment and therapeutic skills remain solid and are rarely up for negotiation once my practice based assessment is made, I clearly, am not so easy to assess at first glance! My how some things need more than an initial psychosocial assessment because there is always more than one visual truth.
Article by Megan Bayliss
Before (sent to people who didn’t know the multiple and dark sides of Megan the freezing therapist who just wanted to come home for a swim):
The post card reads - Merry Christmas. Having a ball. Photo was taken in Dublin. Spending Christmas in Canterbury - open fire, wine and a 16thC cottage. Stay tuned for my Canterbury Tales!! Off to Scotland before Christmas and Morocco and Amsterdam in January before coming home. Gee, wish I was with you. My life is soooooo boring. Mxxxxx
After (and this is the one closest to the real Megan who is not so sweet and accommodating of either the cold, Christmas or being away from Paul and the kids):
The inner card reads - Bah Humbug. Deck the halls with poison ivy. Now lets see who wants to kiss you! Be good this Christmas and don’t be too hot!
The January after these pics were taken in Dublin, I finally return to my beloved steaming Cairns after 12 months based in cold and miserable London. All I wanted was to live the tropics to the fullest, to swim and eat mangoes and instead, I got a shiner from the ones I returned to:
Based upon everything you know about me, my job, my lifestyle and using your powers of assessment, who would like to hazard a guess as to why I’m sporting a black eye and why Paul is looking so concerned? Did he do domestic violence on me??????
And now Paul’s arrived to check on the progress of my office clean up - darn, I’ve procrastinated for too long, again! lol…I LOVE holidays.
PS: Paulie Boy just found another card I had sent him from the UK. Lucky Paul has a sense of humour and is pro feminist. My cards could easily have been taken the wrong way (perhaps finding these cards is a reminder to continue working on my ascorbic sense of humour this coming 2008! In my defence, sexual assault therapists are known for our black sense of humour.)
Obviously I spent money that year on personalised REAL cards for every occasion from Moonpig.com.au that have never been thrown away. It was great fun adding pics and words to my cards and I thoroughly recommend using Moonpig for those who want some personality or keepsake ability in their cards. I had all of Jade’s surprise 21st birthday party cards made by Moonpig too and they will NEVER be thrown away.
That’s it from me now until The New Year, where I have two very special announcements to make. One relating to this site and one relating to a personal circumstance. Stay safe everyone and remember to always keep your sense of humour handy.
Stumble it!
December 31st, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Fun way to start my day, Megan…but I have a question… are there really only two sides to every story? How boring would that be? I’m not a therapist, but as I tell those of you who are, I may have been in your business longer than you…just on the other side. Thanks for the lighter side…
A Child is Waiting,
Take care…be aware,
Nancy
January 1st, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Happy New Year Megan I hope your 2008 is much blessed, with good health and happiness for everyone especially YOU and that the year is prosperous and everything you want it to be!
I am in awe of your dedication to child protection - keep up the good work.
This post was hilarious - I love the postcards.
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:58 am
When I watch UK shows depicting scenic villages and beautiful countryside I sometimes get pangs to return to my roots of Yorkshire. Your second photo is a powerful reminder that Melbourne’s weather, however unpredictable it is, is preferable to having to face the weather that caused the look on your face.
I enjoy your humor. Rather than ascorbic I would consider it Vitamin C for the soul
Much healthier than chicken soup.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:09 am
lol…Sue, I LOVE the reframe of Vitamin C for the soul. Not sure that a few others would agree with you…..but I divorced them!
Trish and Nancy, thanks so much for your words of encouragement and all that you do to keep people safe - particularly in the area of child safety. Mxxx
January 4th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Megan that card is awesome, I’m rushing straight over to check out Moonpig. Stop hinting and tell us your news. And I have no idea who gave you the shiner……seen so many before, heard so many stories…..I’m guessing it was an accident though!
Hope your 2008 is great!
January 5th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Well….one announcement has to wait another two weeks. The wait is just killing me!!!!! But, if I announce it too soon, the other person involved may well really kill me.
The other fantastic announcement I think I will make public on Monday. It’s a good and exciting one and involves many of us women.
Glad you liked the cards. Moonpig is just amazing. All you do is choose your style, upload your pics and change words to suit. I love it for that extra special card.
And the shiner….can you believe I got it swimming!!!!!! I was sliding down a water tunnel with the kids and Paul and hit my head on the side of the tunnel. By the time I shot out of the tunnel and into the pool, I had a lump on my head the size of an orange and it was pulsating strange colours. This pic was taken a week after the accident so you can imagine the swelling and bruising during the week. I was working in sexual assault (counselling women) and they all asked if I had an abusive husband. lol. Paul and I went to a play together and the looks he got from people - honestly, it was priceless. It was also good for me to know that there are many people out there who will ask and respond about domestic violence.