‘Bring to mind people you care about and send love to them.’
There are only a handful of people I care about at the moment, and all of them know what they mean to me, knowing what I’ve been through. They were all there, supporting me when I needed them the most. So yeah, I let them know almost daily what they mean to me.
My sister and mother in law but especially, my partner. Twenty eight years and counting, through ups and down, and several health scares, we’re as close now as we’ve ever been.
So, Sweetie, just in case you didn’t already know, here’s me letting the whole world know, I love you. ❦
‘Notice how you speak to yourself and choose to use kind words.’
I’ve been using kinder words to counsel myself for a while now, especially after my first big health scare. Realising that I wasn’t doing myself any favours being critical or harsh with my perceived failures. It wasn’t easy to change my ways, that loud voice inside your head that yells “What the fuck did you just do?” can kind of drown out the counter from the other side who would love to say, “Hey, it’s okay to mess up sometimes, failure is a part of learning and a great way to have a teaching moment.”
Slowly, over time I began to correct myself and, eventually, after much trial and error, heard my inner voice being kinder and gentler with me. Almost motherly. Picking me up and dusting me off when I fell flat on my face, or was ill and feeling negatively about, well, everything.
It’s not easy to make the changes, to adjust the nasty voice and more, banish them completely. It’s still there, but not as loud or as vocal as it once was. The calmer gentler voice has become more insistent, more resilient, as I have myself. And more, listening to that kinder voice has, I think, made me more likely to be more thoughtful and kinder with those around me. Less judgemental and critical.
We don’t just need to cut ourselves some slack but also those around us. The more mindfulness we express the better we’re able to cope with what life throws at us. It’s like anything in life, the more we do it, the better we get at it. Be mindful, be thoughtful, be kinder, not just with yourself, but with others as well. And maybe, in the end, the world we live in will be a better place for all of us.
I really didn’t need today’s prompt for Mindful March to ‘Start today by appreciating your body and that you’re alive.’
I’ve been viscerally aware of my poor body and it’s failings since the spring of 2016 when, quite suddenly, I had a brain fart (a blood pressure event) that left me in hospital for 4 days unaware of whether I was dead or alive. That is, till I woke up.
It was, to say the least, a rude awakening to the realities of what it’s like for so many people, getting old, with failing health, and not realising you’re living with a silent killer that could steal your life without a moment’s hesitation.
Throw in a series of problems since then, including last year surgery for colon cancer, and yes, I’m very aware of my body and grateful daily to the fact I wake up to a new day, every morning, to hear the birds singing from about 5am onwards.
The minute I hear those birds I know I’ve made it through another night, and have another day of life to enjoy with a deep sense of gratitude for the medical profession and modern science.
Live life to the fullest with every sense you possess and remember to live it in the moment. None of us know just how many more we may have left.
I thought I would re-post this one, today. A few observations I made the last time I visited the US highlighting the differences between the UK and the US.
In America …
No one walks anywhere.
The don’t speak English.
America is BIG.
There are guns.
The food comes in huge portions.
There are concealed guns.
They have a lot of police.
Everything is done BIG.
People carry guns in public.
The boot is a trunk, and the bonnet is the hood of a car.
They drive on the right because they had no knights in times of yore.The bars are not pubs, they’re clubs.
You had better like burgers.
They have walk-in closets.
Their fridges are the size of walk-in closets.
They use their microwave ovens for more than just reheating their coffee.
Public transport is optional.
There are no pavements.
Pavements are sidewalks, only New York has sidewalks.
They pre-chop and shovel their food with their forks.
They have ‘Fanny’ packs.
American’s think ‘Fanny’ is their butt.
They’re an arse about their butt.
Light switches go in opposite direction.
People carry concealed weapons.
There are police cars everywhere.
Street signs are optional.
Telegraph poles are utilities poles.
ALL signage is attached to utilities poles.
• There are a lot of utility poles.
The police swarm like gangs.
American beer all tastes the same.
Drink American wine, it’s much better.
The have Malls not high streets.
In winter you roast inside the mall, in summer you freeze.
They have an over dependence on their AC.
Changing states is like visiting another planet.
TV is 22 minutes of adverts and 38 minutes of actual programme per hour.
Dogs and cats get better treatment than homeless people.
They get confused when you say you are from the UK.
Their money is all one colour.
They don’t know how to spell.
Biscuits are cookies, pudding is dessert, crisps are chips, and chips are French fries.
They think a jumper is someone who throws themselves off a building.
They play rugby and call it football, but never kick the ball until after they’ve scored.
They play rounders and call it baseball.
They play netball and call it basketball.
They play soccer … the rest of the world plays football.
They have no idea what cricket is other than a bug.
OAPs don’t move in to nursing homes, they all move to Florida.
They don’t have parliament, they have congress.
And finally, don’t bum a fag from a stranger … ever!
Like many, I’m following the ‘Mindful March’ challenge from Action for Happiness.
a view of the St. Lawrance river from the bois du coulonge
Each day, there’s a simple instruction to follow, to help you reconnect with what’s happening around you. Today’s task was to ‘Notice three things you find beautiful in the outside world’.
For me it was simply:
Listening to and watching that antics of the flock of sparrows that live in the large privacy hedge outside. The group dynamics is fascinating and so reflective of our own society, there’s always a pecking order.
Yet another consecutive day of gorgeous blue skies and sunshine filling me with a sense of anticipation for spring’s arrival, just around the corner.
A quick shoulder rub from my partner as I stood in the kitchen making us dinner. That simple connection and moment of thoughtfulness always makes me feel loved.
Today’s observations are, again, a reminder to be thankful for the little things, the simple things in life. It’s not always about the big gestures, but an accumulation of all the little things.
