Its a woman thing - be prepared!

Yesterday I learnt a valuable lesson.

As a Mum, but foremostly as a woman, we have an uncanny ability to be prepared for any eventuaility. At a networking event in a roomful of women I am sure I could shout out random items and someone would have one, or be able to make one from the items at the depths of their handbag in a Ray Mears stylee. Okay so a man might argue that that's because our handbags are now so large that when we arrive at departures they slap an outsized baggage sticker on it. I would argue better they stick it on my gorgeous bag than on my butt!

As a mum you quickly learn (or fail miserably and get the disappointed look of your child glaring at you) that children very well may know about a party 2 weeks in advance but they will give you the party invite less than 3 hours before the party begins. And yet we will still produce a beautfully wrapped perfect present and card with 5 seconds to go as if we possessed Harry Potter's skills!

(That's another thing. I wonder why can't men wrap presents? They have a unique skill to wrap a box into the shape of a sateillite dish with a giraffe sat on the top. I suppose as cave men there was not much need to be able to arrange throw cushions or wrap presents nicely, just throw a spear acurately and be our brave warrior heros. Secretly there is something I love about the old black and white films with the old style hero and the high heeled 1940s dressed women that fainted at the sight of a dead body into the arms of the hero. Now there's a post for another day!)

Krypton Factor should come back with a Mum special. Could you imagine it? Mums dashing round Sainsburys entertaining a 2 year old, while unwrapping a bannana for a 4 year old, while replying to an email on their blackberry and missing the spill in aisle 4 and all in the process of finding their loyalty card in the bottom of their bag the size of Bournemouth and beating the woman with the trolley stacked past her nose to the shortest queue in checkout 16.

But all joking aside, it's not just a case of an ability to multi task, it's an in-built ability to be prepared for anything. In the back of my car I have everything from roller blades and wellies, to carrier bags, blankets, warning triangles and tents. So you guessed it if I break down in the mountains I can build protection, wrap up warm and rollerblade to the bottom for help while leaving my warning triangle out to warn others of the obstruction ahead. Okay so it may not happen but as us women like to say "You never know" We are prepared for anything ........ or so I thought.

Yesterday I saw a client first thing, a quick hour in the office then I was meeting a wonderfully inspirational business woman for lunch, followed by my children's leavers assembly and networking in the evening. I was wearing a black dress with a cute bright cardigan with matching 'I loved at first sight' heels. If it was the dog or the heels I would have to think for half a second about what to rescue first (only joking stupadog!) Perfect for my day.... or so I thought.

When I met this lady for lunch she wanted to show me around these wonderful gardens that will be the location for a fantastic project that she is a part of. As we strolled around the lily dotted lakes and under the beautiful old trees admiring the ages old manicured gardens I walked on something that looked like a grassless patch, in actual fact I sank about 3 inches. If it had been my perfectly petite friend I may have had to go back to my car and get the search light and tow rope to get her out! But my poor shoes and yes Mandie that is mud squelching between your toes - mmmm nice. (Before I contine with this I feel I should make you aware that no shoes were harmed in the making of this blog, they cleaned up beautifully thanks to some spa towels that my friend insisted I used to restore my gorgeous heels with.)

Later that day I arrived at the networking event only to discover there was nowhere to park within a 10 minutes walk. I love my new shoes but I had been in them since 8am and I really didn't want to do that. And you know how we don't like to be parted with objects of beauty.

There was physically lots of parking but none allowed to be used by actual people or cars! (and they wonder why city centres are losing trade!) I smiled sweetly at a restaurant owner to let me park in his car park and promised to return for some tapas, but even his staff have nowhere to park! So I found a car park and strolled to the event ignoring the fact that the feet were yelling "we are a tad tired, any chance of some slippers?"

Ha Ha. The networking event was in this lovely secret garden behind their offices. People were under trees sipping wine and eating sausages from the barbie, until that was the 3rd thunderstorm of the day started. With true Brit style we continued regardless, with the fatal words "I don't think it will be much" at which point the sky turned yellow and buckets of water started being dropped on us. My friend had left her bag open, it took four of us to lift it and get the water out so that we could dash for cover! (Okay so maybe I exaggerate a little)

Looking at the sky in any direction it was not going to stop off any time soon, so I knew that I was now in for a soaking. And this is where my ramblings have brought me to thinking. I had one of two ways of looking at this situation. I couldn't leg it in heels and I was not going to run barefeet across Colchester. So I could either groan and get my head down and pray to be back at the car as quick as poss or I could stroll home as if it was a beautiful summer's evening smiling at people huddled in doorways. The latter was so much more fun!

As I strolled along swinging my handbag I made comments to people like. "I think it might rain you know" and "Oh that was close I nearly stepped in that puddle!" People's miserable "Oh its raining again its going to ruin my night out" faces turned into smiles. The amount of people that chatted and told me where they were heading and what they were going to do when they got there. One woman even wanted to know my secret to being so happy and asked for my business card! Who would have thought that?

You get to choose all your life how you look at any situation. It is something in you that gets you to see an occasion in a negative or positive way, but the important point is this. You can decide that whatever happens however awful it feels you can decide to turn it around. I believe that everything happens for a reason. And as harsh as that sounds and as rubbish as it may feel now years later you think about the past and you can see if that had not happened I would not be doing what I am getting to do now.

Years ago I had severe clincial depression. I was a very sick bunny. At the time the world had stopped and could not see a way out. I thought it would kill me. But now I know that I am the person I love to be today because of the experiences I have been through - primarly that one.

So now when things are not going right I always ask myself what am I supposed to be learning here?

I learnt yesterday however prepared you think you are, you can still get caught out. But the way I made so many people smile as I strolled home in a thunderstorm and the look on my family's face when I dripped in the door is priceless. And had I had my brollie and my wellies I would have missed out on all that. Getting caught out was actually the best thing that could have happened. And no, before you ask, thanks to a diet packed with Vit C and a passion for garlic there is not a sniffle in sight. I don't 'do' colds. Thats a mind over matter thing that I will tell you about another day.

Have fun.