So much going on

Well, I've finally sat down at my computer after a mad week and I am in a dilemma about what to write about.

Do I focus on the trip to New York where I met up with the Beloved for a wonderful weekend of togetherness, shopping, theatre, old friends reunited, art, food... ?

Or, do I write about the fact that Australia and now Spain are out of the World Cup? Australia was never in with a real chance of winning the whole thing, I don't think, as they really don't have the experience. But they played amazingly well and I feel have put themselves onto the world stage as a legitimate and potentially formidable force. And Spain, who just weren't quite good enough last night, even though they played a great game.

Or the day at Wimbledon where I suffered through a boring Tim Henman match as the hours ticked agonisingly by...waiting...praying that he would just do something and end the game and we could get on and watch the wonderfully talented Nadal who did beat an incredidibly resilient Scotsman called Bogdanovic. It took him 2 1/2 hours to win the three sets, and each point was hard fought. Nadal kindly finished before half time in the football so we could all race home and watch the second half. What a trooper.

Or I could write about the osteopathic treatment I am having for a really messed up body that I have lived with for many years being completely sub satisfactory and just put up with it. I feel really upset that I didn't know that something could be done for the misaligned hips, one leg longer than the other, bent elbows, IBS effected by a tilted pelvis which blocks off the nerve supply to the area. I am annoyed that no one told me that there were solutions to these problems that I have literally suffered with all my life. Anyway, its being done now, so at least I can get on for the next 60 years or whatever in peace!

But instead, I am going to say a big thank you to all the angels (in both human and non human form) for making this all possible. I feel so lucky and grateful for the gifts that I recieve. I may not notice them, or even remember to be grateful for them everyday, but they are always there. And to whoever or however it was that I managed to get picked up and taken to JFK airport in a stretch limo! It is amazing what abundance there is in our lives. So, a toast to noticing the abundance and being thankful for it. Ching ching!

Putting up with it

Continuing on from my post the other day when I was talking about putting up with things that are totally unacceptable and accepting them as normal.

I went to the osteopath the other day as I have had long term issues with my back...neck...shoulders...hips...legs... and often have very painful muscle spasms that last up to 3 or 4 days. While I kind of joke about looking like an old woman, sometimes I really do feel like one.

Anyway, I've finally got the point where I was fed up of not being able to turn my head more than about 45 degrees, always having a niggle somewhere, having shoulders like bricks....

So, I went to this osteopath recommended by someone who said he was amazing. Osteopaths go to the source of the issue rather than just deal with the symptoms. They often require you to make changes to the way you do things which makes sense if those ways of doing things are unhealthy.

Well, I got cracked back into place and despite some pain initially, the body feels a whole lot better. My neck doesn't have a little bone sticking out, my wrists don't crack everytime I move, my hip feels like it is back in the right spot. And I've realised just how much I have put up with things being below par in my body.

The osteopath agrees that I have had issues with it, probably for years. And no, I'm not being a hypochondriac to be fed up!

So, the moral of my story is: Don't accept something that is completely substandard because you've been living with it for years and never seem to get around to getting it sorted out. Because you are worth it. You do deserve to have a happy body that does what it's supposed to. And you are worth having the life you want for yourself. Let kindness be the mantra - and that includes to yourself. xx

New York here I come

This posting is dedicated to Trish.

Honey - I am going to New York for the weekend to buy some new shoes, a coupla handbags and to go visit the MET.

Got any other tips?

Wish you were coming to meet me there.

Any special photo requests?

PS The baby is delish! I want one [but don't tell anyone!].

Love Beth xoxoox

Breathing space

Well finally I have had a bit of down time. Just for myself. I wandered around for a while like a dog who just walks around in circles before coming to rest and then started the meditation that is cooking. Well, let me say I decided that a lovely healthy meal was in order, so I went on a luxurious shopping trip (not a mad scramble for the basics) having looked at a recipe book and decided what to cook in advance. What bliss.

It was pretty yummy and as usual I cooked way too much. Luckily, a wonderful friend of mine came over to my place on the way home and gratefully shared it with me and took some home for her beloved.

So, to labours of love in the kitchen that nurture the mind, body and spirit. Because there's nothing quite like them.

Tapping into the well

It's so easy to get trapped in the rat race and not even realise that what life has become is so unacceptable that you accept it as normal. And the less time you have to reflect, the deeper one gets entrenched in the status quo and the further away one gets from their inner wisdom and truth.

Well, that's what I have noticed has happened to me lately and I don't think I'm the only one.

I've been like a little mouse running on a treadmill for weeks. I feel irritable, lost, dazed and confused. I feel like I am running a race on one leg. Because I need to listen to my heart to function these days. And if I just get caught up in the 'rat race', I lose sight of all that is important to me and all there is to be grateful for and all that makes sense.

I'm not saying I need to go on expensive holidays, buy nice clothes, go out for nice dinners...

I'm talking, being actually able to listen to my beloved and really hear what he is saying. To make a nice healthy dinner, rather than grab something on the run [a lovely friend of mine made me sit down for a meal the other night when I was about to eat and walk home at 10pm]. To make time to connect with myself, so I can have a sense of peace in my day. To have the energy to smile at people. To laugh. To go for a walk. To know what's happening in the world. To lift the head up and look around.

There comes a point when all this running around is just not worth it. Sure, it's easier in some ways to always be in a rush, because then you don't need to deal with your issues or the mundanity of daily life, or take responsibilty for those nagging little things that stop one from being truely happy. You don't need to think. You don't need to grow. You don't need to become all you can be.

And I think it's important to realise in those moments of rushing, that there is a choice on some level. We don't have to say yes all the time. We can say no and not feel guilty. Putting your feet up for 5 minutes with a cup of tea (or half an hour, or an hour) is not laziness. It's self nurture. And frankly to get through life, this ability needs to be valued and appreciated.

So, just for today [it's 11.40pm on a sunday night and I have just finished working for the day], I say let's take a few moments to reflect on what's really important and to connect with what the heart is telling us and make a commitment to ourselves to spend time there each day. Even if it is only 10 minutes to feel grateful for the small blessings.

Because frankly life's just so much richer with those moments of peace and a perspective of love. Amen.

Ah Granada...

We went to Granada for the weekend for a wedding. It was lovely and the city is wonderful, even in 35 degree heat.

We didn't get to the Alhumbra as you need to book a long way in advance, so there is ample excuse to go back.

So, enjoy...

Art for art's sake

I've just started an art class and I have managed to find a wonderful teacher. He has the ability to bring out the best in people and give very helpful instruction where needed. He really has a gift for it.

So tonight, instead of randomly creating something big and bright and energetic, I sat meticulously copying a small square from a collage I have done. It was so good for me to do it, because it requires discipline and really got me looking at the nuances of things.

My lessons for today were many, just staring at that very small space of different colours and shapes and images and possibilties. But the one I want to share here (that I think is applicable to life) is:

You can learn a lot from exploring something from many different angles.

So here's to art as a beautiful mediation on life and all its wonder.

PS this is my honey with his beautiful eyes.

Let there be centredness in chaos

As you may have guessed, I have been running around like a crazy thing the last week or so and only just got home this morning at 2am! I was working in Madrid last week and then went to Granada for a wedding. It's gone from 20 degrees to about 35 which is nice but it takes the body some getting used to.

Anyway, before I rush off to work, I want to say two things.

First, the world has a new little angel who arrived this morning and I want to welcome Leila Rose. Not met her yet, but she apparently is beautiful and with long legs!

And secondly, that even when life goes mad, it is still important to take moments to connect to the source of all that is and be grateful for its presence, even if we are too busy to notice!

So, here's to centredness in chaos. Because otherwise it is like running a race on one leg and that's not very good is it?!