I DON'T WATCH TV (?????)

I have just been told that I am the weirdest person in the world ... admittedly by a teenager. 

What is weird about me?   I don't watch television or read papers or magazines (unless you count 5 year old 'Home Beautiful's).

Yes, I do have a TV (two in fact ... not my choice).  I do watch DVD's.  I also go to the movies.  I read books, listen to music and do ..... things.

I just don't want to watch what is presented as entertainment or as 'need to know information'. And ads!  Don't get me started! 

If there is anything important that happens in the world; I hear about it from the people I talk to, and then Google to find out more; if I want to.   And that is that.

There is a reason.  It is all about choice. 

I used to watch TV. Some regular programs were on my 'must see' list. But I lost interest.  It became irrelevant to me. 

Too many programs revolved around bitchy-ness, violence, 'reality voyeurism' or sad events. (Ratings might have something to do with it!) 

The News was often bad, sensational or, in some cases, fabricated (rarely on the News do you hear of good things that happen - unless it is a fireman saving a kitten or similar but hardly world shattering).

And yes, I know there are wonderful documentaries ... but I can't sit still to watch them, I want to go there instead.  

It is the same with newspapers.  There can be the unexpected positive story, but again, most articles are  bitchy, violent, sad etc .....   I really don't have the desire to know of this any more. 

It is my choice to limit the input of 'entertainment' and 'information' I receive; I wanted to choose what I wanted to know.  

Maybe I am weird, but it is my choice and I don't regret it.

Christmas is coming, and so are the holidays

The time between Christmas and New Year is my sleep time, my read time, my walk on the beach, surf and yoga time: my do nothing for anyone else/see no one time.  

I want to be selfish and spend time with myself and get to know myself again. 

Recalibrate who I am.

Life is too frenetic for me at the best of times, and to do nothing but recharge the batteries and my return to a semblance of sanity is my idea of bliss at its most blissful. 

I will also eat lots of fruit, bake bread, eat simple and nourishing food and heal myself back to well and whole.

What will I be reading?

I will probably reread:

How to be a woman by Kaitlyn Moran - (funny!)

Love is a mix tape by Rob Sheffield - (poignant)

I’m with the band by Pamela Des Barres - (amazing!)

I also want to read:

The two Dalai Lama books that have been sitting there waiting to be read

Lots of Kate Elliot fantasy books (if I can find them in the library)

January will be the time to do stuff:

More painting and renovating at the Seachange

Gardening (de-jungling) at the Seachange

My community volunteer work

Catch up with family and friends

Plan what my goals and aspirations will be for 2013.

Then, back to real paid work and ease into the year.

Just a side note: Writing this blog has been a positive step towards self affirmation.  I write it; therefore it becomes solid and tangible.  I have told the world 'this is what I think and do', so it become real.  

There is always room to change my mind or modify what I think (nothing is rigid or static), but it has been a great way to get my thoughts in order. And also parts of my life.  I have a long way to go (is this a symptom of getting older?) to being me, but I am aware that I am well on my way. 

Happy holidays everyone.

HAPPY AND GRATEFUL

I heard people ask all winter ‘when is summer going to be here?’ Now that we are having a hot spell (+30C over a few days) people are complaining that it is too hot. 

In the supermarket last night I was talking to a young guy on the register.  He was telling me how he hated this weather – it was too hot to do anything, too hot even for the beach!

I was gob smacked, because I LOVE (notice the capitals) LOVE, LOVE the heat.  Two of my happiest hot day memories was when I was a nut-case triathlete (they don’t call it try for nothing!) and I raced at Noosa two years in a row (and came second in my category both times, may I add!).

I was always behind in the swim, kept up the pace on the bike, but blitzed the run.  Why?  I love running in the heat.  Going for a 10 km run (after a 40km bike and 1.5km swim) was my idea of heaven.  I actually overtook all the fish-finned swimmers and Cadel-like bikers on the run. (Being hosed off by the locals as you run past is pretty good too!)

Being hot makes me feel alive. I move more freely, I feel more motivated, I have creative ideas that I want to do .... NOW.

It reminds me of a James Michener book I read ‘the Drifters’.  (If you haven’t read it, it is a great holiday read.) Britta is one of the characters.  She hails from Norway and craves the sun.  She travels to the great places of sun ... Marrakesh, Mozambique, Spain and Portugal, and refuses to go back to the cold and the Scandinavian half year of darkness. She feels alive in the sun too.  She was the character I identified with most.

What is the point of all this chatter?

Are we ever totally happy with our circumstances?  Don't we always want more or better? Newer, shinier?  (Cooler; as my young supermarket friend wishes.)

My post today is going to highlight what I am grateful for:

The love of my friends and family; I am grateful to be part of their lives. 

I appreciate the experiences that my life's adventure has given me, and I am grateful for that.

I cherish the memories of people I have loved but will never see again, I am grateful to have those wonderful memories.  

I also love the sun and I am grateful that it is summer once again. 

Vive le Soleil (long live the sun!)

CURE YOURSELF HAPPY

Go Figure! I was reading the paparazzi section of the ENews on my computer and I was warmed by an article about JLo (yes, Jennifer Lopez) and how she recovered from her ‘devastating divorce’ to Mark Anthony.

JLo, (to my surprise) said that "I didn't want to be the woman who stayed in bed for months ...I knew I had to get through it. I had to figure out [why] I was accepting situations that weren't good for me," she explains. "I had to turn [the situation] into something better.”

So, she focused most of her energy on taking care of her 4-year-old twins and everything else into her career. She danced every day, worked out as often as she could, and even read inspirational affirmations about how to 'heal her life.' Little by little, she says she started to feel stronger, happier.

I know everyone goes through awful periods in their lives.   Sometimes it is really hard to drag yourself out of the mire of sadness, self recrimination and self pity and back into the land of the normal (whatever normal is for you).  I have been through this several times in my life and I know other people have been through this too.  

It is not wrong to mourn or grieve but it is worrying to stay in that frame of mind over a long period of time; because you are not doing yourself or the people around you any favours.

What can you do .... take the tough approach...

- Exercise (outside if possible), Walk, jog, yoga on the beach – anything to get moving and get the endorphins through you

- Read, but only about good stuff ... books about self affirmation or happy strong people.

- Turn off the TV.  There is only junk or bad news on it.  Re-watch movies that you know will leave you with a happy vibe.

- Bake yummy stuff, and give the results to others. 

- Clean out your cupboards/shed/wardrobe ... anything to be busy and useful.  Donate what you don’t want.

- Create ... anything ... paint; write a song, plant a garden bed, whatever. Put your heart and soul into it to make it wonderful.

- Don’t exclude those around you; they want to make you feel better because they love you.

It can be a long process back to normal-ness.  There will be many backward steps. You will often feel like it never will happen.  But it will.  Trust me, it will. 

OMG CHRISTMAS

22 days until the big day ... again. 

I love Christmas, and I love the idea of a few days off work,after the big day, to rest and recover.  But the lead up is exhausting. 

I try not to be a ‘humbug’, I truly think that Christmas is a special time to catch up with people you love and see so rarely ... it is the reminder we all need to ‘MAKE AN EFFORT’ and put aside other things in our lives.  But ...... I feel so un-Christmas-sy.

I don’t do cards ... I just find that I have no time to do them justice ... I would rather make my own and write something special for everyone ... but it takes time. So, no cards.

Presents ... no adults get presents from me.  Only children get presents.  I make donations to charities and these substitute for the adults’ presents.  (Buy a goat for someone who really needs it! See Oxfam!)

Cooking ... I make cookies etc and hand them out ... if I have time.  Work finishes early this year so; YAY!; I may yet have time to bake.

Tree ... I love a real tree, but because I am selling the house, this year I may have to do without a tree.  Too messy! 

So, why am I always too busy to do anything Christmas-sy?  Because I can’t seem to stop and do Christmas-sy things; because I am doing everything else.

I need to learn to STOP!