Getting 'unstuck'

If you're like me you've had many moments where you've gone away traveling, had an incredible, rejuvenating awe inspiring experience that sets you up to believe that you CAN conquer the world and all that you have set out for yourself. You come back home, rest from the long journey, give yourself time to process all that you've experienced and then are 'ready' to go to your projects and all that is waiting to be looked at and taken care of...

Well this was my initial thought when I came back from my most magical journey to Cornwall. I was ready and felt that after such a successful solo trip out to the South coast of England I could draw a line through my task list and feel great. Nothing was too difficult after traversing a long, windy, hilly, wet coastal path alone for about 6 miles on my own and sporting All Stars (anything but hiking shoes but definitely durable, dependable and mud friendly).

How wrong was I! I came back ready to take on the world and seemed to get distracted by visitors, not so great weather and the list.

I've been told before to only make a list of 3 things to do each day. It's enough that you know you can accomplish it and not so much that you would feel disappointed at the end of the day if you couldn't accomplish it all. Very sound logic but unfortunately doesn't work for someone who just felt like she conquered a huge new unknown adventure.

So I got 'stuck' as I like to call it. Limited motivation to look at my cv and how to make it 'me. Limited motivation to do an intense job search and just a feeling of 'ugh, really?'

So this got me to thinking...how do I usually 'unstick' myself? Sometimes it's music, something that I can't ignore and gets my body moving and me laughing and singing along. Sometimes it's cleaning...this works wonders! Sometimes it's just getting out of the house and into the outdoors regardless of the weather and taking a nice walk around my local neighborhood and park. But this time none of those seemed to work. That of course made me even more frustrated and 'stuck'. So my only course of action...just accept it! Yes, sounds radical, but I realised after a point trying to 'fight' the stuck within me was not going to do anything but continue to expend energy I didn't even feel I had. When I left myself 'ease' into the 'stuck' and 'blah' it actually worked. I pulled the pressure off, relaxed and said, ok, this is a changing state, like all others(good or bad) and will not last forever, so why not ride the wave, chill out, give myself some breathing room and leave Ms. Perfectionist at the door?

It was at that moment that I said goodbye to her and hello to Ms. Chill-I-got-this that I was transported to my previous state of relaxation and calm from my travels. It was all connected by 'letting go' of a specific plan or to do list and just 'flowing' with whatever the day brought, even if was about 'not flowing' and just 'being'.

So here's to all those out there who get 'stuck' and know that with everything in life, change is the only guarantee :0)

Happy flowing

The beauty of traveling

My journey has only just begun but what a great gift I have received already...a lovely woman (who I found out later was the youthful age of 89 - though she looked not a day older than 70) sat next to me from Bristol to Newton Abbot (roughly about a two hour journey). We chatted a bit in the beginning while I nodded in and out of sleep and then when we were halfway on our way we started chatting about everything, where I was going, what I was going to do, where she was from, etc.

The best part of what she told me was her own personal love story. Now, I have to admit that when I was younger I was probably one of the biggest romantics around. I bought books just on personal love stories to confirm what I always believed to be true - true love and soul mates do exist. I won't comment now on what I believe, but will just share this lovely story with you all that was so touching.

So my new friend, let's call her Mary,

Listening to your own advice

Sometimes seems next to impossible, yet last night I was able to hear my own words and follow through. As I was sitting in my kitchen, enjoying a lovely meal of grilled shrimp and salad I thought, hmm, I wonder if I could get a ticket out to Cornwall this week for a few days. I started searching and my heart started to sink a little thinking, wow, how will I ever find a good last minute deal on a B&B or hotel AND a good deal on a train ticket? Well, to my wonderful surprise I did and within 30 minutes booked myself a ticket out to Looe, Cornwall for the week.

I have never been and this will be my first solo trip in a very very long time. I am quite thrilled and excited because I woke up this morning thinking, how great that only 24 hours ago I had no idea I'd be on my way to Paddington to catch a train for a new adventure!

So I have let life surprise me and will definitely continue to do so as I journey along the coast and discover a new part of this beautiful country.

There is so much excitement in the unknown. I know many of us, myself included, can feel the anxiety and fear first, of not knowing what lies ahead, but when that niggly feeling starts to get inside my gut I just focus on all the 'moments before' as I like to call them...essentially think back to the moment before you met someone new, or got the call for the interview for your new job or before you decided to take that long awaited trip to wherever...the moment before any of that happened you had no idea what was in store and so isn't a lot more fun to think that at any moment, it could be your 'moment before'? I will definitely choose that over fear and anxiety everyday (or at least do my hardest to make it so!)!

Off to my train now! Happy journeying

'The Bubble'

'I love you'. Three words. Three simple words. Separately they don't carry so much weight but together are three of the most powerful words in any language. I can confess I am someone who takes for granted my freedom to say those words whenever I feel it. The only thing that would stop me is myself. I don't have to worry about being thrown in jail, being persecuted, bullied, beat up or even tortured for telling someone I love them. It is not so in all parts of the world and I recently watched a film that served as a stark reminder of the power of those three words and how much I, along with many in the West, take for granted our freedom to do what is most human...to love.