A Cold, Mental Health Day

While the temperature drops outside, my family remains inside – we are all still recovering from winter illnesses (but who isn’t).

With this cold weather, I deemed yesterday to be a ‘mental health day’.  A day when I allow myself to remain in PJ’s all day.  A day when playing, drawing and having fun with our Little One, is the only item on my to do list.

A large saved cardboard box was brought inside, to be made into a kid’s cubby.  Our Little One played inside while the white fluffy ‘crocodiles’ kept guard outside.

I savour these days – these ‘young’ days are fleeting.

Winter Solstice PJ Party

This weekend gone, marked the passing of the Winter Solstice.  Now slowly the days will become longer however not necessarily warmer. Generally the coldest winter days occur after the solstice.

Usually Sundays are family fun days and getting into the garden days or numerous outside project days – but not this Sunday.  Instead we celebrated the winter solstice in our PJ’s watching cartoons.  Everyone in the family had a winter illness and of course being in your PJ’s always makes things better.

Thankyou to my husband who snuck this photograph – a candid Sunday family portrait in my two different PJ’s.  Did you notice that?

In times like these I prefer to focus on what I am grateful for.  What One has, is more powerful than what One doesn’t have.

Daily Gratitude

May our lives never be too busy or too consuming, to not have space for gratitude.

Last night I was particularly grateful for a warm bath, a glass of red and a sleeping Little One.

The old expression ‘count your blessings’ has been paramount in maintaining my balance, perspective and health, in challenging times.

Unsustainable Distraction

From an early age, many have learnt to fear silence.  At the very least we are uncomfortable with stillness.

Lurking in the quietness are our regrets, pain and big questions regarding meaning and purpose.

Very quickly we learnt to avoid moments of stillness, quietness and especially silence.  Instead of self reflection to heal and advance, we use distraction to ‘cope’.

Majority of the world are living a life of distraction.  Ever moving, ever busy, ever buying, ever using, ever consuming – ever distracting themselves from important truths and lessons that can only be found being still, quiet and silent.

This perhaps is the reason many environmentally minded souls I have met, are also deeply spiritual, self reflecting and self aware.  In the pursuit of caring about their environmental impact, distraction is reduced – giving the opportunity to finally answer those questions and face those demons. 

Humanity’s hunger and need for distraction is not sustainable – for individuals, humanity or our environment.

Protecting Personal Energy and Passion

Recently I was asked for a brief written history of the Green Square Growers  (the inner City Sydney, community garden group I co-foundered years ago).

Here is an excerpt:

“In all we do, we seek a balance of fun and joy – only doing what makes us and the community happy and what is wanted and supported.  This has ensured our longevity – protecting our personal energy and passion.”

The older I get, the better custodian of my own energy I become.  Also better at early detection of when my life is out of balance – when more energy is being taken or given, in comparison to what is given back or received.

Far too many times I see those with passionate motives to make a positive difference, burn out.  How much more could they or we achieve for good, if we placed ‘balance’ as a priority for our lives.

This post is influenced by my own recent reminder of the importance of energy, joy and balance.

Growing Your Own Food, if you Only Have 20 Minutes

The girl who returns from the garden is never the same girl who entered the garden – my stress is always swapped for tranquility.

If I have even a spare 20 minutes, it isn’t unusual to find me in the garden.

Here is what I got up to yesterday with a spare 20 minutes and any some space in our garden.  I love to pop into the soil single stakes to plant purple peas and sugar snap peas (or beans during summer).  Sometimes joining the stakes at the top to form a tepee but often just leaving the stake to stand alone (like a sad country western song).

My simple gardening philosophy is, if I continually and regularly plant seeds, then I will always have food to harvest from the garden.

Even just 20 minutes in the garden benefits my mind and body – growing good food and eating good food.

Thankyou to Those Who Told Me it’s Impossible

This is a hard post to write, as it has the potential of sounding sarcastic.  However I am genuinely grateful.

Almost three years ago I set a secret and private goal for myself.  Only my husband knew my intentions and was fully supportive.

Despite my goal being private, numerous comments have been made as to why I could never achieve such a milestone. “Sarhn you need to embrace the reality” and “forget it as it’s just too hard”.

I chose to keep quiet with such comments, to ensure my goal wasn’t revealed and hence safe from judgment and further negativity. Instead I would silently repeat in my head:

Impossible is just your opinion but it isn’t mine.  So don’t tell me that it is just reality – reality doesn’t know what I know.

Comments were often said with good intentions or had nothing to do with me – people projecting and transferring their fears, experiences and beliefs onto me. Realising this offers freedom.  Freedom from anger, freedom from being influenced and freedom from caring about what is said.

Last week I achieved my goal.  The same goal others said was impossible or just too hard.

Yes I did a victory, happy dance. Yes I am proud of myself – for believing I determine my own reality.   However my strongest emotion today is gratefullness.

Thankyou for all the limiting and negative opinions, beliefs and comments – they actuated and fuelled my desire for success.

I am not sure if you can remove all negativity from your life but ultimately, you always have control on what you do with it – accept it, reject it or maybe even change it into a source of motivation.