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Shoulders

At the time I was writing this I was at home recuperating from a shoulder sprain. My right shoulder. Although it’s unpleasant to have, I’m glad this wasn’t on my left. I’m left-handed. I do everything with my left. I’ve been thinking about why this has happened from a spiritual perspective.

 

“There’s really no honor in proving that you can carry the entire load on your own shoulders. And it’s lonely.” Amanda Palmer.

 

The first thing that comes to mind is the saying, “Carrying the weight of the world on one’s shoulders.” Sometimes life feels like that. Worry, doubt, guilt weighs heavily. This is built up over days, weeks, months and years. It can be buried deep in the past, then something in the present triggers it. It can be something someone says, something I’ve read. Even a dream.

 

woman wearing off shoulder blouse

 

“The burdens in our minds is always heavier than the burdens on our shoulders.” Mehmet Murat Ildan.

 

I think I’m over something because it happened so long ago, but maybe I’m not. I bury it and get on with my life. I fool myself that it’s all behind me. What comes to mind as I write this is a relationship. I believe I’m over the person, but not the relationship. What do I mean by that? It’s what I’m left with as in feelings of blame, doubt, guilt and regrets. I’ve put a shield up around my heart, so I can’t get hurt.  Any time anyone shows interest in me, that shield comes back up again.

 

“Sleep with the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you shall give your nightmares fodder on which to feed.” Anthony T. Hincks.

 

It’s been almost seven years since the end of my last relationship. It’s time for me to work through and release these emotions, so I can let go of this shield once and for all. Remove this burden off my shoulders. I can then start to feel safe letting someone in to my heart. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

 

Blessings to all xx

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Extra thoughts

Spring comes to life and I feel full of gratitude in nature’s gifts. No matter what is happening around us the seasons still come and go. Just look and you will find joy in the simplest of things. 🙂

Blessings to all. xx

flowers colorful bloom daisies
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Spring

“Spring is nature’s way of saying let’s party.” Robin Williams is my favourite comedian. I miss him. 😦

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
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Photo by Leigh Patrick on Pexels.com
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

 

This is my last post in the Seasons series and it’s my favourite season of the year. This occurs in Australia between September to November. The days are getting warmer, longer and sunnier. Flowers in bloom as buds are opening. Leaves turning green. There’s a colour explosion everywhere I look. Everything is coming to life.

 

“The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” Josiyah Martin.

 

As Winter is a time of endings and completions Spring is a time of new beginnings and new life. In Winter I set myself goals and in Spring I work at making them a reality.

 

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” Leo Tolstoy.

 

Kites flown. The sounds of children playing in the sunshine and birds chirping. Smells of newly mown grass and damp soil. Everything that was closed is now opening. The weather can be sunny and dry and then change to wet and rainy. It’s as temperamental as a toddler. Indoors it’s time for a spring clean. In the midst of all this Daylight Savings starts in the first week of October heralding longer days ahead. I love it!

 

“Spring breathes new life into the world around us.” Unknown.

 

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Blessings to all xx

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Winter

It’s winter here in Australia. As I write this it’s 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit) outside. One of the coldest days of the year, so far. I’m a winter baby (born in August). The days are shorter now or rather it feels that way. By 5.30 it’s already dark.

 

“The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination.” Terri Guillemets.

 

Frost sparkling on the grass
Red – my favourite colour

 

Cold, cloudless mornings lead to crisp sunny afternoons. The grass is sparkling with frost. The trees are bare of leaves. Puffer coats, scarves, gloves and beanies can be seen everywhere.  This means more time spent indoors. Coughs, colds and flu are spreading more easily. I’m in the mood for hot, hearty comfort food. Mainly meat, potatoes and soup. As a result the weight goes on. Oh dear!

 

“If winter comes can spring be far behind.” Percy Bysshe Shelley.

 

I work with children as I’ve mentioned before. Nearly every child has a runny nose or cough. When they are sleeping I can hear them snoring with blocked noses. I see the children cleaning their noses on their sleeves. Not a pleasant site!

 

“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” Anton Chekhov.

 

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Winter for me is a time to reflect, a time for going inwards. It’s a time for setting goals and visualising reaching them. It’s a time to affirm where I am now and where I want to go.

“One kind word can warm three winter months.” Japanese Proverb.

Next week… Spring.

Blessings to all xx

 

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A short note

This week’s post was about Autumn. Here in Australia it falls between March and May. Next week stay tuned for my post about Winter which is what I’m experiencing right now. Thank you for reading my posts. I enjoy sharing them with you all.

Stay tuned….

Blessings to all xx

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Autumn

This week is about Autumn. I love the colours of Autumn. Red, orange, yellow and brown. The leaves are falling off the trees.  Walking over them and hearing the crunch under my feet.  The trees are bare. My t-shirts, summer dresses and sandals are put away and replaced with warmer attire. Light jumpers, pants and cardigans.

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” Emily Bronte.

The weather is getting cooler, which is a relief from the summer heat. It’s cloudy with the sun making an occasional appearance. It’s the time of the year where we see a transition from summer to winter. The daylight hours are getting shorter. The heating goes on as the nights get colder.

1000+ Engaging Autumn Photos Pexels · Free Stock Photos

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” John Burroughs.

Autumn is a time to harvest what we planted in the spring. It’s a time for reaping, picking, collecting and gathering before the winter comes.  The earth and nature has provided for us, so we can benefit all year round.

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” Stanley Horowitz.

Blessings to all xx

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Summer

 

brown sand

This week I begin a series of posts about the seasons of the year. Today I start with summer as it’s the first season of the year (Dec-Feb) here in Australia and the rest of the southern hemisphere.

 

 “but tomorrow may rain so I’ll follow the sun.” The Beatles.

 

What does summer mean to me? The days are getting longer and the sun is shining so much brighter. Summer conjures up many images in my mind. The long, hot days. The uncomfortably sticky, sweaty and sleepless nights. Eating out on the verandah. Slathering on sunscreen to protect my skin, a hat to protect my head and sunglasses to protect my eyes. I do my best to get the right amount of Vitamin D and avoid sunburn.

unrecognizable people swimming in sea in summer time

 

 

“Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.” Van Morrison.

 

Australians love the outdoors and this is evident especially in the warmer months. We flock to the beaches in droves. Personally I don’t go for a swim in the ocean. I prefer to walk along the beach. I take in the sun glistening on the ocean and the smell of sand, seaweed and sunscreen. I buy an ice-cream from food trucks parked on the promenade. I eat it as fast as I can before it melts and drips down my arms.

 

“Friends, sun, sand, and sea, that sounds like a summer to me.” Unknown.

 

Christmas falls in early summer. The temperature can be anywhere from 25 to 35 degrees Celsius (77 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit), sometimes even hotter. This day is spent having an enormous lunch outside. Nearby there’s a barbeque. The smell of cooking meat wafts all around. There are many delicious foods in season such as berries and watermelon. Ah the delicious sweetness! I must admit it isn’t my favourite season, but all the seasons have their pros and cons.

Next week…Autumn.

Blessings to all xx

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My childhood home

“Home (noun) A gathering place for family to join together in laughter. The one place where you will always be surrounded by those who love you. A place or feeling of belonging.”

 

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My parents home (Google Earth)

 

What does my childhood home mean to me? Is it just four walls, ceilings and a roof? I go for a walk in my old neighbourhood. As I approach my parent’s home I feel a jolt. I’m transported to a time in the future. My parents are gone and the house is empty. My siblings and I have the unenviable task of deciding what to do with the house. Anyone else looking at this house just sees bricks and mortar. In my eyes it’s so much more than that.

“The older I get the more I appreciate my childhood. It was paradise.” Greg Mortenson.

It isn’t just a house. It was my home. I grew up here. My siblings grew up here. It’s here that I felt safe, secure, protected and most of all loved. There are so many memories contained in these four walls. Celebrations of christenings, engagements, weddings and birthdays. Sad times such as losing loved ones.

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My siblings and I. Taken in our very first home.

This house has a history. The history of my family and the ones who lived here before us. This house is over 100 years old. If these walls could talk, they would have so much to say. This isn’t the only house I’ve lived in, but it’s the one that means the most to me. It has been my sanctuary from the outside world. A haven for me in the hard times. I guess it isn’t the house itself I miss. It’s my childhood.

“When you finally go back to your old home, you find it wasn’t the old home you missed but your childhood.” Sam Ewing.

Blessings to all xx

 

 

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Night

I love the night life

 

white and black moon with black skies and body of water photography during night time
Everything is quiet and still.

 

“I like the night. Without the dark, we’d never see the stars.” Stephenie Meyer.

 

This post is the last instalment of “Times of day”. This is my favourite time of the day. At night, life starts slowing down. I can relax knowing that all I set out to do is done. It’s a time to reflect on the day that’s passed and look ahead to the following one. It’s time to set goals and pray I achieve them. Everything is quiet and still.

 

“Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.” Mahatma Gandhi.

 

silhouette of woman standing on rock near body of water during night time
Thoughts overtake me at night.

 

Thoughts can overtake me at night. There’s nothing to distract me from them. I can see this in a positive or a negative way. Do I go with them or push them away? Just as the dawn reveals things to me, the night disguises them from me. Before I go to sleep I feel like I’m in a fog. The events of the day play out in my mind. Things people said to me. Things I saw on TV and read on social media. This all comes to bombard me as I lay in my bed. I can’t wait to go to sleep, so my subconscious mind can process all this information and my dreams can reveal to me what I need to know. The day is complete and my mind, body and spirit can rest and prepare for the next day.

Blessings to all xx

 

“I love the silent hour of night. For blissful dreams may then arise. Revealing to my charmed sight. What may not bless my waking eyes.” Anne Bronte.

 

red lighted candle

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Afternoon

“Nobody feels that they come into their own till about an hour after lunch.” Oliver Burkeman.

 

brown cookies

Just after my lunch my natural inclination is to go for a nap. This is an inconvenient feeling especially when I’m at work. After an hour or two the sleepy and drowsy feeling lifts to reveal a new found energy.  I can then focus on what needs to be done. This becomes my most productive time of the day. My batteries take time to charge in the morning. By mid-afternoon they are fully charged. Afternoons are a time of busyness. A time of getting as much done as I can.

accuracy afternoon alarm clock analogue

“My thoughts, it is my freedom. My love, it is my loyalty to the people who are part of my life and my story.” Unknown.

 

When I’m at home I arrange appointments (whenever possible) for the afternoon. I can’t deal with much first thing in the morning. So you could say I’m not a morning person.

Blessings to all xx

group of diverse friends sitting in modern cafe

“Good afternoon. Every experience no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.” Unknown.