As I mentioned in my last post, I have decided to do a monthly Gratitude Journal entry on the blog…why, well there are so many moments that I do feel grateful for however I don’t share them and unfortunately these moments are easily forgotten in this fast paced and sometimes ugly world that we live in.
^A pretty flower from my daddy’s garden that he sent me this week.
A New Year
When I went to bed on the 31st December 2016, I was glad to see the end of that god awful year…I’m one of those individuals that don’t feel the need to drink way too much or stay up until midnight to welcome in the New Year; I love to wake up as fresh as a daisy in the New Year. I’m so grateful for the New Year…it’s a time to start afresh with new hopes and dreams.
Pretty Little Snowflakes Falling On My Nose
Remember that huge deluge of snow that we received a few weeks ago…I refused to go to work if a single snowflake fell in England (The English and the mention of snow causes the country to go into meltdown…this still makes me giggle!)..anyway I worked from home as there was a snowflake somewhere up north. Thankfully it did snow in Bedfordshire and I jumped on FaceTime to my family to show them…mum wanted me to catch one (seriously easier than it sounds!).
I love snow and the joy it can bring…we live next to a care home for adults with severe disabilities and the staff took them outside to feel the snow against their skin and this made me smile as I could hear their moans of delight. Simple things can bring people great pleasure regardless of circumstance and I felt grateful that I heard that special moment.
The Light At The End Of A Very Long Tunnel
I’m SOOOO grateful for this one…G and I have finally got somewhere on the NHS and I couldn’t be happier. While I haven’t been pleased about the treatment we have received over the past two years, finally knowing that it wasn’t all in my head (as was implied) and that I am unwell but can be treated is a starting point for me. I had 14 polyps removed on Monday much to the shock of the doctor and nurses performing the colonoscopy…I’m grateful that my previous GP surgery went into liquidation and a new doctor looked at my notes and rushed me through on the 2 week NHS rule as I had all the symptoms for colon cancer. Next stop is getting my fibroid removed next month…and I’m looking forward to getting back to the old Kelly and some new adventures with my polyp free colon and fibroid free uterus!
Frugal Friday
This year I really wanted to get my finances under control and have set up my own little spreadsheet that I update every Friday aka Frugal Friday. I’ve never really tracked my spending and doing so has really opened my eyes to how silly I am at times with my credit card. I am so grateful to Rachel for introducing me to Financial podcasts this month – Rachel recommended The Dave Ramsey Show which I love and feel very motivated by and have added in Money Box and a few other podcasts…okay these financial podcasts have really tickled my financial brain and I have become slightly obsessed.
Looking For Silver Linings
I used to be very good at finding a silver lining at bad times, I used to just laugh myself through it all however it got really hard when I was dealing with G’s mental illness (if you have a loved one with a mental illness you will understand what I mean…until you walk in those shoes you have no idea) and my exhaustion due to various health issues…I felt like I was walking through life on egg shells. This month I have felt more like the old happier Kelly (and I love the old Kelly, not a fan of this one…so I’m grateful to be seeing my old self again)...I can see the silver linings in so many things again…when I was told that I had to have a colonoscopy my instant reaction was let’s do this and then remembering the laxatives (oh shit…excuse the pun!) and then thinking of the silver lining = weight loss!
Kindness is catching
Thankfully I’m not the only person in the office that has taken on the kindness never goes out of fashion as their mantra for 2017 and beyond – there are times when individuals are just plain nasty and you feel like you’re starring in the Mean Girls movie…smiling and being really nice rattles their cages even more. I unfortunately pushed an Engineer to breaking point a few weeks ago (he took offence to an email telling him to do his job..a 1 minute job but anyway…he was having a bad day!)…I backed off and he later sent me an email to apologise. I took the time to call him and have a quick chat so that we both cleared the air and he told me he was grateful that I did that…nothing like kissing and making up. I’m grateful to be working with a number of Engineers that remind me of the characters from the tv show, The Big Bang Theory…we have a few Sheldon Coopers at work which makes me giggle.
The Great Social Media Detox
So after saying I was going to keep off Twitter, I have succeeded and I can’t tell you how much better I feel for it; I used to feel myself getting so angry and frustrated over silly 140 character tweets so I have decided to stay off twitter for the long term for my sanity and also I think there are just way too many lies and half truths floating around. I haven’t spent much time on Instagram either as it feels to polished for my liking these days…I may have a spring clean in the future. I’m so thankful that I took the time to do this as it has really changed my happiness and stress levels and I would highly recommend taking the time to do this as you really do reconnect with yourself while disconnecting from others.
I also finally put something into action that I’ve read about for the past few years which sounded like a great idea but I hadn’t introduced into my life…don’t play with your phone, kindle or any other electronic device before you go to bed. I now switch everything off at 9pm and head to bed to read my book….and boy has this made a huge change in my quality of sleep! I won’t be going back – 9pm, if the blog post isn’t finished, well there is always tomorrow…laptop down and let your eyes relax.
January’s Reading Material
I decided that I was going to read more books in paper form this as year as I found it so difficult to finish a book via the kindle recently. I’m not the fastest reader but this doesn’t bother me. This month I fell in love with Sister Agatha in A Nun’s Story as I found it fascinating for a number of reasons – firstly Shirley was about to get married when she got her calling and decided to become a nun leaving behind her love and a life of luxury; secondly, I’m intrigued about the life of a nun so this book answered a number of my burning questions but it also covered various parts about her life including living during World War 2, her childhood living in a wealthy family (her mum sounds a bit like Lady Violet from Downton Abbey) and how she was able to save The Nunnery thanks to a special meeting on a train.
I’m not religious however I respect all religions; it’s a book that I normally wouldn’t read however it jumped out and grabbed me when I was at WH Smith. I will say, if you skim read you will find this book difficult…you really need to take the time to appreciate every word. Here’s the link via amazon or via Book Depository (they offer free worldwide shipping!)
xx
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