Forward

I've been taking a good hard look at some things today and it's time to make a couple of changes. Again.

Last night I felt like I was dragging the world around on my shoulders - and perhaps I was, mentally. But there are things that deserve to be worried about, and there are those that all the worrying in the world won't solve. The latter only manage to drain your energy and drag you down. But life is too short to be dragged down or drained. It is meant to be lived with vigour and "lewenslus", joy and appreciation of every precious moment.

Too much worry has meant I miss out on some very special moments - on time spent with Favourite Man and my son, on a relishing of good things and counting my blessings.

It's not to say that I can blissfully skip through life and ignore things that only I can sort out, things that need to be tackled head-on and fixed, but it does mean that I should not let them rule my life nor take control of me.

Over the past few months I've adjusted some of my habits and ways of thinking to grow and change for the better. I've settled in more deeply to life, to love, to hope and joy. But at the same time I've found myself facing challenges that want to take that away - or at least sap the enjoyment of them until they're mere reflections of happiness. No more. I cannot allow it. Challenges with parenting my son, challenges with finances, challenges with my lack of knowledge or understanding when it comes to doing certain things, challenges with spreading myself across multiple areas of responsibility - those cannot get the upper hand. Instead I'll revel in the constants - the fact that I am loved (which amazes me daily), the beauty of where I live (which I don't appreciate enough), the thrill of driving the coolest Land Rover ever (with some seriously amazing custom-made bits), the positive challenge of working toward an incredible future (and becoming so much more than I was).

Along the way there are tweaks of attitude, tweaks of lifestyle, tweaks of habit that need to happen. These are what I'm pondering today.

I'm a firm believer in preventative maintenance. Especially when it comes to how I cope. What I choose to do today (what I eat, drink, how I move, how I rest) will affect what I can accomplish tomorrow. If I let myself get dehydrated or eat the wrong foods, I'll feel it later - whether it's hours or days. Today I've ditched one habit and am feeling better for it. I'm stopping myself every time I start doing another that's stress-triggered. 21 days they say, to change a habit...

I'll be heading home today with eyes re-opened to my many blessings, and with determination to do what I can for those I love to make their lives wonderful. No more living in my head while I could be enjoying their company.

And the next time I see that awesome sunrise over the mountains while commuting? I'm stopping - camera in hand. There may not be a "next time".

There are many other little bits getting a re-look today. But I'd rather be doing them than blogging them. :-)

Here's to life. Lived.