Death. Its Natural.

I passed a hearse today. In the back lay a coffin. 

Was it someone’s mother, father, daughter or son?  A friend, aunt or grandparent?  Whatever label that person had they were someone’s loved one. Someone’s life.  

Life is precious. I say it so often because so many of us forget how precious life can be.  Today I was reminded of it. I was also reminded that I too will someday lay in the back of a hearse.

Its not something I like to think about often – death. But it’s as much a part of our life is as anything else. It’s natural and something each and everyone one of us will someday face. 

Seeing the hearse and coffin today was a reminder that my life is never guaranteed. Every day is a gift. Every day I am alive there is something to be thankful for and if I cant find anything to be thankful for than I can at least be thankful for the air I breathe and my heart that beats to keep me alive.

They say life is short. I don’t really believe in that. I say it’s not that its short its more that its wasted and not lived to its full potential. So many of us sit around waiting for life to happen, for it to start.

But life, this life of yours, IS yours. You are the driver, you are in control and you call the shots. Don’t let life take you over, take over your life!

Mobile Phone vs A Conversation

I feel rude. I hate this feeling and I have sat here all afternoon thinking about it.

Let me explain....

I was at the shops earlier today with all my boys. All three of them. Three active young boys. I had my youngest in the stroller and I was rushing around trying to get all the items I needed, in as quick as time possible, and to avoid any destruction made by my two active older boys.

A sweet old lady stops me suddenly and begins to tell me how cute my youngest is and that I should take a photo of him holding the loaf of bread. My 10 month old at this point was eating the bread and ripping it apart. I had only given it to him to entertain him and keep him quiet (as us mothers do!).

Before I had a chance to thank the sweet lady my mobile phone rang. I answered it and that ended that. I ignored her and continued on walking with my phone to ear and begun my conversation.

Why did I do this?

What made my phone call more important?

What has happened to us as a society!

When have phone calls become more superior and important than human interaction?

I see it often people cutting short their conversation to pick up and answer a phone. I'm guilty of it too. However with the way I feel now I won't be doing that in future.

I have learnt from it. I can call that person on the phone back. There will even be a record of their call. But that lovely old lady at the shops?  Well I can never call her back ....

Today I have learnt.

My Imagination

This morning I heard that sound. The sound that mothers of boys would recognise. ... that dreaded sound of a million individual lego pieces being dropped onto the floor. Naturally my first thought was 'well guess whose cleaning that up later'  followed by 'I'll be finding and treading on lego pieces for weeks'. 

However this all changed when ten minutes later they each brought me their creation.

I love the creativity of children. The way they can sit down to a bunch of lego and turn it in to something magnificent  When all I see is individual lego blocks they see creations waiting to happen. It reminded me of a quote by Albert Einstein I love 

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world” - A. Einstein.

And what a gift imagination is. A gift all of us have received. No matter what your age, race or economical background imagination is something we have all been gifted with.   

So today I was reminded just how grateful I am for that little hidden gem tucked away inside of me called my imagination.

I Love. Love.

 I see it everywhere. In everything and in everyone

I see it here

and I see it here

I also see it in this

and right here.

 Love its everywhere. Its what we are made of.

As You Eat Your Dinner...

17,000 children die a day of starvation. What is there to be grateful about? For one walk to your cupboard. Take a look. Go the nearest supermarket. Take a look. Look at the amount of food that you have and can have whenever your hungry or even just slightly peckish. I had this realisation last night when looking at Julian in the bath thinking he was 'skinny'. It was in that moment I realised how blessed I was. I can nourish and feed my children whenever I want and with such ease and never will I have to watch my own children die from starvation.

I googled "starving children" in images and it was beyond upsetting. This photo was one of the least upsetting. It was the babies that broke my heart. Something has to be done. I am not sure what. But tonight as I eat my dinner and every night I feed my children dinner. I will not take it for granted. Ever.

The View

When climbing a mountain you are either climbing to reach the top or climbing so you get to enjoy the view whilst on the way up.

If your climbing to reach the top once you get there you’re done. It’s over. You have accomplished what you set out to do. Now what?

If you’re climbing to enjoy the view on the way up you’ll find that once you reach the top the reward wasn’t in getting to the top but the view you gained on the way up. 

Life is like that. You are always trying to get somewhere else or to reach that goal you are so focused on reaching. But what if you don’t reach that goal? What if that climber didn’t make it to the top?  He’d be left feeling disappointed and though his whole climb was for nothing. 

However if he were to look closely he would see that that there was never a loss. Even though he didn't make it the top like he had hoped, he still gained a lot from his climb. He gained further fitness, experience and of course the magnificent view trying to reach the top. 

I am not saying don’t set goals. By all means set them. Goals are a fantastic thing to set. I am just saying that when you put all your focus on a goal and its set outcome you may end up feeling disappointed if you don’t reach it. When in truth there is never a loss, only a a gain.

For example. If I were to focus all my sights and attention on a new job, my dream job. A flight attendant to be exact. Now I’m going to do all I can to become a flight attendant. I study, I train, I learn all there is about becoming a flight attendant.  Then the moment comes (the climb) I apply for the job. I don’t get it and worse I am told I can never be a flight attendant because I do not meet the height requirements. I am devastated. It was my dream and all that learning and studying was for nothing. Wrong. 

What about the view? It was there. It’s always there when you look for it. I would have gained so much. New friendships that I never would have made had I not studied the course I did. I would have learnt all about the many countries there are in this world and that I would now like to travel. I would have then found that I could apply for a travel agents job ( and with all my experience and training in becoming a flight attendant)  been given the job almost immediately. 

This travel agents job although wasn’t my dream job was even better. It would allow me to travel the world and at discount prices. And I’m sure when I did end up travelling the world I would have looked at all those flight attendants and realized that I was now in the better position.  I got to sit back, relax and travel and whilst they served me. I would have realised in that moment that I had it better.

Life always has better plans for us. Trust the process.

Bad Mummy Moment

"Its never too late to make a wrong right "

Is that a quote? It should be.

This morning I yelled at the kids. I felt awful. I am normally cool, calm and never swear at them. This morning however .... I dropped the "F" bomb*. Twice.

As I sat eating breakfast feeling bad about how I just treated the children I began making excuses for myself like "Its because its 10am and you haven't eaten breakfast yet, your just hungry and overreacting".

Then it came to me. "Its never too late to make a wrong right" and in that moment I forgave myself.

Yes we all have bad mummy moments and this was mine. Its done now and I can move on and learn from it.

I got up walked over to my eldest who I had just 'lost it at' and made the wrong right. I kissed him, hugged him, told him I loved him and asked for his forgiveness.

He forgave me.

 In fact he went on to say "but mummy you didn't yell, you weren't mean to me. I love you".

This morning taught me a few things.

1. My eldest child is amazing. Or deaf.

2. That forgiveness heals.

3. That in any moment we can make things better.

  
* Note "The F Bomb" is a term used when someone says that horrible F*ck word.