Slowing down, taking time for yourself and establishing new habits that will last a lifetime.
Theme – Flourishing (A two-week theme)
The focus has been to feed the soul with beautiful messages to inspire and carry us forward.
Which of the contemplations from these past two weeks has resonated for you the most?
That it is no good just going through the motions one day at a time, especially now the remaining time I have is limited by the passing years as I get closer towards my three score years and ten. None of us know at what age all this will be taken away, so it is up to us to make sure we not only get as much out of it as possible but also put stuff in. Leaving a legacy, so to speak no matter how insignificant we might consider that to be. There will always be someone that, for a time anyway you will be remembered by … I like to think it will all be good stuff they think about when they hear my name, but then so do we all.
- Acknowledge the unhappiness being experienced.
- Give yourself some compassion – don’t give yourself a hard time constantly
- Allow yourself to be happy – don’t feel guilty about not being miserable
- Engage in healthy distractions – a walk, a coffee, TV, creative writing. reading etc.
- Look after yourself – eat well, connect with friends, sleep.
- Get a hobby.
- Compartmentalise – Example: if work is stressing you don’t bring the problems home.
- Realise that everything changes.
- Take baby steps – change one small aspect at a time, make that a new habit
- Ask for help – but ask in the right place.
- Help others – the feel-good factor is a powerful thing.
- Be thankful for the enjoyable things you already have in your life.
Which contemplations (and lessons) from this course have resonated the most for you?
I love this quote …
Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country (Anaïs Nin)
Necessity often dictates that life has no option but to be planned. There is for a lot of us a progression to our existence that almost seems to be preordained. My story was, as far as my mother was concerned, education, good job in accountancy, mortgage, money, security and then to marry someone that would equal all that and add more to my wealth and prosperity to my perfect life. Notice there was no mention of children, my mother considered them an unnecessary burden. Needless to say, as the proverbial teenager I wanted none of that. I wanted the career and so did well at school but then trained to be a nurse, which by the way I hated but it was the only thing I think of doing that would be as far away from my mother’s plans for me as possible. I also married a man for love (or maybe lust but in the flushes of womanhood they often amount to the same). Then to top the cake with icing I had children whilst still very young. None of this is what was supposed to be my destiny … but I wouldn’t change a thing. The marriage split after quite a number of years, but we remained friends and are still to this day some forty years after we first tied the knot and we have some amazing offspring, grandkids and great-grandchildren to show for it.
My life did eventually hive off down a professional route. The man I now share my life with convinced me that I was bright enough to get the degree I wanted and so as mature students we both crashed-in our lives and went to university. Then I trained as a teacher for adults with learning difficulties, specialising in using creative writing as a means of expression. Now, I run workshops on creative writing and using writing as therapy and I live in an amazing place, with my study looking straight across the sea to the Isle of Arran and seemingly I am settled … but who knows.
Whatever life has in store for me in the future will for the most part be a surprise and then to quote Peter Pan …
“To die will be an awfully big adventure.” (J.M. Barrie)