Well Christmas 2010 has been and gone, 2011 is almost upon us but not quite here yet...so what of the "Inbetween" time?
It's a bit of a no-man's land, between the old and the new. Maybe for some, a couple of days back at work, a couple of days that may feel neither here nor there.
So today I wondered.....How can you make the "Inbetween" time more meaningful ?
Well my suggestion would be to take the time to relax , retreat and indulge in some revision..... yes that's right, revision!
But I'm not a student I hear you cry!
Well let me clarify that, we are all infact students, in this university I call life. And just like all students, in order to recall just what we've learnt or are learning we need to take time to review and revise.
So what a perfect time...this " Inbetween" time, to do a little revision?
To take a look at just what we've learnt and retained in 2010, in readiness for the new learning we will undertake in 2011.
There is no ‘right way’ to revise, as long as the method you choose enables you to gain a solid grasp of key facts of what you've learnt and consolidate your knowledge.
I find it helpful to use a feng shui bagua map to help consider all areas of my life, I use this method in my workshops too!
In order to truly review your year you will need to allow yourself time, space and contemplation. You will need to ask yourself quality questions and be prepared to answer them honestly and fully.
You can of course use your own revision method and questions, but I thought it may be helpful to start you off .......
Here are some questions you may wish to consider in your revision of 2010:
What has been my high point?
What has been my darkest hour?
What can I learn from these?
What have a started?
What have I finished?
What can I learn from this?
What will I repeat in 2011?
What will I stop doing in 2011?
What do I need to change in order to make this happen?
What has frustrated me in 2010?
What has inspired me to action in 2010?
What can I learn from this?
What have i loved most in 2010?
What has made me smile most in 2010?
How can I have more of this in 2011?
What is my biggest wish for 2011?
What steps can I take now towards it?
The list of questions could be endless.....These are just some questions that may just get you started on your revision. Making use of this "Inbetween" time really is worth the effort,a chance to recap before embarking on 2011.
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Happy revising!
Until next time,
Make every "Inbetween" moment count!
Lisa xxx
On these winter night's I tend to watch more T.V than I generally would. As we're only a few days away from the big event ; Christmas that is, have you noticed how the adverts seem to have moved away from the normal cleaning products,nappies and dog treats to a full on Christmas gift frenzy?
Now there's nothing wrong with giving and receiving gifts at Christmas; if it's within your means, but I was thinking that it's not the biggest or most expensive purchase that's the biggest gift at all....No, the most precious gift is the one we take most forgranted...... it's the time of your Life !
I got up this morning,and firstly and most importantly, I was still breathing! (which I do find helps when moving to an upright position)..... I had energy and enthusiasm for the day ahead, I would even go as far to say I had an air of excitement touching my spirit.... not because Christmas is nearly here ( and it's likely to be a white one too), although that's lovely in itself.... it was simply that I get another 86,400 seconds to spend on enriching my life today!
Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow. ~Denis Waitely
Wow! How rich are you and I ?
It's like a current account of time.... containing 86,400 seconds every single day...the only difference is you cant save them, you have withdraw and spend every single one... its like the biggest spending spree or supermarket sweep you've ever been on!
The biggest gift though, is both you and I have the ability to choose how we spend those seconds.....and if we are awake and aware; if we are totally present, we can make every single one of those moments count!
Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. ~Carl Sandburg
All to often we can find oursleves allowing the day to run away from us, wondering how we spent all of those seconds, maybe we let them slip through our fingers without awareness?
Maybe we even passed over our seconds to someone else and they spent them for us, without us even realising.
So today I urge you to be awake and aware, spend those seconds wisely, make every one count!
Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. ~Charles Richards
How will you make use of the biggest gift you'll ever receive?
Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst. ~Willaim Penn
Until next time,
really do make every moment count!
Lisa xxx
"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
As I write this blog today, it certainly feels like Christmas is fast approaching. The weather outside is frosty and cold and a white blanket covers the landscape.
As I often do, I asked for guidance on what to write about today and pulled a card for inspiration, the card I pulled was "Children"
When I see this card it brings to mind the excitement of being a child at Christmas. The anticipation of the arrival of father Christmas and his reindeers and I can almost feel the butterflies in my tummy as I recall Christmasses past, both as a child and when my daughter was little.
Oh if I could just bottle that excited anticipation, what a joy!
I remember how magical it was to write my letter to father Christmas, I would even draw little pictures and decorate my letter with holly and snowmen.
I also remember that my mum and dad would always ask if I'd been good, or I would get coal and sticks on Christmas morning ( With the sub zero temperatures outside right now, that seems quite appealing I have to be honest!)
Do you remember the magic of Christmas Eve as a child?
I would set out a mince pie, a small glass of sherry and a carrot or two for the reindeers, along with a little note for Father Christmas. Then I recall going to bed really early, so that Christmas morning would come quicker!
I can still remember being tucked up in bed listening intently for the sound of the sleighbells and the clatter of the reindeers hooves on the roof of our house.
When Christmas morning came, I would open my eyes, feeling excitement in every cell of my body (Generally this would take place at some unsavoury hour I might add!) and there would be a pillow case at the bottom of my bed with presents in it.
I'd drag it through to my mum and dad's bedroom shouting "He's been ,He's been!" and my blarey eyed parents would watch in wonder as I gasped excitedly over every present I unwrapped.
I don't think as a child you can possibly appreciate just what joy it is for a parent or grandparent, to see a child's face light up on Christmas morning.
Of course there was always a satsuma ,some nuts and some chocolate coins at the bottom of my pillow case!
When my daughter came along, our Christmas traditions changed somewhat, we adopted some of my step-mums family traditions. Christmas eve would be a family event of preparing veg for Christmas day dinner, as soon as my daughter was old enough she too was enlisted to put crosses on the bottom of the sprouts!
Oh and we had to make plenty to ensure there was enough for "Bubble and squeak" on Boxing day.
There would always be a Christmas film at the cinema on Christmas eve, so that would also be a tradition for us to go and watch a Christmassy film.
Christmas morning, gathered the whole family, of several generations around the Christmas tree, where the youngest members of the family would then act as postmen, giving out the presents. We would open one present at a time, taking it in turns. Everyone sharing in the joy of seeing each person opening their gifts.
Recalling my own Christmas experiences today has left me all tingling inside,all excited and with anticipation for the Christmas that's fast approaching.
Sometimes we become way too serious, or we loose the childlike wonder of Christmas, don't you think?
It can all too easily become a time of stress and pressure, focussed on spending more money and worrying about how we will provide food and merriment. But when it comes down to it, you know what the most important thing is that I recall?
It's the little bit of Christmas magic !
It's not about who bought the biggest most expensive gift, It's about sharing time with those we love, taking time to give and receive, and it really is the thought that counts.
Which makes me recall another little bit of Christmas magic from being a child....I would magically wrap up the same three little wise monkeys every year to give to the family under the tree.....you know as a reminder to "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" not a bad idea really,now I come to think of it!
Just getting back to visualising and feeling what it was like to be a little child at Christmas has been such a moment of magic for me today.
I Hope it may be able to spread a little bit of Christmas magic to you too!
I stumbled across a lovely poem that I thought I'd share.
Recipe for Christmas All Year Long
Take a heap of child-like wonder
That opens up our eyes
To the unexpected gifts in life--
Each day a sweet surprise.
Mix in fond appreciation
For the people whom we know;
Like festive Christmas candles,
Each one has a special glow.
Add some giggles and some laughter,
A dash of Christmas food,
(Amazing how a piece of pie
Improves our attitude!)
Stir it all with human kindness;
Wrap it up in love and peace,
Decorate with optimism, and
Our joy will never cease.
If we use this healthy recipe,
We know we will remember
To be in the Christmas spirit,
Even when it's not December.
By Joanna Fuchs
I urge you now to take a few moments out of the Christmas rush to stop and take yourself back to recall your own little bit of Christmas magic.......
Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles.
Until next time,
Make every moment count!
Lisa xxx
Go on have a little bit of Childlike wonder....The Magic Christmas Star!
I'm looking out on a blanket of white, you could say I'm virtually snowed in. Everyone's talking about the snow, its the main topic of conversation it would seem. What has struck me though, despite the inconvenience it has maybe caused, it has bought some gifts too. Parents have had enforced "Snow days" either because their children's schools have been closed, or they themselves cannot get into work. It's made for fun and frolicks in the snow, building snowmen, sledging and making snow angels ! It's not so bad then, if quality time with the family has been a side effect of the tons of snow.And it does make the run up to Christmas extra special. It makes me recall years gone by as a child, when we actually had snow around Christmas time! “Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together"
Also its been amazing to see people helping one another, wether its been helping dig out the neighbours car, 4x4 drivers taking supplies to cut off villages or providing transport for Dr's and nurses at local hospitals. Extreme weather, its seems brings out a sense of community within us. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could bottle it; that sense of commmunity, kindness and acting with a servants heart, to be used daily, all year around? As a result of being snowed in yesterday I had the opportunity to watch one of my all time old black and white movies, "It's a wonderful life" with James Stewart. The tale of a man; George Bailey, who in debt, feels that his only way forward is to take his own life, he feels he is worth more dead than alive, until he is saved by his guardian angel "Clarence" who is trying to earn his "Wings". Clarence shows him how life would be if he had never been born. It demonstrates just how many lives we touch, just by being here ourselves, and that without each and every one of us the World would be a lesser place.The film ends with George surrounded by his family,all his friends and neighbours around the Christmas tree, where each and everyone of them brings money to help him. The snow has certainly made me consider just how blessed I am. I have a roof over my head,warmth from the open fire and time to reflect quietly away from the world on what a wonderful life I have.An enforced time of contemplation for the year thats just coming to an end and an opprtunity to dream for the new one that's just ahead. The cold temperatures have also made me consider those less fortunate than myself too. Did you know that there are around one million people in Britain that are homeless? Half a million of those are living on the street,in shop doorways and the other half are living in squats or shelters. I urge you today to spare a thought for those out in the cold today. May they be blessed with love, care and warmth. Some great work is being done to reduce the numbers of those effected by homelessness by organisatons such as http://www.shelter.org.uk/ and http://centrepoint.org.uk/. If you feel that you can help in some way today, then I urge you to do so. It took the servere weather to remind me of my own gratitude for the simple things like having a hot bath and a warm bed. So if you find yourself bemoaning the snow, I urge you to take a moment to relish in the gifts it has bought you today, and allow it to act as a reminder of all the many things you can have gratitude for.
Snowflakes are kisses from heaven- Author unknown
Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled. ~Author Unknown
When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels. ~Author Unknown
Until next time,
make every moment count,
Lisa xxx
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