Space Invaders

On By nopassingfancyIn Life1 Comment

I saw this quote the other day, and thought it too beautiful to NOT share…


It obviously refers more to inner peace 😉 Which, by definition, (thanks, Wikipedia) is ‘a deliberate state of psychological or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors’.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could tell you that I have inner peace every moment of every day? I mean, it would be great! But I can’t tell you that! Ha ha! 😛
I can tell you that for the most part I do! In fact, sometimes it attaches itself to my person to the extent that someone will comment on it, and ask me, ”How do you have this much peace radiating from you?”
I blush, I feel awkward, and then I shrug my shoulders and say, ”I don’t know”.

Because I don’t.

I’ve researched it, and looked through the lists – all the guidelines on how to achieve inner peace. I don’t even do half the things they mention! So, how do I have this peace? Your guess is as good as mine!

I do know that I try my best to live in the present, and BE present; I practice a positive mindset as much as possible – focusing in on hope, but at the same time I am still a realist; I’m pretty good with deducing what I can and can’t control… and accepting either way… most of the time 😛 ; I’m definitely far less judgmental than I was 20 years ago – I can’t say I don’t judge at all, because, well… I’m human (insert eye roll here 😛 ); and I’ve been told my attitude of gratitude is annoying! 😛

My outer peace remains challenged with the space invaders still causing construction chaos!
I was excited on Friday, knowing that all the major work was done.
And then I started noticing things over the weekend… and then more things…
I was asked to draw up a snag list…
And my heart just sank.
Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that little care had been taken when it came to the finer work – and all that mess needs to be undone and redone.
Today is Tuesday, and we are still finding things that need to be added to the growing snag list. For every thing that can be crossed off, there are two more added.
Sigh. A deep one. (At least this is helping me practice good breathing 😛 )

And then my car broke. Yes, I am not joking. It did.
And there was a big problem with a mains cable outside somewhere in the main electrical box (the one that feeds my house its electricity) that was burning and needed replacing – not MY responsibility, thank goodness!
Plus, my body seems to be fighting off something – I’ll keep fighting because there is NO way I can get sick now! Ha!

I feel as if I truly am living surrounded by noise, trouble and hard work! I’m definitely in the midst of those things.
Sadly, I am not at peace ALL the time – my inner child has apparently NOT forgotten how to throw tantrums in my head 😛
But she is quickly reprimanded when something good happens because somebody steps up and rescues me in a way. Little things, and big things… lengthy moments, and brief ones.
But EVERY thing makes me smile and a small flutter of hope beats along with my heart! ❤

When the working day is done, I bid them farewell and lock up behind them, knowing I will have to see them again ‘tomorrow’. BUT! In that moment? I pause, breathe deeply and smile. Because there is just peace – outward and inward.
During the course of the evening, my thoughts sometimes drift to having to do it all again the next day, and there’s a sense of dread. My inner child stamps her foot angrily.
And I find myself having to ‘stop and think about what I am thinking about’!
I haven’t quite achieved being happy about having to ‘rinse and repeat’ this particular cycle. 😛
But I am still sleeping very well at night, so I don’t think my inner peace is feeling TOO disturbed.
Not yet anyway! 😛

How’s YOUR week going, blogging friends?

Living in Construction Chaos

On By nopassingfancyIn Life1 Comment

It’s pretty much how I feel I have been living for the past 17 days. And it looks like it may continue this way for another 7 days! And I’m not even having any actual construction work done! Well not really, anyway!
Pretty much everything is being dampproofed and painted – including the security gates and bars on the windows!
They are also extending the current drainage system in order to make it more effective, ie. a better system to keep water away from my house!

There’s a lot of noise, but not necessarily in the form of a relentless clatter of machinery. There’s been a bit, but it’s been tolerable. The guys on site (at my house 😛 ) sing and talk and listen to their own music. Nothing annoying at all, however.
And they’re a good bunch.

But I’m not liking this ongoing invasion of my personal space! Ha ha! They really seem to be ‘all over the place’. The only room in the house that is ever free for more than an hour is my son’s room. But he’s working in there, (application development) so he wouldn’t take too kindly to Mom camping out in HIS space 😛

In all honesty though, the thing that is bothering me the most (all these fumes coming in a close second) is the dust! I don’t even know how it found its way to some surfaces! Everything feels gritty… even breathing! I’m considering adding ‘dust sculptor’ to my resume! Navigating the rooms in my house is also starting to feel like an Olympic sport… I guess I didn’t realise I had so much ‘junk’ till it was all shoved to the middle of each room! Ha!

And, due to all of the above, I can now confirm from personal experience : Living in Clutter and General Untidiness is DEFINITELY not good for your Mental Health!
It really does cause extra stress and anxiety, tension and irritability. AND it affects productivity – talk about being unfocused, sheesh!
I’m actually really looking forward to getting back to what I call ‘my organised chaos’! Ha ha!

But in all the negative emotions I have been experiencing, I’ve also had the opportunity to be kind and compassionate. These guys are working hard, and all these fumes are ‘up close and personal’ for them. There have been days where they have had to dig and cement etc outside with the blazing sun on them and a hot wind blowing. I’ve offered up refrigerated water in those times, and yesterday and today I passed around apples, because we are heading into Winter, and there is a very bad flu going around here at present. Two of them have gone off sick already.
I’m not doing much, but at least I am trying to make a small difference. And that is always better than doing nothing at all!

And then I got this quote this morning, and smiled because it is so very true. So I’ll end my post with this :

Waste not, want not…

On By nopassingfancyIn Life, Mommy stuff9 Comments

Did you know….

When the pandemic hit, the thing I noticed the most on social media was the sudden enlightened understanding that LIFE IS SHORT!
Post-pandemic it would appear that many have forgotten how they felt then. And, even worse, I am noticing an increase in selfishness.
And with this increase in self focus (not in order to grow, but instead because ‘it’s all about me’) I have also become extremely aware that many seem to be honing in on ‘productivity’.

This, in itself, is not a bad thing. It IS important to have drive – to BE productive, and feel as if you have used the time you were given in a day efficiently. However….

Somebody messaged me at lunchtime the other day and asked me how my morning had been. This person knew that I had quite a lot on my plate at that particular time, and I suppose they were checking in to find out how far I was with all the things that needed doing.
Well, suffice to say, I had not gotten very far! I HAD made a start, by searching for a particular document… and then I had found the baby albums of my two grown children, and had spent a couple of hours looking at pictures, reading snippets, and lost in thought as both of those brought fond memories to mind. I relayed this to the person, and I was a little hurt at the response.
”Good grief, Meg! Stop wasting time! You’ve got shit to do!”

Granted, I did.
And knowing myself like I do, when I don’t get things accomplished, I start to feel frustrated.
Even if I only get one thing on my list done in an entire day, I will feel as if at least the entire day has not been a waste. As if I have at least done something productive.
But there’s that word again : waste.

Was that particular morning when my heart overflowed with joy, and I sat giggling on the floor like an idiot, a waste? I suppose that, as is the case with most things (success, love, honesty etc) it’s all about how we measure it – wasted time, that is.

I’m definitely harder on myself than what I am on others. And I have to admit that there is always that thought that springs to mind : you’re wasting time here!
But my brain is in training, and that thought is always answered by another (because I don’t just answer myself out loud, sometimes I do it in my head too 😛 ) :

Remember how important it is to be present, in this moment, and this time and space. Cherish the opportunity to laugh, and to smile. Embrace the relaxation. See it as a momentary practice of self care – possibly even an inspiration for creativity!
Remember the balance, Meg! True fulfillment is not just obtained via reaching goals and ticking items off your list! You need to remember the joy of just being! ❤

All these selfs!

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I don’t remember now how old she was (but I have blogged it in the past)… I think my daughter was around the age of 12 when I looked over at her one day, laughing, and said, ‘’You’re such a weirdo!’’
And she smiled and replied, ‘’And I embrace my weirdness!’’
Later that evening, as I pondered that moment, the expression ‘out of the mouth of babes’ came to mind. Because how wonderful if we could all just embrace ourselves, just as we are, and embrace others too!
Yes, growing is important. Yes, we should try to improve ourselves.
But (and I don’t know about you) I don’t feel like I am in a position to move forward when my mind is on a continuous loop of self criticism. It’s only when I embrace myself – quirks and flaws and all – that I can feel almost liberated enough to change the things I can.


In the words of Oscar Wilde : ‘’Be yourself; everyone else is taken!’’

I was rather surprised to find that self-acceptance is different to self-esteem.
Who knew that all these self things could send you down a variety of rabbit holes with all their names!
(And when it comes to rabbit holes, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for – credit U2 here 😉 )

Dr. Charlotte Markey is a body image researcher, and an author, and she gives this example to help differentiate between the two :
“Self-esteem is feeling good about yourself, whereas self-acceptance is being at peace with yourself. The terms seem analogous to body positivity versus body neutrality.”
I was almost relieved.
I struggle with self-esteem. A lot more than I probably should. There are valid reasons, but I still fight to claim it back day after day! It becomes frustrating, and is very disheartening when my lack of self esteem seems to have won, yet again. I don’t stop fighting though 😉
So I was happy to find that I don’t struggle as much with self-acceptance! I’m quite happy to greet ALL of me with bravery, and some compassion – to acknowledge my genuine faults and love myself despite them. (And I say genuine faults because unfortunately I often carry things I really shouldn’t because they are NOT my burden to bear. But that’s a whole other blog post!)

I’ve also reached a point of truly knowing myself – and after this many years, you’d think I’d have reached it a lot sooner! 😛

Self-acceptance also has a lot to do with reality : accepting ALL realities – knowing what you can change, and what you can’t. Being better in order TO effect the changes; NOT being bitter about the things that can’t be changed.
And some days, reality sucks! Ha!

I’m of the opinion that self-acceptance is perhaps the key to making genuine connections with others too. Knowing who I am (even my bad bits 😛 😉 ) and being able to openly and honestly share them has often been met with much of the same and genuine friendships have been the rewarding result! ❤
Ultimately, I suppose that being able to embrace who you are is a journey of self-discovery and self-love. It’s about embracing ALL of you : your strengths and weaknesses, your passions and fears, and everything in between.
I’m not sure that I’ll ever fully let go of the need for approval from others – going back to that ‘another blog post entirely’ comment earlier – but I have accepted that part of me, and decided to just embrace the beautiful, imperfect, and unique person I am.

All that said, just in case this question is in your mind : Self-Acceptance does not, not even for a minute, mean that you stop growing. Quite the opposite, actually.
It makes you a superhero, of sorts 😉 because it unleashes a certain kind of power 😉
It helps us understand ourselves – who we are and where we are; what can be changed and what absolutely can’t – and helps us acknowledge our personal truths in a way that means that maybe…. just maybe…. we can ease up on ourselves a little and actually start working on problems, and improving ourselves, instead of wasting time judging ourselves because we aren’t perfect.


I’ll end with some fun! I saw a meme, and laughed out loud, because it’s part of my imperfection 😛

Repetitive Values from a movie!

On By nopassingfancyIn Life, Love2 Comments

My daughter recently asked me to explore an old folder on my drive in search of a particular photograph. It took me a really long time. Because I discovered way more than I had bargained for, sending me down so many memory lanes that I started feeling like I may need my passport in hand! 😛
It was, for the most part, a lot of fun. I plan on spending more time looking through that older folder! 😉

Midway through it, when I had found what I was looking for, I noticed a Word document – untitled. I opened it and discovered the beginnings of a very old blog post. A movie review, of sorts.
I stuck it somewhere in my head ‘for further review at a later stage’, and got busy with something else. I took a quick look at it this morning, and it made me smile. Another trip down a very special memory lane – especially since both my children are now adults!

Weekend afternoons used to be family movie times. My children knew that when 2pm rolled around, I was all theirs! And they’d have their two favourites lined up and waiting for Mom.
But, one rainy Saturday afternoon, I picked the movie! My precious friend, Tess, had bought it for the children and I. (Oh, I still miss her so very much!!! 😦 )
My son had everything ready by the time I settled between the two of them, under a blanket, holding a large bowl of popcorn. He pressed play, and our ‘small soul’ journey began!
We watched that same movie many times after that over the course of the next few months. And I know that both my ‘children’ watched it again (independently) a couple of years ago too! (As have I!) And it STILL impacts us, and teaches us, and inspires us!

The movie? The Ultimate Gift. (Based on the book by Jim Stovall) And watching it feels that way, every time! As if it’s a ‘priceless’ gift, containing all the best treasures!
Can you tell that I love this movie? Ha ha!
The IMDB synopsis says : A deceased billionaire leaves his spoiled adult grandson a series of odd tasks to perform in order to receive “the ultimate gift,” with the resentful grandson having no idea what that might be.

They don’t make it sound very watch worthy, do they? 😛

I say that yes, that synopsis IS correct… but there’s SO much more to it! It’s about a list that needs completing – a list of ‘gifts’ that will lead to the ultimate one!
A list compiled in the hopes that this young man will abandon his selfishness, and embark on a journey of discovery where he will gain insight and somehow find the things that truly matter! He definitely encounters some tough trials (and meets the most delightful little lady who teaches him some lessons too, ha ha!) but he learns the value of each gift along the way. Some examples? The Gift of Family, the Gift of Friends, the Gift of Problems, the Gift of Gratitude, the Gift of Laughter etc. (I don’t want to give too much away! 😉 )

It’s not brilliantly filmed, and the acting is not top notch. For the film critics out there.
But it was perfect for me and my little family. And it still is.

It’s a constant reminder for me to continue appreciating the value in each day, whatever that day brings! To laugh more! To be grateful! To keep on loving! To work hard! To give unselfishly! To cherish my friends!

It’s a feel good movie that will make you cry though! So best stock up on tissues beforehand!

And it’s a movie I hope my ‘adults’ will watch for many years to come, because all these things? These values? They’re worthy of repeating! ❤

New tricks hurt my head!

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MANY people tell me I’m too old for my age 😛 I’m going to go with the fact that it’s because I am maybe a little wiser than most of the people my age… it has nothing to do with the way I look! 😛 😉

And so this old dog is trying to learn some new tricks… and I have pretty much felt like this for the past week :


I’ve been down so many rabbit holes that I’m starting to feel like my name should be Alice!
I’ve felt a little more like the good old White Rabbit though! As if time is slipping away, and perhaps there is a very important something that I am supposed to be heading towards but find myself constantly late in actually FINDING it!

There are moments in the day where I feel like a champion! Coffee in hand, I conquer the confusion and celebrate a small win! ”Oh my gosh! I understand! I can do this!”
And then there are the moments where I’m a spectator, desperately cheering myself on, but sometimes having to just reassure my overworked brain that ‘it’s okay if you don’t get it! You’re not young anymore! It’s not about winning or losing, or even HOW you’re moving… it’s about finishing… even if you finish last!‘

And I’m not even that old 😮 😛

I have no idea how long it will take me to grasp these new tricks… or even if they’ll represent what can be considered a win.
AND YET… the fact that I am even trying something new? That I am willing to dive into an unfamiliar pond, and actually doggy paddle my way around no matter what the result? Is that not a form of a win in itself?

In the middle of all of these mental acrobatics, my body was put through a form of acrobatics itself on Monday! I had actually intended on writing this blog post on Monday!

Instead I found myself half calf deep in water, bucket in hand, scooping and sloshing to the nearest drain, as I desperately tried to stop the rushing water from continuing to access my neighbour’s house!

We get hail here. Two or three times a year. But Monday was my first experience with hail that size! I could almost picture the golfers grabbing their clubs and heading to the streets! Yes! They were golf ball size! And the heavy rain that came with it was absurd!
The entire storm lasted about twenty minutes.
The damage in its wake will take months to repair for many. 😦

I worked for a few hours in my neighbours driveway. I roped in one of the guys down the road too. And the neighbour arrived home midway and also jumped in. Water needed to be swept out of the house, and the garage. Crates needed to be brought out the garage, emptied, unpacked and their contents dried off. It was a heck of a day!
I then came home and tackled my own back area, which had drained itself by that time, but there was so much debris to be cleared!
I woke up yesterday hurting in places I’d forgotten I had muscles! Ha ha!

And in all the brain pain, and body pain, (I’m fine, by the way 😛 ) I find myself smiling at the many lessons that have been sent my way these last few days! (Some intentional, and some very much unplanned! Where did that weather come from??? 😮 )

I suppose that if we are willing we just never have to stop learning 😉

6 secrets to a healthy, successful life

On By nopassingfancyIn Life, Reading4 Comments

When I see articles, and blogposts, with these types of titles, the first response in my mind is : ”well, yes, sure… but how does the writer define health and success?” – or whichever word they are using.
The second thing my mind utters is, ”I wonder how exactly they learned these things… ”
Yes.. I can sometimes be a little bit too sceptical 😛

This morning it’s cold and raining – my favourite kind of weather! I did a coat of varnish on some crafting items waiting to be finished off, and while waiting for them to dry, I decided it was time to look through some emails! (You know the ones : not important, as such, so you decide to read them later, and then later forgets! Ha ha! I’m going with this though : I saved them for a rainy day 😛 😉 )

There was one, with the title of my post, hidden in the body of the email. BUT! This post title? It was preceded by the words : A 103-Year-Old’s
Wait, what?!?!? 😮

My mind didn’t even bother to do any of its usual questioning! Age brings wisdom… and if you’re 103, I definitely have a LOT to learn from you! 😉
The lady’s name is Dr. Gladys McGarey. She opened her first medical practice at a time when women were not even allowed to open bank accounts! 😮
While reading up on her as a doctor, and a mother of six, I found it so very interesting (and I smiled) that she co-founded the American Holistic Medical Association the very year I was born! 😉
The article I had received in my email was written after the release of her most recent book – which is now on my wish list 😉

As per the Amazon write up (linked under ‘her most recent book’) :

On these pages, Dr. McGarey shares her six actionable secrets to enjoying lives that are long, happy, and purpose-driven:

–Spend your energy wildly: How to embrace your life fully and feel motivated every day.
–All life needs to move: How to move—spiritually, mentally, and physically—to help let go of trauma and other roadblocks.
–You are here for a reason: How to find the everyday “juice” that helps you stay oriented in your life’s purpose.
–You are never alone: How to build a community that’s meaningful to you.
–Everything is your teacher: Discover the deep learnings that come from pain and setbacks.
–Love is the most powerful medicine: Learn to love yourself—and others—into healing.

I can’t say that I disagree with any of those six things. I may broach them differently, but I can definitely see how pursuing a life that encompasses all six – in whatever way – could be considered a life lived with purpose and fulfilment! ❤

And while I am not so sure that I myself would like to live to be 103-years-old, I do know that I would definitely like to embrace all six of these!

But the greatest of these, for me, is LOVE! I can tell you from personal experience that love, when given in its entirety (the way it is meant to be – non judgmentally, kindly, unselfishly, acceptingly etc) is most definitely a very powerful medicine!

May you all experience extra bits of love this week 😉


A complicated house plant!

On By nopassingfancyIn Life4 Comments

I have quite a few email subscriptions, to receive thoughts and notes and ‘stuff’ from a variety of ‘well known’ individuals to inspire me, encourage me, remind me, and help me ‘try and be a better me’.
It’s all about growing… which reminds me…

😉

I received an email on Monday, that basically told me to :

”Do something difficult this week, simply for the sake that it’s difficult and uncomfortable.”

It made me smile, because for the last few weeks I have been doing a few things that are ‘new’, that require small steps OUT of my comfort zone.
Now, do I prefer my comfort zone? Well, of course! ‘They all’ know me there 😛
Even the small steps, in just a few things, have been somewhat scary. There have been difficulties trying to wrap my brain around certain things, and I have experienced slight embarrassment, despite knowing I am the only one ‘who is seeing it’. Ha ha!
At the same time as the scary though, there has been a somewhat exhilarating feeling deep inside of me!

As if I am on a road… to somewhere! (You’re welcome to come along – just please bring snacks 😛 ) Destination still unknown… but I’ve decided that that is okay! 😉

I’ve had way too many days of late where I feel stuck… I take two steps forward, and then it seems like the next two steps are back again!
So now I have decided to crawl 😛 😉
It’s slow progress, but as I have said before, it’s better than NO progress 😉

And on that note, I am about to do something that is a little uncomfortable for me! Ha!

My granny was a very talented and creative lady! She wrote stories, sang and played the piano, painted breathtakingly beautiful scenery and portraits, and she wrote the most beautiful poetry – modest and expressive at the same time – it always flowed like a beautiful melody.
My son writes poetry – his is more in the form of rap though – and he always amazes me with his play on words, and the strong, impactful way his words deliver!

And while I am a rather creative individual myself, poetry has never been a strong suit of mine. Ha!
And I am shy about the poems I do write!

I shared one recently with a good friend – someone I consider my kindred spirit in so many ways. And I was told it was worthy of blogging 😮
And because I trust this spirit so much… and because I have been challenged to do something ‘difficult and uncomfortable’… I will now share this poem that I wrote with all of you 😉

(WHERE did I put my blankie!!!! 😛 😉 ) Enjoy, and Happy Wednesday 😉

”There’s a part of me that doesn’t speak.
A part of me I continuously seek.
Trees whisper to me, and I see her swirl…
That grown up little girl.

She’s a puzzle piece lost in a different design,
Searching… will her soul ever align?
The sun sets, the moon rises, the darkness consumes,
Fear doesn’t descend – instead she blooms!

Slippers afoot, she will dance on her toes,
And she’ll giggle out loud at the wind as he blows.
For in the dance of life, she knows she’ll eventually find,
The place in her world for her beautifully confused mind.”

Infinitely More Beautiful

On By nopassingfancyIn Life2 Comments

There are three or four people in my life who I call ‘distant friends’. NOT because there is a great distance between us, ha! But because we hardly ever get to see each other, even though we live in the same town. On the rare occasion that our schedules become free at the exact same time, it’s as if the days/weeks since our last visit cease to exist.
In between that though, I am often surprised by a random image being sent to me, and the caption is usually along the lines of, ”this is SO you”! Granted, it’s usually pictures like this one….

(On that particular day, my friend actually sent me this link and I have chosen this particular meme to share 😉 And the words that went with the link were, ”I saw this and they all reminded me of you!” 😛 )

It makes me smile because, hey, someone was thinking of me 😉

And then sometimes, I receive images or links that warm my heart so much, it make my eyeballs perspire 😛 😉 This morning was one of those times.

It was actually a link, once again, to Case Kenny’s Instagram post, which was the picture I’ve shared here.

And this time my friend had added a message : ”Did he know he’s writing this about you?”

Let me be entirely honest here : I do NOT always get it right!
I’ve made that bold, because it is important to me that you see it, and know it.
I definitely mess up on at least one of those things listed in that image, at least ONCE A DAY!
(Bold, again, because I don’t want you to miss it!)

But I’ll be entirely honest about something else here too : I WANT TO BE THE PEOPLE IN THE IMAGE, as much as I possibly can, as often as I can. And I will keep trying to be, and to get it 100% right, because ‘the people’? These types of people? Well, THEY are what I think navigating this life should be all about.
I’d love to be thinner, have a more toned physique. I’d love to have flawless skin and be drop dead gorgeous. Which may be attainable if I chose different life goals, and could afford plastic surgery – hey, I’m getting old here 😛 – but you know what? HONESTLY? If you told me to pick ONE that I could have? Just one, 100%?

I’d pick to be ‘the people’ in the Case Kenny image, 100% of the time!

Here’s hoping you all get to encounter these types of souls this week – because it’s a whole other type of magic when you do 😉 ❤

Two steps forward, two steps back…

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…and then I found myself singing….

”We go together like opposites attract…”

My mind took me back to ten year old me, sneakily switching on the television and quickly turning the volume as low as I could without jeopardising my listening pleasure, desperately trying to master the dance moves associated with the music video. All while keeping ‘an ear out’ for my mother’s footsteps. Because this was very much frowned upon – my brother was constantly in trouble for ‘his music’ (except, I can assure you, he had GREAT taste!) and I knew he’d be blamed for my devilish behaviour!
It’s yet another bitter sweet memory… except I have finally learned to ‘let it go’ when the bitter part tries to creep in and rob me of the sweet part… and so these days I am more inclined to smile and giggle at my ‘utter rebelliousness’- can you hear me rolling my eyes? 😛

Remembering the song had me wondering, ”whatever happened to Paula Abdul?”
How strange that for a few years she was such a big part of my life… but honestly? I’ve not thought of her since the early nineties! Good grief!
Naturally, I looked her up, and was pleased to find that she is alive and well, as creative and charismatic as ever, and mentoring the youth – she’s making a positive impact on the entertainment industry! (I’m not interested in gossip and speculation 😛 )
I have to admit that I was rather shocked to find that she’s already 61 years old! Because the thought that popped into me head was,
”Goodness gracious, Meg! YOU’RE getting old!” Ha ha!

Did you know that a woman’s mind is like spaghetti?
Because all of the above came from the way I was feeling, that I had taken two steps forward only to stop and go back again…
And I jumped from feeling frustrated and stuck, to a search on Paula Abdul, and then pondering who else was great to me then that I might have possibly forgotten…
And then?
Iron Brew! My first taste of it at age 12, and the phase I went through where it was my ‘favourite’….
I wonder if Surf Brew still exists? (A coffee cart type thing that used to do pop ups in my town, and occasionally give away free coffee!)

You may now understand why sometimes I actually have to say out loud, ”Meg! Stop! Focus!” 😛

Which brings me back to my blog post title. (You knew I’d get there eventually! 😉 )

I returned to blogging (and while trying to explain the magnitude of this step would possibly help you gain understanding, you’re just going to have to trust me : it’s been a giant leap for my short legs 😛 )
and made other ‘small’ changes and I high-fived the reflection in the mirror because I do silly things like that 😛 – it’s never mattered to me if my progress is slow, so long as there’s progress, I’m happy.

And then I encountered yet another setback, and everything else just became overwhelmed by frustration! Gah! That darn valley has become so familiar, I’m about ready to name it and start cooking for it! Unfortunately, I stayed there a bit, but mostly because I was too tired to leave. Sleep, and stillness, brought a sense of peace – my waking moments were not as kind… and there were a lot of deep sighs as I miserably started unpacking my tent – I needed shelter if I was going to stay in the valley, right? Except that I do stuff like that in slow motion, because I just know I’ll get over myself 😛

I was reminded, yet again, of the cyclical nature of life : moving forward always has moments of going backwards too. (My ‘mountains and valleys’ attitude, I guess.)

How will I ever learn to persevere? And how will I become more resilient?
Well, by facing obstacles and challenges.
”We grow through what we go through” is a quote attributed to Tyrese Gibson.
I think the attitude we bring to the ‘going through’ determines the type of growth.

And since I am striving to be the ‘best version of me’ as much as possible, I will just need to keep watching my attitude 😉