As a child I was frequently admonished for being ungrateful. My mother told me often how good I had it because I wasn’t born during the war (WWII) and that I should be grateful we had food and a roof over our head. In later years, our GP, the ‘family doctor,’ echoed this sentiment when he suggested how fortunate I was and how grateful I should be for studying at university at a young age rather than having to wait for years as he had, and once again because of ‘that war.’

And of course, there was much – and then some – to be appreciated. I remember the sun streaming in through the curtains one Easter morning, bringing the promise of Spring and warmer weather and Easter eggs. And even though I was ashamed and embarrassed at first, I appreciated and loved my godfather for pointing out my competitiveness in a board game. Nobody else had gone to the trouble and I would never forget.  Continue reading “Appreciation or Gratitude?” →

Recently a young woman spoke to me about her need to go for a walk to get back to herself after a big night out on the weekend, getting home at 3am. I was also planning to walk my sixty-eight year-old body, with the intention to enjoy myself on a pristine beach, feeling lovely.

Her situation reminded me of times past when, as a young woman, I went out to get drunk or escape from the stress I was feeling, or sometimes to party for the sake of it. As I age, I am made so aware of how I lived my younger life and how my body now carries all that I have lived, and how I have lived – the drive, the anxiousness, the overworked body. Continue reading “Our Past Catches Up With Us, Eventually” →

Years ago I attended a talk where the presenter spoke about taking one thing in our lives and making it consistent: a thing that we choose to do every day, and then build on this. That day I chose to start by folding my face washer and placing it either over the taps or now on a holder in our new home.

In the four years since I started this I have consistently folded my face washer every day. It is something that I have not faltered on, but in that time I have not built on other things with so much commitment… or that is what I thought. Continue reading “Building Consistency” →