Sick, sick, sick....in Spring!

I never get sick (touch wood). Seriously, I left my recent place of work with over 60 sick leave days accrued. So why is it as soon as I no longer have to report to work I come down with some awful bug. A bug that has left me coughing and now cold like for over 10 days! Yes I probably should have gone to the doctor, I did try and make an appointment on Friday and they were SHUT!

Sleep deprived, lacking in energy, fuzzy headed, short tempered I find my self on auto pilot as I plod through the days.

As the days have grown warmer this week and the flowers blooming I am striving to get out and enjoy my time outside the offce enviroment. I am longing to feel like myself again - full of energy and enthusiasm.

On my to do list this afternoon is to put together some wholesome nutritious meals for the week ahead. Fresh vegetables and grains hopefully will cleanse my body and mind and help me to start the week with renewed optimism and vigour!

Ho hummmmmm......

Ho hum….

I have been feeling really flat the last few days. Lucy has a bad night time cough and I am averaging around 4 hours sleep a night. She is fine during the day and is as perky as normal! I am not sure how kids do this. They have the ability to feel “great” no matter how little quality sleep they get (well mine does anyway). Currently as I sit at work (obviously not doing any) she is at home dressed ready for school outside (it’s 7.30am and 12 degrees) on the play equipment. Rearing to go!

I am sitting at my computer in the office waiting for my motivation and energy to kick in!

After feeling so energized to go back to study and find work that I am passionate about I feel stuck already. With worries about redundancies at work and my father having another health scare I am now questioning my decision to go back to study. If I did go back and undertake a counseling course – would I really be able to find a part time job that could support my daughter and I?

I know money doesn’t necessarily make you “happy”, but so much of my life is dominated by it! I am typically one of those people who work to live. I don’t have any huge career aspirations, I don’t feel driven to do anything in particular and I desperately do not want to return to full time work. I could quite happily not work and fill my days with lovely creative, active and charitable activities. Well this is not going to happen and I need to stop fantasizing about it!

So I will work through these doldrums and embrace the sun, fragrance of spring and get organized and energised! I need to to surround myself by supportive and creative people. I will help my friends and enjoy coffees and chats. I will accept that I must work and not judge or compare what I do to other people. I will cuddle Lucy and be grateful that she is so full of energy and the bright spark of my life and maybe I should embrace and try the suggestions in The Happiness Institute’s Monday blog;

“Maybe happiness and success comes down to what we do every 15 minutes! Maybe happiness and success comes down to what we do in each and every moment rather than across a whole day or week or year! Achieving happiness almost certainly comes down to practising a few simple disciplines each and every minute so determine what actions you need to take to find more happiness and focus on doing them as often as you can in every 15 minute period throughout the day!”

Happiness Institute Monday Aug 18 2009

Think before acting....

My patience and energy were tested today.

I am not quite sure what I was thinking when I suggested that the 5 yr old ride to school today. It was such a lovely morning, we were up early and all seemed good! We did make it 3/4 of the way there before I ended up pushing her bike, so I guess that is a positive. So is the fact I got to walk/run home and get some exercise done before 9.30 in the morning.

I enjoyed a productive and energised day of household chores - including using the grey water from the washing machine to water my limp looking james stirlings out the back and a peaceful meditation session.

I walked back to school with a positive mantra running through my head "she will want to ride home and she won't throw a tantie in the school yard".....well she didn't throw the tantie in the school yard as I bribed her with the idea of buying an icypole on the way home. She did throw a tantie when we hit the main road and she decided she didn't want to ride anymore....her legs were tired. So started a mexican standoff of mega proportions.

My patience won out (or maybe it was the threat of no icy pole) and she hopped back on the bike with me pushing her. We were talking by the time we got to the shops and she was positively perky after we bought her icy pole.

Lesson of the day - school for a 5 yr old is enough of a challenge - physically, emotionally, mentally - without the added addition of a 2km round trip on a bike - no matter how much mummy wants to get some exercise.

Instead I will be better organised to use my child free/work free time to find time for me. I have managed to find 20 mins a day to meditate, now I just need 30 mins 3 times a week to exercise. The benefits were evident today as I positively bounced from chore to chore after my morning run!

I must work out how to load my photos from yesterday and today off my phone. I am a bit of a techno moron!

American Idol about to start...so begins mummy time!