Gosh, I last posted when it was still summer. Officially we switched to Autumn on the 1st of March, but I choose to follow the seasonal switch over with the equinox/Mabon on 21st March, so a few more days yet even if Autumn did actually feel like it abruptly arrived last week.
~Firewood is all ordered and stacked.
~Winter sheets are making their way onto the kids beds.
~Winter duvet has been added to our bed.
~Longer layers are being worn by me most days (although the late afternoons still seem to be heating up quite nicely).
~Harvesting the pumpkins is almost upon us and the courgettes and strawberries have pretty much done their dash.
What else?
I've embarked on exercise in the past week! Wowwee. I am (was?) so very unfit. I've never been much of an exerciser despite knowing I should for general health. I've always been fortunate that I can "get away with it" because I seem to have a naturally high metabolism and don't carry weight (well, until the past year, now that I'm in my late 30's it doesn't quite work that way). However, the weight is creeping on as every year passes and I've been feeling unfit. So I've been out power walking in the mornings before Simon heads off to work and it is working out well as well as really enjoying the invigorating start to my day and observing our neighbourhood awaken for the day. Will be interesting to see how I go over winter when the pull of staying under the warm covers will challenge me.
Anyone else been listening to the interviews on WISHsummit.com as part of International Women's Day? I've been really enjoying them and look forward to my time in the evening when I can sit down after the kids are in bed, pop on the headphones and take it all in (although have found myself being blissfully talked to sleep a few times - not due to the speaker I don't think, but just being so relaxed!).
I found one interview particularly powerful and have been able to achieve instant results. It seems too simple and almost insignificant to think about what the speaker said and is called her key tip for success or similar.
I have been wanting to cut back my mindless computer time over the past few years for many reasons and one being that there are so many other great things I'd rather be doing, but for some reason keep on hitting the old refresh button lol.
Anyway, in the talk about Following your Passions, Janet Bray Attwood spoke of identifying your top 5 (or 10?) passions. So for me it would be spending quality time with Simon and the kids, reading good books, gardening, further learning about herbal medicine, reading inspirational books, crafting, exercise....to name a few! The key tip is that everything we decide to do is a
choice (yes, I know, nothing astounding there)...so every time I might think about sitting at the computer (doing something that doesn't rate right up there on my list of goals) I need to make a conscious choice "is this getting me closer to following my passions?". Pretty simple, but seems to be the approach I need to take and already I have noticed a difference in the amount of things I am achieving in my day along with quality time spent with others or the amount of quality "me" time I am getting (in the form of reading those good books, crafting, exercise, gardening) and how much less mindless time I am spending on the computer. And life just feels so much more fulfilling!
