The last two weeks have been strange.
Theres not been much in way of stuff & I’ve spent the majority of it with just me myself & I. It’s been a good opportunity to get to know me again.
The first week started slowly, gym, sunbathing, sleep. Sounds lovely right? It was, but the brain has begun to catch up with the rest of me, it has realised the dramas have gone & it can relax from protecting the body.
As a consenquence that has slowed me down massively. Physically im much slower than usual, everything is harder than usual, but luckily my new personal trainer is a lifesaver. He is the trainer for all the Holistic stuff at the gym & totally knows what I need to do. Normally when I go the the gym or train its all fast, hard exercise till I drop. There still is 3 sessions of that a week but there is also stuff to relax & rest – and Yoga has become my new best friend forever.
Yoga makes sense to me, controlled movements, breathing deeply. Mind you, the first time I did it I was awful! Its all in the breathing and stretching, & I am not the most bendy (no rude comments please!) but after a few sessions I am already making progress!! (Still not bendy enough though!). It really does makes me feel calm, peaceful, full of energy & happy.
I am also being made to have rest days – they still make me feel guilty! It doesnt seem right to take a day to just relax, walk, potter & sleep. Im not sure I will ever get used to that but the results speak for themselves. 1.2kg lost in 10 days. Boom. But far more important than that, I feel amazing.
As a natural progression I want to eat well, Im not craving all the carbs I did before, or the sweet stuff I ate just to keep me going. Dont worry, I still love love love food, but its all a balance. ( loving cooking healthy treats, so watch this space!).
When I finished work I wrote a to do list of things I wanted to do while I was off (I do love a list). It was 62 items long. From calling a friend I hadn’t spoken to for years to major things like sorting health care, house stuff etc. The list was 2 pages long and it seemed daunting to say the least. But with no time pressure that list is now down to 7 items – you might say how did you do it? I mean some of those things have been there for at least a year. Well, when I was in Italy the Doc said to me “when you wake, get up & get the jobs done for that day-then you can do the things that make you happy”. Not rocket science hey! So now I am up at 8am everyday without an alarm, and off I go. I give myself a task a day from the list and usually end up doing at least 2.
So now i am slowly getting back to the new & improved Al, other thoughts begin to show themselves. I am thinking of future plans with great excitement, but after all the recent dramas i start to think about what happens if Im not here anymore? Who looks after all my estate (shoes/handbags). Who is my next of kin? That adds a big item to the to do list – a Will & a funeral plan. Mum didnt have a will & it caused a lot of problems sorting things out for Dad. Dad did have a will, & it made things so much easier. Now Im sitting here, without any close next of kin or a will. For someone so organised this is unacceptable! So off I go to get a will made..
What a suprisingly easy and reassuring process it was! I cant recommend it highly enough from both sides of the fence so to speak. The last thing you want is your loved ones having any more stress and drama when you go, & I can not beg you all enough to go and make a will. Not only that but sit down with your nearest and tell them what you want to happen to you when you die. I know its scary, & no one wants to think about it, but do you want to end up in the ground instead of scattered? If so where? Its your final bow, so make sure you have rehearsed it properly. Now i know if anything happens to me my affairs will be fairly easy to sort out – although no fighting over the Victoria Beckham handbag you lot………
The last week has been spent catching up with some old friends. Friends I havent seen for years. Childhood friends. The most amazing thing is when I see them its like we only chatted the day before, we just pick up where we left off. Thats what friendships should be. We all grow up and our lives take different directions – families, jobs, travels – but those people are always there. Maybe only on Skype or the phone & email, but they are there.
So although I may only have a few close family members Some of who I dont even speak to anymore for many reasons, I have a huge family. My friends. Some old, some new, some borrowed but none blue (except the Smurfs of course who I LOVE). Each and everyone of them are like family to me & that makes me the luckiest girl around.
Today I have had one of my blogs published on a travel website, I am so thrilled! Maybe its the start of something new…..
See you all in a fortnight!
