Hello and welcome to my 106th blog.
As I hurtle rather too quickly towards my sixtieth year, I find myself becoming quite reflective and introspective. Treating elderly folk over the over the last three years has been, and continues to be, such a privilege. This has also been a huge learning curve for me in so many ways and on so many levels. These life lessons are an integral part of striving towards becoming the best version of myself.
Below are some of the life lessons guiding me on my journey.
- I am not old yet.
As I have said numerous times before, you are not too old and it’s never too late. I have more aims and goals now than I did when I was half my age. I have more energy than I did as a youngster, and I am able to achieve as much, if nor more, on a daily basis.
- I must continue to be active.
I have spoken about this frequently and passionately for a long time. Being active improves my brain health, reduce the risk of disease, strengthens my bones and muscles, make me feel good, helps me to sleep better and improve my overall function. Wish that I could have told my younger self this, back in the day.
- The apron strings are harder to loosen than I thought.
No matter how hard I try, I struggle with this, big time. An ongoing work in progress. I am certain that I am not alone in this. However, and in spite of this, I feel beyond blessed to have the most incredible adult children, and hanging out with them is an ongoing joy and so much fun. The banter, the laughter, the stimulating conversations, and the most awesome times spent together when we are able.
- I no longer need to be the life and soul of every party.
Nowadays, I much prefer to sit and chat, rather than to dance on tables and sing loudly and off-key. When I am not injured (sadly not that often), I do still like to dance, rather badly, but its so much more about engaging with others, and having a laugh and enjoying tasty food and bubbles, making magical memories with friends.
- Decluttering is still a struggle.
I have realized that I need so much less than I ever imagined I would; less clothing, bags, make up, jewellery – to name but a few! I am definitely buying so much less, as I have mentioned before, but I still have far too much . Sadly, the cupboard remains rather untidy. My story is that my life is ultra busy, and I do not have time to do this. A poor excuse! I need to work on this.
- Experiences are better than things.
It’s been such a joy for me to learn that time at the beach or in the bush, family lunches, dinners with friends, long walks, sunrises, and sunsets, travelling abroad and so many other awesome experiences are so much more meaningful than smart cars, sparkly diamonds and gorgeous shoes. I do still enjoy having beautiful things, but they do not make me as happy as the adventures we have.
- Life is fragile.
Each day I have on this earth is precious and not to be taken for granted. I need to make the most of every day and cherish all the beautiful people in my life.
- I don’t need those who do not add value to my life.
It can be very difficult, but life is too short to be around people who do not make me feel fantastic. One does also need to be sensitive to the feelings of others, so I am afraid, at times, I do not manage this all that well, but it is something I need to strive towards.
- Seizing the moment and the day is vital for me.
I must take that trip, make that phone call, do that course. Tomorrow is a privilege, not a given. I need to make the most of every day. We can never take anything for granted, ever.
- I must aim to make good choices.
This has been discussed, oft, and with regularity. My ideas have altered somewhat when considering this. I am now trying to just pause (previous blog), breathe and then make my choices. This too, is an arduous work in progress.
- I need to remain grateful.
This I am, so often and deeply and truly. Of course, I still have those grim and sad days, that’s life, but mostly I feel very thankful.
- I need to love myself before I can love others.
I have come on in leaps and bounds in this department. I really do quite like myself, these days. What’s really cool, is that when I feel great about myself, my relationships thrive, and that is just the best.
- My journey is lifelong.
I am not sure where I read this, but I just love it. “Life is a long journey with problems to solve and lessons to learn, but most of all experiences to enjoy” and I have many magical memories to still make.
- I am the master of my own destiny.
I am able to influence, direct and control my environment. I can make my life what I want it to be. I believe this a lot of the time, but on occasions, I struggle, and sometimes that which I believe I want and need, may not necessarily be that. So, I need to temper my aims and goals every so often with a wee bit of a reality check.
- I must learn forever and curiosity is vital.
I have done more learning since I turned forty than ever before in my life, excluding my physio degree and post graduate year. It has been amazing and I just love learning. Ongoing curiosity keeps my mind active; I love asking questions and searching for answers. I really hope that I can continue this forever.
- My confidence comes from being courageous.
Confidence is built through the experience of acting and putting myself outside of my comfort zone. I have done this, and it holds true. I have taken a career turn, done something different, and been daring, at times and quite regularly. It is sometimes uncomfortable, but the end result is flipping incredible, most of the time.
- I need to accept that people will always talk.
I have realized that if I am going to put myself out there, especially on social media, on different levels and platforms, I need to accept that people will have opinions. I just need to take a teaspoon of cement and suck this up!
- I must tell people that I love them.
When Muz died, I struggled for a very long time with the worry and distress that she did not know how deeply and dearly she was loved, by so many people. Retrospectively, I now understand that she did know and still knows. I aim to tell all the folk in my life how much they mean to me, and how much I care for them.
- I need to be outside often.
I spend as much time outside as I am able. The huge number of benefits for me, of time spent in nature, cannot be emphasized enough. I also try to take my patients outside as much as possible, too.
- Laughing is essential for my optimal health and wellness.
There are very few days that I do not have a laugh, and a proper one at that. I laugh with my family, my friends, my patients, anyone who wants to laugh with me. This is so important for my health and wellness.
- Being kind has become my mission.
As I write, I am in the twenty first month of my daily acts of kindness mission. If every person on this earth decided to perform one act of kindness every day, what a beautiful world we could have.
- Old friends grow dearer.
I am so blessed with friends that I have known for many years. They accept and love me warts and all, we reminisce, share memories, they are part of my history, my journey and they are the strong foundation on which I have grown. It feels like I am coming home when I am with them. They know the essence of me, and there is nothing more comforting and happiness inducing, than the ability to be completely myself with them.
- I need to stop overthinking.
Boy oh boy, this is so very hard for me to do. I am trying breathwork, distraction techniques and trying to stay present in order to try to stop this. Sometimes it works, but at others it does not.
- Proper sleep is vital for me.
For so many reasons, sleep is beyond important. It improves our cognitive function, our mood and our general health and wellness, to name but a few. These days I sleep well, often, but not as often as I would like.
- I need to take supplements.
I am unfortunately not in a position or situation to know the exact source of my food. Most of the food that I eat has become nutrient depleted in one way or another, so I feel it is very necessary for me to supplement. This has helped me and continues to hold me in good stead in terms of my health and wellness.
- I must strive towards eating mostly nutritiously.
In spite of what I have mentioned above, i must still try to eat as nutritiously as i am able. Balancing my eating has improved hugely for me. Now I just need to perhaps drink fewer bubbles!
- I am learning to judge so much less.
I have never walked a step in anyone else’s shoes. How can I dare to criticize and judge them? I am very happy with my progress in this area.
- Life is not a competition and comparisons are odious.
It’s about aiming to be the best version of myself, irrespective of anyone else. It is great to have mentors and folk whose work or lives I admire but I must just compete with myself.
I hope this resonates with you.
Wishing you all a stunning week ahead.
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