I’ve been experiencing a particularly intense period at work for a couple of months. A perfect recipe for stress has evolved; many factors have been combined, baked in the pressure of back to back deadlines with the result being a consistent level of fatigue. I must admit my creativity has taken a knock and despite a wealth of interesting events and experiences to write about during this time, I’ve barely managed to put pen to paper about them.

I don’t want to moan too much, since we all have busy lives and I’m sure many can relate to that perpetual tiredness I’m feeling right now. The summer sun is definitely encouraging, the support of my closest ones as well as perennial good humour of colleagues will see me through this very busy time, hopefully to emerge fully intact on the other side. I had thought about whether I’d felt this mentally tired before to act as a point of reference for my inner cheerleader to believably chant: “You can do this”, and a funny example came to mind.

It was just over a year ago when my sister appeared on the Expresso Show demonstrating a yummy breakfast recipe of overnight oats with stewed fruit. Inspired to wean myself off my bread dependence, since the availability of free toast at my office had become my breakfast staple; I thought I’d give this tasty alternative a try. Picking up my prepped mixture from the fridge before heading to work I thought I’d add some extra spice and generously sprinkled some cinnamon on top.

 Arriving at my desk, substituting the stewed fruit with some yummy cashew nuts, I didn’t bother to mix my porridge potion but hungrily dove straight in. Scrolling through my inbox I became aware of a subtle but very strange aftertaste; crunchy nuts, creamy oats followed by a weird warming sort of flavour. Staring at my breakfast I finally realised  in my foggy blur that morning I had grabbed the paprika spice jar that was sitting right next to the cinnamon on my counter and had liberally doused my porridge with it.

Admitting my moronic moment to my sister via text had us both howling with laughter though, and produced a list of puns that had me chuckling through the day. I did not have Goldilocks’s luxury of choice between servings so had to salvage my meal by scraping off a top layer, successfully, but my lesson was very much learned. “Peri Peri Porridge” sounds fun, it should never be a thing. Recovering from another example in error due to fatigue required a bit more effort.

Years ago I was making my way to work, and as I waited at my bus stop bleary eyed, I happened to glance down to see I had managed to mismatch my ballet pumps, with the left and right shoes each from a different pair. I recall wondering for a second whether or not I’d get away with it but quickly decided I’d have to go home and change. Saving some face felt worth being a bit late for work.

One can only laugh when it feels life is happening to you. I hope these mistakes will be unique and the lessons learned. We’ve all felt the effects of burning the candle at both ends, and we should heed the message from our bodies that our resources are finite and, just like the devices distracting us, our batteries need regular recharging. The lesson to listen to my own advice may need  a few more mistakes before it’s fully learned though.

I promise to catch you up on all the fun soon, but meanwhile, check out the Cupcakes and Couscous blog here as well as the video of the demo here