This time of year is a particularly emotive time for me. On the positive side of the fence sits some wonderful memories and anniversaries, not least:
- My pseudo wedding (weve never gotten round to doing the big white wedding thing I guess you could say I have an unnatural fear of marriage. But Im not worried; weve been happily living together for many years now, so why not celebrate our pseudo-wedding anniversary each year?!).
- The canine addition to our family (pictured here, five years ago).
- The official launch of .co.uk my copywriting, editorial and marketing consultancy.
And then, the other, darker side of the fence marks some especially poignant anniversaries:
- The passing of my beloved mother.
- Breaking my back. (Although it was a traumatic time, I’m OK now. Still feel some pain, but thankful to be able to walk and enjoy yoga and dancing, among other things!)
Now, judging by the latter two, youd be forgiven for thinking Im a rather morbid soul at this time of year. Not so. (Well, I do allow myself to feel sad emotions whenever they spring up, else to ignore or suppress them would be just silly, not to mention unnatural.)
Of course, I cant possibly keep all negative thoughts from cropping up. I am, after all, only human. Last time I checked.
But I do try my hardest not to look back in anger or with sadness, and instead focus on the positive or something that makes me smile, feel good or laugh.
And besides, as author Ida Scott Taylor wrote:
Do not look back, and grieve over the past,
For it is gone;
Do not be troubled about the future,
For it has not yet come.
Live in the present, and make it so beautiful,
That it will be worth remembering.
The important thing is not to be bitter over lifes challenges and disappointments. And while every day wont be a sunny one, if you look hard enough you can find your own ray of sunshine
For me, that can be as simple as pulling on my trainers, rounding up my dog and heading for a lovely long walk on the beach, in the local park, through the woods — anywhere close to nature, where I can quite literally “ground” myself. In fact, that’s when I often come up with my best headlines or marketing ideas for my clients.
What about you? Whats your sunshine button? When the going gets tough what helps you through? Id love to hear your solutions Go on, please share!
