Have you ever wondered what's going on?
What's going on with life?
What's going on with the whole darn world?
This year, 2020 has been, well...interesting.
We've faced floods. Wildfires. Brexit. Social unrest. Coronavirus....
Need I say more? because there is more...
That's what's hit the world. There's also what's hit us personally.
Family problems, worries, work, health...
There have been times when I've wondered - and I know others have too - just what the hell is coming next?
There have been moments when I dread getting out of bed.
Worrying.
Worrying about what will happen. Could happen.
And sometimes, that worry feels like a lead weight bearing down until eventually, I feel so very, very tired. tired of it all. EXHAUSTED.
Hopelessness because not everything is in our power to prevent and control.
Faith...
To have faith in what happens in life is very hard.
Trust...
To trust that everything will be OK.
The world can be a very scary place.
This could happen... or that could happen...
THOSE DREADED 'WHAT - IFS'...
I've realised that life can change dramatically, without warning, and leave us teetering on the brink
One minute everything is hunky-dory. That same old routine chugging along, day in day out like it's always been for months, even years.
Then it happens. CHANGE...
I can see why many people fear change, especially when it's the last thing that's wanted or expected.
But, again, sometimes we have no control.
I guess that's when faith and trust come in. And yet that's a huge leap to take.
FAITH AND TRUST.
Me, I like to have a plan.
It comforts me.
It gives me some solid ground. Yet, sometimes, it's impossible to make a plan.
At the end of the day, none of us knows what the future will bring. Our plans are most definitely not set in stone.
Sometimes a plan works. Sometimes it doesn't. When that happens it can knock your confidence for six. It can be hard to get back on your feet. To face that big wide world.
But we have to, don't we?
We have to carry on. Put that smile on our face. Take a deep breath and go for it.
Isn't that easier said than done? Hell yes!
Is this something I've ever done? Hell yes!
I wish I could make the world a better place.
I wish I could make people love and respect each other regardless of religion, race, age or gender.
I wish I could take away the dependence this life has on money.
To be able to live a secure, contented, comfortable and fulfilled life with our loves ones, without the pressure to make enough money to cover mortgages, bills, taxes, general living expenses.
And then, there are those who have all of that yet still want more. To have another hundred, thousand, million in the bank. To constantly crave more.more.more.
All this is tiring to think about. It's frightening because what can I, one sole little dot on this vast planet, possibly do to make it all better?
We need a super hero. A powerful god to wipe away the bad and replace with the good. To teach us how to live a contented, secure, comfortable, harmonious life without fear of poverty, racism, war, famine, greed...
Like out of a Hollywood, blockbuster or a story carried through the ages in the hope it'll teach us right from wrong.
Covid-19 is our common enemy, regardless of wealth, religion or race. It affects us all. No one is exempt. Yet, all we can do is have trust and faith that everyone will do the right thing and abide by the advice given to us. I mean, what else can we do?
I'm no professor, scientist or specialist. All I can do - like the majority of others - is listen, consider and take care.
It's easy to slip under that black cloud.
To let it all sweep you away.
Caught up in a swirl of worry, fear, anger and remorse.
Yes, there's times I've done just that and not since COVID-19 either.
But I still walk out of my house with a smile on my face. I still laugh and love making those around me laugh too - and do you know how I do that?
It's something that's taken me a long, long time to work on. It's taken a lot of set-backs. A lot of mistakes, tears and very tough lessons.
Hell, I'm no expert, far from it.
What am I an expert in? Heaven knows!
However, when times are uncertain and it's a matter of laugh or cry, I decide to laugh.
This is what I've learned...
What I'm about to say helps me during trying times. Whether it works for others or not, I wouldn't know, but it's worth a try.
So, here goes....
I list all the good things in my life.
Everything I'm grateful for.
Family. Friends. My home. My health. My limbs. My senses. The sun. The sunset. My pets. Music. The feel of the sun on my face. Those crisp, frosty mornings when the sky is clear, crystal blue and the frosty ground crunches beneath your feet. The first mug of tea in the morning. A steaming hot Chai Latte. My first large glass of crisp white wine at the beginning of the weekend. Settling down to watch a film with my hubby. Every bright sunny morning. Every clear, moonlit night.
When faced with a job I hated, or a task I dreaded, something I worried about in case the worst-case scenario happened, I'd think to myself:
I AM going to do this. AND I AM going to enjoy this. 💪🏼
I smile.
And do you know what?
Nine times out of ten those things turn out not to be so bad. 😊
OK, so it doesn't happen all the time, but a positive thought and a smile makes me feel so much stronger.
I look at what's gone wrong in the past and see it as a lesson.
To learn from a mistake has made me realise I can move on. To accept what's done and then look forward.
No one's perfect.
Even those I've known and been kind of envious of - In a nice way that is! I've looked at them and thought:
I wish I could be more like them. They've got it all. What have I done that's so wrong and what have they done that's so right?
Then, guess what?
You realise that they're not so perfect after all.
They make mistakes. They have their own problems, only some people hide it so well while others don't.
I realise that not everything is within our power to control. So, what good is it, to hide away and dwell on it?
It doesn't make the problem go away. It's like the song goes:
What's the use of worrying? It never was worthwhile....
I've found a little spot of paradise that keeps me smiling.
It's nothing extravagant.
It's nothing that costs the earth (believe me, if it did then I wouldn't be able to do it!)
But it's my solace. My peace of mind.
It cheers me up on bad days.
It keeps me smiling on good days.
It makes me feel grounded and grateful and thankful.
It makes me feel calm.
It's a place on this earth that's beautiful in so many ways.
So, what is this magical place?
It's the forest.🌳
The beautiful, peaceful, magical forest.
It wouldn't be the ideal place for everyone. Not everyone enjoys nature or peace and quiet. That's one thing for sure, we're all different.
How one person reacts doesn't mean that's how we'll all react. Tolerance is something else I've realised that's best to accept. Just because I'd react in a certain way doesn't me others should do the same.
For me, it's the forest that keeps me sane, strong and happy.
For others, it could be the beach, the city, a concert, sailing...
The most important thing is to find that 'something.'
When I walk my dogs in the forest, sometimes all I can hear is the birds singing. And that's all. Nothing else.
No traffic. No shouting. No television or music.
Just the birds.
The sun pushes through the trees, rays of light squeezing through the branches, between the tree trunks and shining down on the ground below. It's a bright, golden light, it feels warm and comfortable. It makes the leaves shine and sparkle. It feels and looks so beautiful it feels magical.
To fill my lungs with the fresh, clear air. To feel the breeze or the sun - or both - against my skin.
To hear the leaves and twigs crunching beneath my feet on crisp, cold, autumn mornings.
To hear the rainfall, patting against the leaves and the ground.
The muffled air of a snow-filled day.
The sky, a blanket of white and grey. As snowflakes fall, everything is plunged into a muffled hush.
On a hot summer's evening, it's wonderful to wander through the forest, seeing strips of golden sunshine piercing between trees and lighting up the ferns, bracken, nettles and grass below.
And yes, during all this madness of 2020, when sometimes it feels like we're all being tested to the limit, I walk through the forest and feel thankful.
Thankful for what is beautiful in this world. And thankful that I've found it. 😊
Keep safe. Keep well.
Gill x
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