Hello again

I have the greatest excuse for letting the Hot News lapse: hospital!

Yes! Take note, all you slack bloggers out there who have let your websites get stale and lifeless: work till you’re so stressed you can’t breathe (it helps if you’ve been a life-long asthmatic), spend the Christmas-rush period lying around in a hospital bed on a drip—tended to divinely by doctors and nurses—cry a lot when no one’s looking, then hang out at home doing nothing much except reading novels and seeing friends for about five weeks in the summer, under doctor’s orders, and you have the perfect excuse for not going near your office, your computer or your tired old website. How’s that for an idea?!

However, if like me, you don’t like feeling as if you’re dying for want of breath and air, then be more sensible. Don’t do what I did which was to work beyond exhaustion into severe ill-health. It’s stupid and I’m not doing again.

I’m 60 on March 5th (APOCALYPTIC) so I’ve made some terrific decisions to go with my New Life such as a determination to sleep in every day from now on, except on Tuesdays and Fridays when I go to the gym. Bliss. (My name is in gold on the gym honour board, for heaven’s sake, for having clocked up 100 visits in a year. Amazing. I am the most non-sporty person in the world.) Of course when I’m away working it will have to be business as usual unfortunately, and no lying in.

My asthma specialist has insisted that I cut back from three careers to two. So I have, which is the wisest move I’ve made for a long time. I will no longer be able to be a noisy, highly public advocate for what I consider to be the most effective literacy teaching in schools.

I’m really woebegone about this, as you’d expect, but something had to go and that’s been my hardest choice. I have said my piece over and over again for the last 30 odd years. I have fought the political fight. I have also fought off the crazies and the vilifiers who believe that phonics alone will solve every reading problem for every child. I have spoken often in the media on behalf of many in the teaching profession whose knowledge and wisdom exceeds my own. And I have cared so deeply about it that it has recently nearly killed me. I’m not Jesus Christ nor am I a crazy terrorist: the cause of literacy is not worth dying for, and in any case I’m not indispensible. No one is. My colleagues in several countries will work on regardless. They are brilliant and feisty so I know that my life’s work and ideas are in safe hands for the future. And anyway Radical Reflections (for teachers) and Reading Magic (for parents) are still in print, should anyone need to refresh themselves about what I think.

I will continue to speak about literacy at conferences small and large. I guess what I’m really giving up are the many media appearances and the hideous politics of literacy, both of which have eaten my time and energy.

The two careers I’m hanging on to are being a children’s author: there are ten new books in the pipleline which should mean I don’t have to write again till I’m 67 at least, thank heaven—you know how much I dislike writing. And I’ll go on being an advocate for reading to children aged 0-5. Neither of these careers causes me to stop breathing.

Malcolm is fully retired at last. He is my slave. I have to say he’s taken to his new postion very well. He has always organised my travel and engagements—a huge job—so all I’ve done is to add to his workload here and there. I’ve never had an assistant or a secretary because I’m so hopeless at delegating, which probably why I’ve become so tired. I don’t have to delegate things to Malcolm: he just kind of sees what needs to be done and does it. In return I produce food from heaven. He doesn’t cook and I wouldn’t want him to since it’s such a calming activity, as is gardening. So far this year he has eaten well but hasn’t yet been to a foreign country. Incredible for him!

Chloe is in full political campaign mode for the State election in South Australia on March 18th. In a recent opinion poll she had a huge 13.9% swing towards her but as she keeps reminding me, and everyone else who is over-excited, the only poll that counts is the poll on election day. The next time I update this page I might be the proud mother of a Labor member of parliament. Wow! It will be almost as good as having been the proud mother of a brilliant teacher. People from outside Australia may not realise tthat being a state or federal politician in this country is a full time job, unlike Wyoming and some other smaller states in America, where I believe it’s only for three months a year.

In the meantime, I hope you and I can stay calm, stop working so hard, make time for ourselves, and stay well.

Love

Mem Fox xxx