I have problems flown in fresh daily wherever I am. Richard Lewis
CHALLENGING CHANGE
GOLDILOCKS
If I had straight hair, I would have swum more in the sea, in rivers, lakes and pools. I would have gone kayaking, white-river rafting, definitely spent more time on speedboats or open-top cars. I could have been an Olympic swimmer, a surfer-chick, worked with animals in rain-forests or lived in Seattle. I would have been more impulsive and impetuous, would definitely have ventured outside more and I wouldn’t have made certain choices based around the weather forecast. If my hair was straight I wouldn’t have to spend half of my allotted baggage weight allowance on hair-dryers and straighteners. I…
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
I HAVE A CHOICE This morning I woke up and I was feeling somewhat low. Inexplicable given that I have nothing to feel depressed about ( other than my current apathy ). As always, my choices for the day are exclusively governed by my eating issues. After a larger breakfast than usual ( a few extra slivers of fruit ) I now had this compunction and compulsion to ‘ work it off ‘ – hence the notion of a slightly longer walk than normal. Together with this is the thought that I need to replenish stocks of some of the…
FOUR WALLS
Every second is a struggle. I won’t apologise for it. Its my struggle and my cross to bear. Do I choose this struggle? Could you argue that it is a direct result of the choices I have made and I am therefore directly responsible and culpable for any suffering that I incur? However, whatever, whenever, – its still happening and real to me . It may not compare , even in the smallest way , to the raw and intense suffering of those with REAL problems but what makes any suffering more real or viable than the next? People with…
DEVOTION
I am still not prepared to make the full and final commitment to implimenting the practical steps that I need to take to elicit the changes I am seeking. I need to be upfront and transparent about the process otherwise the whole point of this blog and writing about my struggles will be worthless and a waste of time. However, what is changing is my recognition and awareness of my problem that is almost becoming a daily reminder. I am trying to discipline myself first in my commitment to posting on my blog and hopefully this process will set the…
SCOUT’S HONOUR
I was listening to someone being interviewed on the radio this morning. She was a chef and was demonstrating and describing a dish that she was creating. In less than 5 minutes she said “ to be honest “ 5 times. I loathe this saying. To me it implies that they must be inherently dishonest if they have to state and reiterate how honest they are every time they make a statement. By not stating that what she was about to say was honest would she be telling a load of porkies? – “ To be honest these biscuits contain…
KINDNESS
I love it when signs point towards a specific theme or issue that I have already been open to. My desire to make contact with someone in need for 7 days was further endorsed and enforced when I came across The Thirty Day Kindness Challenge .The challenge is to be kind in words and actions to someone or several people you know for an entire 30 days. The hope is that like all habits that form when there is consistency and repeated behaviour, one can also train oneself to develop good and positive habits. The benefits are huge, not only…
PANDORA’S BOX
I loathe shopping. I especially dislike shopping inside a large mall. After about an hour I lose the will to live. There is however, one exception and that is shopping for food. I am passionate about this pastime. I get this feeling of total euphoria, a zone of inner contentment that borders on obsessional. My interest is especially piqued when I am in a foreign country or in an unfamiliar or uncharted food market. I can literally spend hours wandering the aisles not just looking at the merchandise but as a paying consumer, happy to spend a small fortune on…
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
I’ve just been to the library. As a child, this was where I found my solace, my nourishment and my escape. Without a father and with an absent mother, I would spend hours wandering between the shelves, the smell of old books pervading my nostrils and the silence strangely comforting. Without the distraction of television and well before the advent of social media and technology, books ( and the occasional film ) were the only means of escaping into a world of fantasy . Through reading and books I learned how to numb myself , to remove myself from reality…
SEND HER DOWN!
One of the biggest impediments and stumbling block to change has to be the concept of guilt. Whilst a conscience and realisation of something untoward that one may have done is good because it elicits some degree of culpability, feeling guilty about it doesn’t necessarily have the same desired effect. The former is likely to be something one has said or done that wounds another. The latter in many instances is about one’s behaviour ( eating or drinking too much, overspending, neglecting chores to rather sleep in or watch daytime TV etc ) and this is where the term ‘…