Not only did we lose the rugby, Lewis Hamilton didn't get the F1 title (this time), and infinitely more importantly, I lost my beloved Uncle Chris. I've really run the gamut of emotion over the last 2 days, horror, shock, nausea, hurt, anger, helplessness, and all those horrible ones. But also over-riding it all, love.
Love for my uncle. Love for my family. Love for life.
Are you appreciating how precious life is? How precious your loved ones are?
With love
Donna.x
Monday, October 22, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Swing Low, Sweet ...
Rugby fans among you will recognise the reference above - yes, it's World Cup Final day and the England rugby team, against all odds and expectations will be defending their title. For me, it is another opportunity to gnaw through my fingernails, hide behind the sofa (as I did 4 years ago...I couldn't bear to watch!!!) and, I hope, cheer myself hoarse.
Now, you know me, I see signs and inspirations in the most mundane of places. Lessons, if you like...although that just shows the limit of language because 'lesson' implies something painful, boring, harsh. When actually these lessons are wonderful - helping us to navigate the world in which we live. Anyway, the 'lesson' (if anyone has a better word, please let me know!) from the England rugby team?
Persistence. Heart. Refusal to let past results influence their future. Continuing with confidence despite harsh criticism. Everyone expected them to go out in the group stages. They didn't. Everyone expected Australia to wallop them. They didn't. Everyone expected France to annihilate them. They didn't. Despite negative expectation, criticism and poor results, they are in the world cup final for the second time in a row.
Ooh, the anticipation! Now, at this stage anything is possible... including me starting smoking again if they make it as nervy as the last 2 games! Put this is the context of your life: do you continue despite 'failures', do you ignore negative expectation and criticism and carry on regardless, do you bounce back again and again and again until you are in the position where anything is possible?
Love 'em or loathe 'em, you have got to admire them...and perhaps even be slightly inspired by them?
Love
Donna.x
PS COME ON ENGLAND!
Now, you know me, I see signs and inspirations in the most mundane of places. Lessons, if you like...although that just shows the limit of language because 'lesson' implies something painful, boring, harsh. When actually these lessons are wonderful - helping us to navigate the world in which we live. Anyway, the 'lesson' (if anyone has a better word, please let me know!) from the England rugby team?
Persistence. Heart. Refusal to let past results influence their future. Continuing with confidence despite harsh criticism. Everyone expected them to go out in the group stages. They didn't. Everyone expected Australia to wallop them. They didn't. Everyone expected France to annihilate them. They didn't. Despite negative expectation, criticism and poor results, they are in the world cup final for the second time in a row.
Ooh, the anticipation! Now, at this stage anything is possible... including me starting smoking again if they make it as nervy as the last 2 games! Put this is the context of your life: do you continue despite 'failures', do you ignore negative expectation and criticism and carry on regardless, do you bounce back again and again and again until you are in the position where anything is possible?
Love 'em or loathe 'em, you have got to admire them...and perhaps even be slightly inspired by them?
Love
Donna.x
PS COME ON ENGLAND!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Listening to the Signals
I was chatting to my Dad today - he isn't very well, so he stayed in bed this morning and feels a bit better (nothing serious, just this blasted bug that's going around). By contrast, my mom hasn't been feeling well for a week or more...and has been to work as normal, and is now doing the weekly shop because, and I quote "I feel like sh*t so I'm getting it out of the way".
Notice the difference - dad took time off and feels better...mom didn't and still feels pants. Anyone reckon this sends a clear message? And yet for many of us, it's difficult to rest when we don't feel well. After all, the world will fall apart without us, right? Not. Eventually, your body will get bored of hinting, and will go full out 'you must rest' and collapse on you!
Interestingly (well, to me!) I have a mix of the two...I want to rest so I do a little bit of resting and a little bit of working. It doesn't work too well though! My theory is that like everything else in life, every day I get a little better at hearing the signals!
The weekend cometh, what signals is your body giving you?
Love
Donna.x
Notice the difference - dad took time off and feels better...mom didn't and still feels pants. Anyone reckon this sends a clear message? And yet for many of us, it's difficult to rest when we don't feel well. After all, the world will fall apart without us, right? Not. Eventually, your body will get bored of hinting, and will go full out 'you must rest' and collapse on you!
Interestingly (well, to me!) I have a mix of the two...I want to rest so I do a little bit of resting and a little bit of working. It doesn't work too well though! My theory is that like everything else in life, every day I get a little better at hearing the signals!
The weekend cometh, what signals is your body giving you?
Love
Donna.x
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Oh, the Irony
You know yesterday I was saying 'let life unfold'? Well, guess what I've been trying to do today?Oh yes - pushing, forcing, making things happen. On a small scale. With myself. I've been trying to 'make' myself be productive, when all I feel like doing is...well, nothing that is particularly 'productive' (this of course depends entirely on your point of view!). So, I've been fannying around for England today.
You know, sometimes, even though you KNOW that there is a better way of doing things, you do things the 'old' way. And the more you see what you are doing, the more you question it (gently!), the more you notice what's going on, the easier it is to change. I would love to say that I never push myself to do anything...but it's just not true! On days when I don't feel 100%, I do push, because otherwise I think I won't get anything done.
(I'm wrong by the way - I will get things done if I just let myself get on with it instead of micro-managing and getting hysterical!) And I'm better than I was. A year ago, it would have take me 8 hours at my desk to realise that this strategy ain't working. 3 years ago, it would have taken me a week. Today, it took a couple of hours. And then enlightenment dawned - there is a better way. Let life unfold instead of pushing.
Seems I said that somewhere before? Did you need the reminder too?
Love
Donna.x
You know, sometimes, even though you KNOW that there is a better way of doing things, you do things the 'old' way. And the more you see what you are doing, the more you question it (gently!), the more you notice what's going on, the easier it is to change. I would love to say that I never push myself to do anything...but it's just not true! On days when I don't feel 100%, I do push, because otherwise I think I won't get anything done.
(I'm wrong by the way - I will get things done if I just let myself get on with it instead of micro-managing and getting hysterical!) And I'm better than I was. A year ago, it would have take me 8 hours at my desk to realise that this strategy ain't working. 3 years ago, it would have taken me a week. Today, it took a couple of hours. And then enlightenment dawned - there is a better way. Let life unfold instead of pushing.
Seems I said that somewhere before? Did you need the reminder too?
Love
Donna.x
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
You Can't Force It
Another day, another cheesy film to learn from! This particular film is one of those 'new york gal' vs 'cowboy' films...the title is irrelevant. The point that caught my eye was when the leading lady was telling her New York boyfriend that she couldn't marry him because he only proposed under duress. "If you really wanted to do this, I wouldn't have to deliver ultimatums...you'd just have done it. I don't want you to wake up in 5 years on the realisation that you never wanted this." (if anyone knows the film, I've paraphrased!)
Anyway, this got me thinking - how often do we force an issue? You know, 'make things happen', deliver ultimatums (to ourselves even), push through the obstacles. And when we're forcing an issue, is that the right thing to do? Maybe the fact that there are obstacles is telling? What if what was meant to happen happened? And the other stuff didn't. And what if we allowed that to be ok?
Now, this is not a call to inaction. I do not mean 'do nothing'. I mean follow your INSPIRATION. Not your ego. You know the difference - ego says 'I must have that...now, now, now, more, more, more, push, force, break'; inspiration says 'this is what will happen - in its right place and time. No need to worry.'
What would change if you allowed your life to unfold instead of 'making it happen'?
Love
Donna.x
Anyway, this got me thinking - how often do we force an issue? You know, 'make things happen', deliver ultimatums (to ourselves even), push through the obstacles. And when we're forcing an issue, is that the right thing to do? Maybe the fact that there are obstacles is telling? What if what was meant to happen happened? And the other stuff didn't. And what if we allowed that to be ok?
Now, this is not a call to inaction. I do not mean 'do nothing'. I mean follow your INSPIRATION. Not your ego. You know the difference - ego says 'I must have that...now, now, now, more, more, more, push, force, break'; inspiration says 'this is what will happen - in its right place and time. No need to worry.'
What would change if you allowed your life to unfold instead of 'making it happen'?
Love
Donna.x
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Serenity Principle
Dear God - I can't believe it was 28th September when I last wrote! It seems like only last week, and yet so much has happened in the meantime! My holiday was lovely, thank you. Very relaxing, chilled and sunny!!!
And despite the fact that I love what I do, I didn't want to leave my holiday. I didn't want to come back to work. I didn't want to come back to this country. I wanted to stay there in the sunshine, watching the sun set over the ocean every night, and waking up to blue skies and high temperatures every day! Yes, I got the post-holiday blues! Nothing like the 'bad old days' when I wanted to throw myself under a train rather than come back though, so that's progress!
This time I know that it's not drastic measures that are needed, it is small things that need to be honoured - the things that are really important in life. They're not about what you do, or have, but about who you are. While on holiday, my friend told me that I was serene. Once I stopped laughing, I realised that sometimes, I am serene. Certainly in comparison with myself 10 years ago, I am serene. This serenity comes from a confidence, a freedom, a joy, a love for life...and a deep knowing that all is exactly as it should be.
Even when I think that it should be sitting on the rocks watching the sun go down! I don't need to be there doing that to honour that serenity principle...I just need to remember that serenity is important to me, and find ways of encouraging serenity.
Would you like to join me in honouring the serenity principle?
Love
Donna.x
And despite the fact that I love what I do, I didn't want to leave my holiday. I didn't want to come back to work. I didn't want to come back to this country. I wanted to stay there in the sunshine, watching the sun set over the ocean every night, and waking up to blue skies and high temperatures every day! Yes, I got the post-holiday blues! Nothing like the 'bad old days' when I wanted to throw myself under a train rather than come back though, so that's progress!
This time I know that it's not drastic measures that are needed, it is small things that need to be honoured - the things that are really important in life. They're not about what you do, or have, but about who you are. While on holiday, my friend told me that I was serene. Once I stopped laughing, I realised that sometimes, I am serene. Certainly in comparison with myself 10 years ago, I am serene. This serenity comes from a confidence, a freedom, a joy, a love for life...and a deep knowing that all is exactly as it should be.
Even when I think that it should be sitting on the rocks watching the sun go down! I don't need to be there doing that to honour that serenity principle...I just need to remember that serenity is important to me, and find ways of encouraging serenity.
Would you like to join me in honouring the serenity principle?
Love
Donna.x
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