I hate the Melbourne Cup

I hate the Melbourne Cup

There, I said it.

I can't understand it.

Sure, I can understand the gambling side of it. Offices all around the country will be participating in Melbourne Cup Sweeps. I get that.

I also get how everything stops during the race.

This is never more apparent than when you work in a call centre.
The lines will be frantic then all of a sudden... nothing!
And sure enough, as soon as the race ends, the lines are back to frantic.

But I hate it, and here's why.

My hatred of the Melbourne Cup was born sixteen years ago.

Sixteen years ago, on the day of the Melbourne cup, I was in hospital. I was heavily pregnant with my first baby and had been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and ordered to do nothing but lie in bed. My blood pressure going into the hospital was 190/130.

When you have high blood pressure though, you don't have any symptoms so I felt fine! And the last thing I wanted to do was lie around in bed all day!

This was before the age of computers and hand held time wasters (at least it was for me) so I had no other option but to watch TV.
What do you think was on EVERY GODDAMN Channel???
The Melbourne Cup!

Oh my god I just wanted to die. I couldn't believe how slow the day was going. I couldn't understand why anyone would be interested in anything else but who won! If I'd had my baby already, I would have been lost in new mummy wonderment but that time hadn't happened yet so I was just lying there, counting down the seconds until the next obs, meal, coffee or any other distraction.

And every year since, that's what I'm reminded of...

However, every bad has a good and although I've now got an ingrained hate of the Melbourne Cup, a miracle occurred a day later and my beautiful bundle of joy was born. Who could have known at that point that just one year later (with that damn cup just having been on) I'd be back in the hospital having my second bundle of joy.

Just recently I was looking through cupboards trying to find my old High School Year book and I came across some old photos. They were of the kids and I when they were still so very young. I looked at their smiling faces and was just overwhelmed with emotion.
What a joy they have been.
Two beautiful souls full of love, ready to learn about the world they were being brought up in.

I've been so very blessed in my life and no matter what happens from this point on, they're one thing that I will always be so very proud of.

Love you S & J

xxxx