Simple food makes me ridiculously happy.
I’m somewhat a creature of habit – but particularly so when Continue reading “simple food”
Tag: happiness
Intentional Rhythm
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For me, the next couple of weeks will be all about leaning in to working out what sort of rhythm I want for my days and weeks in the coming year. Continue reading “Intentional Rhythm”
so f*kn PROUD
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I can’t even begin to tell you how proud of myself; happy and accomplished I feel today.
(which is a very rare feeling for me, I gotta say!!!)
Continue reading “so f*kn PROUD”
feeling flat?
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When you’re feeling a bit flat, one of the very best therapies is to get outside.
If you can plant something and immerse your hands in the dirt, it makes Continue reading “feeling flat?”
breathe
lists aplenty
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Its only a matter of days now, before we leave on our much-needed vacation, so as you can imagine I am neck deep in planning and organising, which for me means the there are lists aplenty going on!
Lists for whats already packed, lists for what still needs to be packed, list for things that need doing around the house and garden, and lists about whom we still need to see to take care of our Home, Farm and animals while we’re gone.
Lists to remind us of what needs printing out, a list that spells out our semi-intended itinerary, and a meal-planning list so that there is hopefully minimal amounts of food that will need to be composted prior to us leaving.
As I’ve said before, its two years since we last went to New Zealand, and it will be our very first extended leave away from the Farm, since we bought it.
And I’m freaking out just a wee bit! 😐
Its such a double-dilemma for me personally…
New Zealand is my soul-home.
It is where I belong.
It is where my insides quieten, and my heart feels full.
Had Life panned out differently, we would currently be nestled in our home at Okiato, overlooking Opua Harbour right now…but that didn’t pan out – so compromises had to be made, and dreams re-developed.
Now – we have our beautiful Farm, nestled in the foothills of the Carrington Ranges – and we live in a small 63m2 (678ft2) home that we’re in the process of converting from a machinery shed.
And I love our Home and Farm fiercely!
They too, now feed my soul and fill my heart…
The Farm is my haven.
Its where my soul gets replenished when the rest of ‘life’ drains me.
Its my safe place.
Its where no-one judges me.
It is where I grow food to nourish our bodies while the serenity nourishes my mind and spirit.
Because of this, there is a part of me doesn’t want to go away and leave them, for what feels like soooo long!
I know…. first world problems right?! 😐
So – I’m more than a tad angsty right now.
The list-making helps me feel more in control of that – and I keep reminding myself that I’m going to my soul-home for a while so we can both rest, relax, regroup and reconnect – I’m not leaving our Farm, never to return!
I am going somewhere special to spend time with someone special.
I am going to go and make memories to hold deep in my heart.
I’m going ‘home’ for a little while… And we’ll be back wrapped in the safety of our gorgeous serene Farm before we even know it, wondering how on earth the time passed so damn quick!
What’s not to love, with the changing of the colours of the trees signalling the changing of the seasons.
THIS is what we’re off to spend time soaking up…
Theres noooo business like snowwwww business….!
The most gorgeous scenery in the entire world.
i’m DONE!
Ready to cheer me on?
I told you a week or two ago in the smoking gun post, that I was going to do it – and now here I am!!
As of last night – I am a non-smoker.
A former smoker, an ex-smoker – call it what you will.
But as of when I went to bed last night – I am deciding to not stick another cigarette in my mouth.
I’ve said this before – and I’ve caved in.
Not because I’ve particularly wanted one, and certainly not because I’ve needed one, but because I have stupidly succumbed to ‘peer pressure’ (real or imagined!) and have taken it back up again – mostly because my Love has continued smoking.
This time can not be the same as previous times.
This time it won’t be.
Because this time I’m not “giving up” anything.
The fact is that I won’t be ‘giving up’ – I’ll be gaining!
Gaining back my life, gaining back finances, gaining back some health, gaining back the ability to breathe more freely, gaining back time!
Most people don’t realise how much time that smoking sucks out of the day.
And I fully believe that thats why a lot of people restart – simply because they don’t know what to do with all the time they suddenly find on their hands – and they’ve done nothing in the lead-up to stopping smoking, to ensure that they have strategies in place to combat the feeling of ‘what do i do with myself now‘….!
Personally, I’ve spent the last two weeks working out how I will combat those moments when I’d usually go for a ciggie – because all it is, is habit!
Its a habit to have one after a meal, its a habit to have one with my coffee, its a habit to have one with a glass of wine, its a habit to have one when on the phone, its a habit to have one before bed …… every.single.stupid.cigarette is a habit.
An idiotic lethally toxic habit that is poisoning our bodies, and sending us ever more quickly closer to the grave…
But ya know what?
Not any more!
I’m done!
Feel free to cheer for me – cos I sure am 😀 😀 😀
I’m DONE with the Monster on my back!
The breakfast of a champion non-smoker
progress
I’ve spent my “free-time Friday” this week, moving furniture around a bit within our little home.
I’ve now made room for my writing desk to go into our living room space so that it will front on to the big glass doors, which means I’ll now have a lovely view of our garden to look out on when I write, instead of only being able to see the top of the trees – which was my previous view from the dining room table – due to me being ‘horizontally challenged’ 😀
I love our garden so much – and love to take my laptop outside to write, when the weather is being kind – but of late its either been blisteringly hot, or pouring with rain – and as we don’t yet have a covered outdoor area, it means I am confined to indoors during those times.
Right now, we don’t use our lounge-room area a whole lot – its more of a winter area for us in the evenings; but when I’m home alone, I’ll often use the area for reading, otherwise it doesn’t get a lot of traffic – so I’ve been looking at ways to re-jig it, so that it not only gets more use, but is a more practical space for us.
And what better way to do that than to incorporate my writing desk into the area!
I have also been keeping a look-out at the tip-shop and the second-hand shops for a day-bed, which I will put along the wall that currently houses a huuuuuuge lounge-chair and a chest of drawers.
The drawers will move to the next wall over, and the lounge-chair will probably be sold.
We don’t use the lounge-chair, and rarely have visitors who would use it – so its just being a space-sucker!
(although our puppies may disagree with my opinions on this particular piece of furniture)
Its all a work in progress, and today I’m loving’ the progress I’ve made! 🙂
My lovely calm writing space.
You can see the view I have, in the title Image for this post 🙂
you’re not a burden
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The fact that you’re struggling doesn’t make you a burden.
It doesn’t make you unlovable or undesirable or undeserving of care.
It doesn’t make you too much or too sensitive or too needy…It makes you human.
Everyone struggles.
Everyone has a difficult time coping, and at times, we all fall apart.
During these times, we aren’t always easy to be around — and that’s okay.
No one is easy to be around one hundred percent of the time.
Yes, you may sometimes be unpleasant or difficult.
And yes, you may sometimes do or say things that make the people around you feel helpless or sad.
But those things aren’t all of who you are and they certainly don’t discount your worth as a human being.
The truth is that you can be struggling and still be loved.
You can be difficult and still be cared for.
You can be less than perfect, and still be deserving of compassion and kindness…
15 nuggets
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1. You are not your body and your body is not you but you best look after each other anyway.
You might be together for a while.
2. You’ll never have more potential than you do right now, so find a way to use more of what you’ve got.
3. You think too much.
4. It’s not a time issue.
It’s a how-you-manage-your-time issue.
5. You’ll never be perfect, so aim for better.
6. You’ll never live in the future or the past, so find a way to be happy in the now.
7. Your beliefs, standards and rules will change over time so don’t get too self-righteous about your current ones.
8. Life doesn’t get better, you do.
Life is life – it will happen to you, around you and despite you.
It’s your job to get better in the middle of it all.
9. Your body is not the problem.
It’s the consequence.
10. You’ll never find yourself in things.
So stop looking there.
11. Even though you might not feel it, think it, believe it or hear it, you are good enough.
12. Your happiness works from the inside-out.
Not the other way around.
13. Things only have the meaning you give them.
Every day, you get to create your own reality.
So choose your labels wisely.
14. Nobody can take your power but you can give it away.
Master your fear and you’ll master your life.
15. Real success is not about what you earn, own, achieve or win but who you become along the way.