I give myself permission to live in the present.
With the past and the future competing for headspace we often find the present is squeezed – and even missed out on altogether.
I’m hoping that daily study and practise of the art of meditation will help me shine a greater light on the present.
It seems everyone you speak to is tires at the moment. Are we all suffering the effects of our restricted lifestyles over the last 18 months? – many of these folk have been working out and walking so that can’t be the whole answer. Is it somehow ‘the weather’? – it is indeed changeable and even here by the North East coast very humid. Perhaps the morning sunlight streaming through our windows from 4:30am accompanied by birdsong? – that sure disturbs my sleep (for a few minutes). Perhaps it is the coming New Moon? – right now we have the pull of the Dark Side of the Moon – and as that passes it seems energy rises: and not just for those ‘in tune’ and expecting the change.
Perhaps it is a combination of those things along with (who knows?) the after effects of viral disease or the preventive medication they’ve taken?
Whatever the cause we need to focus on raising our energy. Get out in nature, breathe, eat freshly prepared foods filled with vitality, fill your hearts and minds with positive vibes, meditate. There are options – let’s do this!
Well – how to cook some simple meals for the times this kitchen slave is away.
Next week the kitchen slave is going on holiday – a few days with my partner, leaving the teenager with his older brother to fend for themselves. Will he get to school on time? Will he brush his teeth? Will the house be intact on my return? And many more questions.
Will they bother to cook? I don’t know. The older one has been at University for 2 years and can make some things, but I thought it’d be a fun idea to video myself cooking and pop the instruction videos for some of the simple to cook stuff onto YouTube so they can follow in real-time (without the inconvenience of having to actually watch me in real life!
I’ve done cauliflower and pasta with cheese sauce – and today it’s curried chicken and rice. How to cook instructions – 21st century style – I wonder if they’ll do them?
Many years ago, when I was a practicing dentist, I used to work through all kinds of weather. You get disconnected from the comings and goings of the seasons when you’re stuck doing the same routine day in and day out.
In the winter it would be dark as I went to work and dark as I left the office. The room had a big window and was often cold in the winter. In the low winter sun the sun would blind us.
In the summer the south facing room with its big window got unbelievably hot. We would open all the windows and try to move the hot air with a fan. I used to count the minutes until finish time, with the whole afternoon longing for an ice-cold ice cream. When 5pm came I would rush to the freezer – via collecting the young child from his after school care – and find that ice cream. 2 minutes later – after a brief sit in the garden – it would be indoors and on to dinner preparation. No rest for the wicked.
Now I’m retired. I live near the sea – and there are lots of ice creams. Nothing gives me more joy than sitting with a freshly served ice cream by the beach. Simple pleasures that mean the world.
A good question – what has brought you Here? – to this point in your life? – to this blog, perhaps? – or maybe the question is directing you to consider the bigger meaning of Life: Why are You Here?
Such a simple question which may be interpreted in so many different ways!
Where is Here to you? Is it a place, a time, a situation – or perhaps something else? Were the choices made to get you Here all within your control or somehow directed by Fate? Will Fate dictate your future or do you (or we) have control of how this all turns out. Life, that is.
Why Are You Here? Why not somewhere else? Why not some time else? When time is a fluid concept, what makes it so important for you to be Here right Now – in this time frame? Have you come here to fulfil a purpose? Have you discovered yet what that is?
And why You – what makes You – You? Why not some other being, person, soul? What’s so important that You had to come Here? Was it an accident? Could it just as easily have been someone else?
So many questions!
Why Are You Here?
For the last 18 months it feels like all we have seen on The News is a constant conversation about ‘the numbers’ – deaths, cases, vaccine takers, percentages. It’s a lot of numbers.
The other constant is the theme of division. Black/white – sexual orientation – politics – should I or shouldn’t I? Sometimes to the level that even within families agreement can’t be made.
It’s left me wondering who actually are my people? Who can I rely on when the s**t hits the fan? Have the divisions run so deep that unless you have a majority view (whatever that is – how can you possible be moderate on everything – and lets face it, how wise would that be?!) – you’re on your own?
I’m tired of all this division. What happened to conversation, the ability to agree to disagree and taking a stand without being a pariah.
There are many sides to this story – and more arguments for and against than I care to recall here. My status is ‘no for now’ based on the following – possibly facts – possibly not: but never has the phrase ‘no smoke without fire’ been more valid.
To clarify – I am a very fit 57year old. Low blood pressure, no heart or lung disease. Taking recommended supplements and a no-fast-food approach to intake (as has been the case for many years now). I have taken steps, therefore, to reduce impact on the NHS and having worked in healthcare for over 30 years in a frontline setting am very aware of cross-infection control.
So what are the factors that hold me back from going with the majority “it’s for the good of the country” view? (Not here to provide the opposing arguments at this point.)
1 Risk of cytokine storm – animal studies in years gone by showed that although subjects attained good blood stats after treatment, when exposed to a different variant the immune system went into overdrive (cytokine storm) and all subjects died.
2 Immediate risk of adverse reaction including death.
3 Possible risk of increased susceptibility to autoimmune disorders.
4 Reports that spike protein injected has far greater likelihood of crossing blood-brain barrier (compared to via inhaled transmission) – leading to formation of Lewes bodies in the brain (similar to those found in Alzheimer’s disease).
All or some of these may in the future prove to be unfounded – as have some of the arguments and ‘science’ presented to us over the last 18 months. Generally though, I’ve found there to be ‘no smoke without fire’ – so watching this space. For me – no rush. Always look after your own health. Your body, your choice. Totally respect the choice of whatever others choose to make.
A wise woman once said that if you’re undecided then you should wait it out – observe, wait and see. No rush – just sit on the fence awhile.
In many situations there are arguments for and against. Where one stands, if that is different from friends and family – can cause divisions and even breakdown of relationships. We must all make choices based on our own analysis of the situation.
Is it our moral duty to go along with the majority – on what basis is the majority making their decision? Is there an element on coercion in the majority stance? Perhaps to the level that the majority actually feel that coercion and are effectively justifying their own decision by insisting they are ‘right’. Everyone wants to be right. There is always more than one way to look at any situation. The wise try to take a balanced view.
‘Fear cuts deeper than sword’ – Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. Is fear a driver either way? Allowing decision to be made from a position of fear may not be the wisest choice.
It’s OK not to be certain about stuff, it’s OK to look at things from all angles – and it’s OK to take your time. Sitting on the fence whilst the situation unfolds is a good option.
We have an obligation to our children to demonstrate the value of looking after our health. How we approach our day to day lives, our approach to how we choose to move our body, our approach to life’s problems and of course the food choices we make.
It’s interesting, isn’t it – the varying opinions people have about ‘looking after their health’. Some choose to run to the doctor at the first sign of disease and ‘trust the science’ – often hoping for the latest miracle drug to cure them. From there they may choose to wear their illness like badge – even to the point that the illness defines them. Others prefer to take responsibility for their own health and take steps at an earlier stage to prevent disease and/or look to more natural means of management (‘trust the more ancient science’, if you will).
How you choose as an individual affects you most directly and your nearest and dearest wither directly or indirectly. No matter which stance you take you are being watched. No matter what your status you lead those who watch you.
How and what you choose affects how your children choose – and this matters.
As everyone settles back into work I wondered whether those that are nearing retirement have considered moving their proposed retirement date forward? Has a taste of having more time at home or to do your own thing left you wanting more? Or does the thought of actually leaving (perhaps a profession that has been your life for decades) fill you with dread?
I sold my business back in 2016 after 30 years of being a practicing dentist. Through 2 marriages, 4 children and a whole raft of professional upheavals; the decision to take a break was like jumping off a cliff. One day a practice owner – the next, as if I’d lost my identity.
What ensued was a whole raft of emotions; unwinding, fear, loss, new possibilities, exploring new directions, self doubt, self exploration – the list goes on! One day I will sort through that journey, identify the highs and lows and maybe that journey will serve as a guide for others approaching the same.
In the past this phase of retirement could be quite short – perhaps only a few years of declining health. My intention is to stay fit and healthy for many years of retirement – mind, body and soul.
Retiring – it’s not just an extended holiday.
Walking by the sea on a warm summers day is pure joy. Here in the North Sea the day that can seem warm inland can suddenly loose 5 or 10 degrees once you hit the beach – particularly when the wind comes off the sea – but for those that live here that’s just part of the joy.
For visitors to the North East those cold winds can be quite a shock. We do have days when the beach is warm and still, but those days are infrequent. A visitor to the area could perhaps imagine they were on a beach far away – in places of the world that we are currently unable to visit. Locals might feel they are missing the point.
On days like those it would be fair to say us locals tend to stay away from the main beaches – after all, a breezy quiet beach beats a crowded beach any day. For us, this place we call home has a year-round beauty.
To me, it’s impossible to compare the beaches of the North East with beaches nearer the Equator. They’re all lovely in their own way – I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you yearn for hot sun-soaked beaches; the North East is not the place to come. Enjoy it for what it is, not what you wish it was.
My 2020 Story