Life is like a garden,
And you the gardener,
Careful what you plant,
For you reap what you sow.
It’s been a while….so the first few lines that popped into my head.
Featured image from CBN.com
Life is like a garden,
And you the gardener,
Careful what you plant,
For you reap what you sow.
It’s been a while….so the first few lines that popped into my head.
Featured image from CBN.com
How in advance of the chimes of Big Ben (if you’re in the UK) ringing through the start of another year, that the ink on your New Year’s Resolutions list was bone dry?
Historically we did it like this
Do the good people of planet Earth still use the phrase New Year’s Resolutions (NYRs)? Apologies, I don’t mean to sound rude when I say this. It’s just because in these very recent times we are good at re-visiting our trends at any point during the year. Lets take the most common item on the NYRs list, joining a gym. Historically you may not have thought about this one in any particular detail, but it comes to the frontal lobe at the start of Christmas until New Years Eve.
Iterative evaluation
The alternative scenario is you’ve still managed to indulge during the festive period and who doesn’t. One should always feel happy with themselves and not be coaxed into doing something for the sake of it. But a few months into the New Year someone you know is partaking in a sporting event for charity and Eureka, you decide to get involved and get fit! You evaluate and join the gym, or start walking more, running or even cycling. More importantly you’ve done it at the moment you felt ready which means you are more likely to stick with it. According to the Fitness Industry Association gym memberships go up by 12% in January, with many quitting just 24 weeks later. In fact many would quit earlier if they weren’t locked into 6 month contracts!
Let me dust off the NYRs cobwebs first
I was searching through my site the other day to see the last time I posted anything on this subject, as I don’t have any paper based evidence. Patiently I watched the archive posts unfold themselves onto my screen and I chuckled. Ahead of 2020, let me share what I noted as my NYRs all those years back:
Note: my profession involves a lifetime of applying a RAG (Red/Amber/Green) statuses to everyday management. If it’s green, I’ve done it! If it’s amber, it’s at risk of slippage. If it’s red, then it’s sadly slipped!Â
On a dark December night in 2010…..
What new joys do I have on my list for 2020!
So that’s it! I am confident these are attainable but two things are bound to happen; (1) re-evaluation (2) emergence of new items on the list.
If you’re reading this, then a very Happy New Year, wishing you a 2020 full of great health and year of new adventures.
When all is said and done, no stone left unturned, the three of them lean back on the wooden chairs in the coffee house. Â Glancing everywhere but at each other, the mood is very sombre. Â Some tears, some disappointment, something lost forever, something worth saving, something forgotten, something worth remembering, something shattered, something worth repairing, something best buried. They depart one by one, hoping never to see each again….
A snippet from a new short story I am writing, more to come. Â The Conversation.
There is a large Tree near where I live,
It’s trunk is thick and brown, lines marking its bark conceal many tales,
It’s branches extending out at different lengths.
On many occasions it has offered shelter,
Today my soul wanders over to the foot of the Tree,
There I see four souls perched up against the trunk.
The first is thinking, while examining the sheer size of the Tree –
“Should I purchase this Tree for myself, then I can cut it down and sell it off for a profit”
The second is thinking, while listening to the branches and leaves nudge against each other –
“How wonderful is the sound this Tree makes, for surely it’s the perfect musician”
The third is thinking, having walked out after fighting with his wife, children and neighbour, in need of peace –
“The sheer noise these branches and leaves are making is like they are having a fight, the world is a house of arguments”
The fourth is meditating, notices a leaf falling from the Tree and thinks with sadness in his heart –
“Just as this leaf will never attach itself back to the branch again, each passing moment lost here cannot be reclaimed”
It’s a question of how we perceive….
It’s a warm Sunday morning and I decide to go for a bike ride
In the first leg of my ride, I cycle past a village pub,
There is a group of men sitting outside,
The amber looking beer glasses filled to the brim,
There is loud laughter, drinking together is fun,
They take a look at me riding past,
In my mind, they say “Silly guy on his wheels”
It’s now moving from warm to a little hot!
In the second leg of my ride, I am now cycling up a hill,
On my left side there is an old cemetery I can see,
There is a car reversing out but stops at the entrance,
I slow down just to be sure and my attention moves to the back,
There is a girl sitting with head down crying heavily,
Those in front haven’t noticed her state yet, But I have.
It’s now moving from a little hot to hotter!
In the third leg of my ride, I peddle swiftly along a flat countryside track,
It’s been 10 miles and I stop to fuel up with a chocolate bar,
I look around and notice a couple sitting on a grassy bank,
Both their eyes locked into each other, seem so in love,
I move along, as not to distract them from their moment.
It’s now moving from a little hotter to unbearable!
In the fourth leg of my ride, I am heading towards home,
10 more miles have passed since I saw that couple in love,
The sky has turned grey and the clouds look angry,
I’m not far from home when the heavens open,
God has left the tap running, drops come down menacingly,
Drivers stuck in traffic on the other side, look across to me,
In my mind, they say “Silly guy on his wheels”
It’s now moved from unbearable to cleansing!
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