If your life is not going as you want it to right now…….

If you are not satisfied with the way you live your life right now, here are some things you can do to make it better. Start with the first task in Week 1,  then add a further task each week so that you are covering all 8 areas by Week 8.  

Week 1– Join the wake daily up at 5am club.  It does not have to be so early, as long as you can find one hour every morning when you will be alone without any interruptions. Use this hour to complete these three 20 minute tasks in any order you want:

20 minutes of exercise with at least 10 minutes of cardio, 5 minutes of weights or resistance and 5 minutes of stretching. If you are not sure how to do any part,  find an online video. 

20 minutes of reading to learn a new skill or acquire knowledge. 

20 minutes of gentle relaxation and meditation.

Repeat this one hour routine daily, even at weekends or days off work.

Week 2– Make a plan to declutter your possessions.  Assign some time each week to tackle a specific room or area and put things into keep and dispose piles. Organize the things you keep so they are accessible, anything in a container can be labelled for easy identification. Donate or dispose of stuff every week.

Week 3– If your spending is out of control, cut up the credit cards or reduce them to just one. Cancel subscriptions to things that are non-essential like cable TV, music streaming or Apps. Track your spending with a free App or a notepad to accurately record your outgoings.  Make decisions on what you can afford and create a realistic budget for essentials like food, shelter, heating, commuting and self care/medical.  Allocate spending for entertainment and fun but stick within your budget.   If you are overwhelmed go see a financial adviser. Allocate time to this task weekly.

Week 4– Reduce your screen time from phones, computers and TV.  Put your phone on silent for most of the day so you are not interrupted by unscheduled calls, texts or notifications.   Consider giving up social media completely, it is not an essential part of healthy living.  Spend more time in nature taking walks or bike riding. Stop and smell the roses. Make a plan to focus on this each week.

Week 5– Prioritize experiences over material possessions.   Find joy in simple things like writing, reading, spending time with loved ones or just taking a walk. Every week, find time to reach out to a friend or loved one you have drifted from.

Week 6– Plan your time effectively and leave gaps between tasks to allow for over-run or downtime. Practice single tasking and try to finish a task before starting a new one. Learn to say no to things that are not important to you and focus more on what is. Check in on this aspect weekly

Week 7– Practice self care to ensure your physical, mental and spiritual well being is not being ignored.  If you need to lose weight, start a diet and exercise program. If your drinking habits are excessive, considering having a totally dry month. Join a group with shared interests and consider volunteering as a way to donate your time helping others. Verify you have addressed this at least one a week.

Week 8– Look back and reflect on how your life has improved, allocate more time on areas that are not yet yielding results.  Reward yourself with some outrageous, decadent, delicious, guilt-free self indulgence.

Crowded travel

Woke up 6am

In England

Great vacation

Family reunion

Travel day

Packed cases

Light breakfast

Family hugs

Tearful goodbyes

9am taxi

Crowded roads

11am Airport

Crowded check-in

Crowded terminal

Crowded security

Crowded gate

Crowded boarding

Crowded flight

Arrived Iceland 

2hr layover

Crowded terminal 

Crowded cafe

Crowded restroom

Crowded gate

Crowded boarding

Crowded flight

Crowded movies

Took nap

Crowded dreams

Arrived USA

Passport control

Crowded lines

Baggage delayed

Crowded belt

Walked outside

Crowded pickup

Found ride

uncrowded drive

Arrived Home

No crowds

22hr journey

Uncrowded house

Uncrowded bed

Uncrowded sleep

Uncrowded dreams

5am awake

Jet lagged

No crowds

Relaxing day

Uncrowded unpacking

Uncrowded reflections

Happy memories

Forgot crowds

Northern lights

Stepping outside late in the evening

It was a very dark, clear, star filled sky

After a few minutes my eyes adjusted to the low light

Looking north I could see a faint red glow

Not far away was a gentle green glow

The longer I looked, the clearer the glow became

It was my first time witnessing the northern lights

Total silence accompanied the spectacle

Everybody whispered as a mark of respect

Fearful that any sound might frighten them away

These mysterious colored flying ghosts

Only appearing when conditions are perfect

Thankfully we were in the right place at the right time

Great show northern lights

How about an encore nightly

Psychopath story (original author not known)

Man sits by me on train.

MAN: Loads of psychopaths around here

ME: Really?

MAN: Loads mate

ME: How’d you know?

MAN: There’s signs aren’t there?

ME: I guess?

MAN: I love them

(47 minutes of awkward silence.)

Man leaves train, he has a bike. I realise he was saying ‘cycle paths’.

World Octopus Day

Yesterday was world octopus day

Lets take a few moments to marvel at these incredible creatures

Their eight arms have suckers to grasp and explore their surroundings

Masters of camouflage who can instantly blend to avoid predators

These highly intelligent creatures can solve complex puzzles

They have blue blood and three hearts

They can grow a new arm if they lose one

Having no bones allows them to squeeze into tight spaces

They are venous and use ink as a defense mechanism

They use tools to build shelters

Jet propulsion allows them to dart about quickly

Equipped with incredible eyesight that can detect polarized light and see things in very low light

They taste ever so good in seafood dishes like paella

English Rain

English rain is often a quiet and persistent presence

more of a mist than a downpour

it arrives in a soft steady drizzle soaking the earth slowly but thoroughly

the clouds hang low

casting a gray light over the countryside and cities alike

making the green fields glow more vibrantly

people dash around clutching umbrellas

splashing in puddles

waiting for the rain to stop

England would not be England without rain

Sheep graze while I gaze

I gaze upon yonder fields

Rolling hills beside the bay

A flock of sheep grazing

Dotted in a random pattern

Like chess pieces in the middle of a game

Munching their way up and down the hill

They were there yesterday and the day before

Oblivious to wind, rain or baking sun

An integral part of the landscape

What do they think of as they meander through that field

Are they in awe of the beautiful landscape

Do they chat amongst themselves and exchange sheepy gossip

Is there a leader in the pack directing their every move

We will never know unless we learn to speak sheep

One day the farmer will take some to market

Perhaps leaving some to grow fatter

I will watch over them as we eat our Sunday roast

Pouring gravy over my potatoes, peas and lamb

Whispering to the sheep in yonder pasture

Sorry I just ate your mother

Family reunion in the Lake District

A family reunion in the Lake District of England

Beautiful scenery is poetry for your eyes

Wide expansive estuaries meet low rolling hills

Tidal waters disappear twice daily

Revealing vast expanses of golden sands

A feeding ground for wading birds

The Pennine mountains watching over you

Protecting this well preserved landscape

Steeped in history with houses built from stone

Quaint little villages waiting to be explored

Well kept walking paths welcoming your feet

Great British pubs offering you shelter from the rain

Have a pint with some fine English cuisine

Order a second pint with friendly banter at the bar

The pace of life is slow and to be savored

Its stopped raining at least for a while

Visit a bird sanctuary to check on migration

Rare birds occasionally stop by to peek at the ornithologists

Holiday makers come in search of tranquil scenery

This is not a destination for sun worshipping night clubbers

Its a perfect place for those seeking peace and nature

The locals here appreciate this unique environment

Quality time here with the family is precious

Enjoying the gift of every moment

They just silenced Molly Malone and put all Magpies in jail

Growing up in England

I was always hungry to learn new words

We had a hard copy of the Oxford English Dictionary

Always on hand during a game of scrabble

If it was not in the book then your word did not exist

Of course each year they have to add new words

In my youth you could never use laptop or internet in a game of scrabble

I am totally fine that the Children’s edition of this dictionary evolves annually

However its shocking to learn  that words are arbitrarily retired from this book to make way for new ones

Here are some of the words that kids today may never discover:

RIP Newt– We caught them in jars from the local creek

RIP Minnow – Chased with a net on the end of a pole and put in the same jar with the newt

RIP Herring-We ate them for breakfast in their smoked form as Kippers

RIP Kingfisher-That flash of blue flying over the creek will now have no name

RIP Lark– Not just a songbird for me because it also meant having fun or larking about

RIP Leopard– Not many leopards roaming about Liverpool in the 1960’s except for the fake fur coats worn by middle aged ladies that were described as mutton dressed up as lamb

RIP Lobster– It was never on the menu menu in our house but often I fantasized about being chased by a giant lobster with pinching claws

RIP Magpie– You black and white thief of shiny objects now arrested and thrown into word jail for life, maybe your sentence will be reduced upon appeal

Mussel– Oh poor sweet Molly Malone will no be allowed to sing “Cockles and mussels alive alive oh

Golden Circle

alarm sounds

Icelandic slumber

dark o’thirty

jet lagged

bleary eyed

quick shower

head downstairs

hotel breakfast

restaurant full

early travelers

wooly hats

hiking boots

mandatory uniform

hearty breakfast

back upstairs

more layers

backpack filled

head out

gray skies

light rain

running late

walk fast

bus station

find tour

last on

bus leaves

first stop

national park

big cracks

fault line

tectonic plates

continents drift

America here

Europe there

steps away

bus again

to geysers

tourists gather

steam blows

ground hisses

cameras click

photos posted

lunch stop

lamb soup

bus again

final stop

massive waterfall

raging river

cameras click

photos posted

gift shop

buy stuff

hot chocolate

bus again

ride back

long nap

arrive hotel

Golden Circle

checked off