And so, as the holiday and festive season is upon us I’m now taking some time to enjoy with family, share in some good times, travel, lots of tennis, delicious and nourishing foods and some ‘me time’.
I wish you a wonderful season, celebrated in a manner of your choosing and I hope it’s mixed with lots of positive vibes…
I listened to a great podcast recently from the Ladies at Love Life Show about the benefits of ‘laziness’ for your health. Check it out, at Laziness
Jane and Rebecca do some cool, empowering and thought-provoking stuff. For me, this one was ideal timing, which had me asking myself the question – Is it about laziness or is it self-love? If I choose to have a day reading and relaxing am I being lazy? As you know my hubby and I headed away recently to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, following our recent 20th wedding anniversary.
This provided the ideal platform to explore my thoughts from the recent podcast, as my past programming was telling me, Yes you are being lazy! But first a little background…whenever we get away it is pretty much ALWAYS to the beach. We had never been to O’Reillys or similar. We pretty much checked out what the weather and climate were going to be like, packed accordingly and as we had our own villa we could be self sufficient – so we packed the esky with a little nourishment, set the GPS and off we headed. Our decision was, well, no decision…no agenda. To go with the flow!
As we got further up the mountain, more into the sometimes narrow and windy road, we noticed the change in the air…that fresh mountain air becoming even fresher!! Though blended with sunshine it was lovely. After being greeted by the friendly staff at the main guest house, we settled ourselves into the villa and went a little exploring…by this stage we had worked up an appetite for a warm and late afternoon coffee. The local wildlife thought they would join us…the birds are so, so friendly.
As we checked in we were given activity and information sheets about flying fox, segway tours, guided walks and much more. We decided O’Reilly’s is one of those spots where you can do as little or as much as you please…it’s entirely up to you. We opted for the ‘as little’ option. This looked something like…
– Waking when we were ready, no morning alarms!
– Chatting with the birds who joined us on the deck
– Afternoons in the spa
– Morning meditations in the day bed
– Sitting and just ‘being’ in front of the fireplace
– Strolling to wherever!
– The treetops walk, which had come recommended as a ‘must do’
– Delicious dinner in the guest house 🙂
– Some journalling…and well, I think you get the picture!
For me, this was an indulgence…not only to be spoiled in nature and share it with my best friend and love of my life. I mean an indulgence to take time to ‘be’. To have no agenda, to listen to my body, it’s feelings and yes, if this meant enjoying some dark chocolate and lentil chips then I did that too!
Throughout my wellness journey I am challenged to strike a balance of ‘doing’ what’s on the to do list, to keep striving for goals and aspirations – though, sometimes not listening to my body and it’s needs OR falling back into old habits and laziness!
So, where does this leave me about the ‘laziness v self love’ question. Here is what connects for me…
It’s about balance and harmony. If I lazed around like this every weekend then I would see that as me being lazy. However, if life is a balance of the occasional weekend like this, blended with weekends ‘getting stuff done’ then it’s self love.
I’m really grateful for the podcast and the platform it gave me to explore this topic and ask myself some great questions. It has allowed me to grow and I love articles that stimulate my curiosity and keep me growing.
Perhaps you would like to take a moment, get honest with yourself asking some questions around this topic…Stay open to your own curiosity and growth. I love hearing your thoughts, so please feel welcome to share 🙂
Ever feel so excited that you actually get a bit choked up? I’m feeling a little this way today – mixed with a sense of gratitude and achievement. Here’s why…
Today, we celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary. It all began quite some years before we married, having known each other since childhood. Not exactly sweethearts to begin with, Rob kept asking me out…I kept saying no! Not to be discouraged, Rob knew what he wanted. And then finally it was a wet and rainy New Years Eve, midnight arrived and he thought he would sneak a poolside kiss, magic happened and this is when it all began.
Perhaps it was the rain, the disco music at the Bribie Island Caravan Park or Rob’s ‘Never Give Up’ attitude, but something came over me that night!
And, what a journey we are on. The joys in sharing with my best friend, lover, business partner and tower of strength. He laughs with me, holds my hand, comforts me, pushes my buttons, cooks a yummy roast, takes me on adventures, supports my growth and gives warm cuddles xx
I took a few moments recently to reflect with fondness of a journey that is filled with so many memories. Daughter, Georgia – now 18, and I even dragged out some old photo albums and shared a few laughs together. As I’m sure Rob may when he sees this picture (above) of us enjoying our honeymoon.
I know there is lots more of this journey to ride and that’s exciting. For now, I’m enjoying this moment of celebration.
May 2016 and beyond, be flowing with the abundance of energy
to always believe in you and chase your dreams and goals xx
For me, meditation has provided a platform for my story. It has enriched my life in so many ways…
Do you meditate? Feel welcome to share with us your reasons and benefits of this very peaceful practice. We can all learn from each other and be at peace with our stories 🙂
Everybody has a story…
The festive season is not just about ‘making it through’ right? We all want to ‘thrive’, not just survive! Here are a few tips of my own that see our family enjoying the festive season with lots of Health & Happiness.
So, December is in full swing which means so too is the festive season! DO NOT gasp, in fact take a long, slow, deep breath. This is not a reason to:
This DOES NOT have to be the ‘silly season’…it is your choice! There is still an abundance of time for:
You do not need to absorb the energy fed to us via media and other sources.
As you are pausing for that breath of fresh air, just reflect and ask yourself the question ‘How would I like to shape my/our festive/holiday season’. Right now, you are empowered to make choices to put forward the energy for this season of the year, which you choose.
If you don’t want to begin 2016 with:
Then DON’T!! Here are a few of my tips for surviving AND enjoying the festive/holiday season:
Feel welcome to share with us any of your strategies for remaining healthy and happy during this season. And of course, if you have any questions, always feel welcome to ask…it’s one of the best ways we all learn xx
We’ve been married for 20 years in 2016 and, said affectionately it has been a rollercoaster of a journey! Here are a few strategies that work for us in keeping connected…
How do you do it? Share with us your strategies for keeping the sparkle in your relationship 🙂
Feel it in your heart, sprinkle it everywhere you go and
feel the gratitude of your life blessed with Love xx
Happy Monday 🙂
From Me to You this festive season…
I hope you have and still are enjoying much Peace, Joy and Love…Especially at this time and right throughout the year.
Stay Healthy & Happy, always 🙂
Shan Cooper follows a paleo-based lifestyle. And whilst this lifestyle works for Shan, I connect with Shan’s message of the need for us all to ‘tune in’ to ultimately find and follow a healthy eating/lifestyle that works best for us, as we are all individual. Click the link below to enjoy Shan’s story…
Story with Shan – Pregnancy & Health
Shan Cooper
Kylies Courage 