Life is ever changing, and with the help of my darling husband, awesome kids, family and friends, I’ve had many life lessons that have helped me grow and continue to be the best person I can. At the risk of sounding slightly self indulgent, I’d like to share one such recent lesson kindly illuminated by my family in the subtlest of ways, that has helped keep me on the right path. I was all set to post a blog about oils and butter, however I’m writing this blog instead… Don’t you just love it when things don’t go to plan?!
So, why am I sharing?
I have to admit, I’m usually not one to publicly air my personal struggles, but I have been getting a pretty darn strong message that this particular lesson is rather appropriate to many. And not so coincidentally, it aligns quite nicely with the whole process of change. Be it an additive free lifestyle or whatever your chosen change avenue is at this moment, we’re all constantly in a state of change to some degree.
My current change process happens to be starting a new business… Quite a change – and a bloody good one at that! And I figure sharing this lesson of mine may help you get through your change process too. So share I shall, and with love and hope that this little ditty helps you all, in some way shape or form, to feel you’re not alone, can soldier on and ride the wave during this time called life and your current journey through change.
So what’s the lesson of this moment all about?
Expectations and fears, and losing sight of the big picture because of the little things.
Enjoying the little things…
Yes, there’s purpose and value in paying attention to the little things in life – the beauty of this amazing planet is best appreciated when we take time to focus on the little things… A beautiful lesson easily learnt if you embrace the joy of taking a toddler for a walk around the block!
Living in the moment and enjoying the little things is something I highly recommend, though it’s not the only lesson I’ve learnt this week.
The little things that have tripped me up this week have been all due to expectations and a focus on the future, not the present moment. Time, deadlines, and meeting my own personal goals and expectations have got the better of me, and I dare say it’s something we’ve all been guilty of doing, especially as parents. So easy to forget the joy of right now and be caught up in the stress of daily life.
Well, no more I say! Lesson learnt, and I’m ready to move on. How? By remembering the joy of surfing (of course!), thanks to a kind little nudge by my darling husband.
Now you might well ask, how can I enjoy a good surf when living approximate 8 hours from the closest beach?! Well, I’m keeping with the slightly philosophical theme of this here blog and am talking about the metaphorical joy of surfing.
With not too much difficulty, I’m sure you can think of a time when you were happily cruising along in life – having a good day or week. Hopefully it’s happening for you right now! Remember those moments in life where we are fortunate enough to be riding a wave, every things is going along smoothly, enjoying the moment, feeling the sunshine on your face, the salty wind in your hair and the sparkle of the blue water surrounding you? Life is good. No expectations, just the moment. We’ve all had those moments.
Surfer or not, there’s one thing we all know that follows… That wave will end eventually – it’s only natural, and not a bad thing – there’s a sandy beach bound to meet you at the end of that wave! And that’s ok, because what’s so great is you can just step off your board and walk that beach back to the break for another ride. However sometimes, we forget the way back, or maybe we’ve paddled back out and got caught in the current, or perhaps we made it back out there and there’s not a wave in sight.
What to do? Well, if you were me in the last week, your mind kicks in and wonders why there’s no waves, pictures what they should be like, stresses about the fact you didn’t catch one, expects to already be on one, etc etc. You get the drift – I momentarily lost sight of the fact that I could be floating out there in the ocean, staring at the sky, feeling the water cleanse and enliven me, enjoy the peace and generally groove on the moment until the next ride chooses me.
Instead, I let the fears, the expectations, the little things take over, and completely forgot the joy of surfing.
So I implore you all today 
to learn from my mistakes, remember the joy of living in the moment, and embrace where you are at right now, because that’s just where you’re meant to be. And another wave is on it’s way to you, ready to take you where you need to be next. Sure you might have to paddle a bit to catch it, it might even take a while for that next set to arrive, but it will come! The ocean doesn’t stop making waves, the universe doesn’t stop giving us opportunities and the little things are not there for us to stress about!
Sometimes it’s nice to just roll off your board, float on your back, close your eyes and let the water carry you along. Feel the peace and know it will be ok. Let go of expectations and fears! So wherever you are in your current process of change, please remember this lesson and enjoy the ride.
Ok, that’s all. Thank you for allowing me to indulge in my slightly philosophical lesson of the week. I’m off to dream of waves and hope you’re enjoying the ride too!
Happy surfing!
Loren x
PS If nothing else, I do hope this blog highlights the fact that despite knowing a few of the ins and outs of change, I am human and forget to practice what I preach :-). And as humans we are all prone to forgetting we are sometimes perfectly imperfect beings! An irony that doesn’t go unnoticed, but I hereby declare I will not let it hook me in and mess with my mind, merely watch it float away in the waves as I let it go, learn and grow. I kindly suggest you do the same if finding yourself on this train of thought 🙂 x
