Living near the coast one of my greatest ways to relax is to sit somewhere I can see the sea, smell the salt on the air, feel the sand under my feet.  It’s so peaceful just sitting quietly, listening to the waves washing onto the beach.

Another way I relax is here on the internet.  I sometimes play a game (Farmville is my favourite!  Sad, I know but Tracey Peapell plays too so it’s not just me!), I visit interesting blogs and enjoy reading the variety of entries (check out the blog rolls alongside here for other interesting blogs to visit), and I maintain this blog, and one or two others.

I am currently undertaking a ’100 blog comments challenge’ during August that was the brainchild of Steve King and Jacinta Dean.  You can check out the list of other contributors on the dedicated page listed in the sidebar.  The purpose of the challenge is for any participant to publish one post in the month of August and try to achieve 100 comments on that one post.  Everyone visiting is also encouraged to socially bookmark the post after leaving their comment.  This is my challenge post.

So to help me reach my target leave me a comment and tell me, how do you relax?

Enjoy the journey.

The ‘fitter’ was great.  She showed me the full range of frames, and she gave me lots of pairs to try on.  Nothing was too much trouble.  She spent the time needed for me to make the right decision.

Last week my newly purchased spectacles arrived.   As soon as I put them on I felt like a different person.  It reminded me of the day I collected my new car two years ago.  I had never bought a brand new car before and the same feelings were present on that day.  I felt, and still feel, good in so many different ways.  I feel more confident.  I have realised I am walking differently, more upright.  It’s an amazing feeling.

Last week I also joined my first ever giveaway.  I prepared a unique product for it (click on the banner alongside this post to go and see what is on offer).  Since the launch on Sunday I have had simply masses of downloads of my gift, and a host of sign ups to the list I created for it.  I am over the moon with the result and it has contributed greatly to me feeling good.

So when did you last feel good?  What happened to cause it and can you duplicate that?  Look for things in your life that help you to feel great about yourself.  You deserve them.

Enjoy the journey.

So, what’s so special about this, you might ask?  Well, most of the people in this choir believed, when they joined the group, that they could not sing.  They just wanted the opportunity to have a go in a relaxed, informal atmosphere with no pressure to perform.

Sing For Joy gives anyone who wants it just that chance.  Each of those people singing took a risk, joined the group, had a go, tested the water, tried it out, call it what you will – they followed a dream, a passion, a yearning, and the result is they created the most wonderful sounds when they thought, in the beginning, they would never be able to.

Yes, they have a great leader who coaxes the best out of all of them, she encourages them and teaches them in a way that suits each individual.  We all learn in different ways and she is able to recognise their strengths and build on them.  But it took the brave step from each one to join the group in the first place and have a go at something they knew nothing about.

It’s the same with anything in life, if you don’t have a go you will never know if you can…

Enjoy the journey.

When someone not so close to us has a crisis how far do we go to help out then?  And what about someone we don’t know at all, a stranger in the street?

Recently on UK tv there have been a number of programmes based around strangers helping others who need it.  Usually the ‘helper’ is extremely wealthy and helps financially. The results have often been life changing for the recipient.  The results for the helper have often been life changing too as they realise what great benefits they can bring to others with a little bit of thought and sharing a little of what they have.

Most of us don’t have great wealth.  It is often difficult to find enough for our own needs without considering what others need, but in a crisis we all can find that little bit extra to help out.

Often it isn’t money that is needed.  We can give our time, we can give our compassion, we can give our support, and all of these are free and only cost us a bit of effort.

Help out where you can.  The rewards can be immense.

Enjoy the journey.

While I was there I was amazed at the amount of American people I met who had never met a British person.  I was amazed at the amount of American people who clearly are not in the least bit used to hearing a British accent in their midst.  I found myself being followed around supermarkets, stalked among the shelves so they could hear me speak.  Most were brave enough to come up to me and tell me how wonderful they thought my accent was, but it made me feel almost famous it happened so often.

In restaurants as soon as they realised I was British all the staff appeared at our table to see if we had everything we needed (yes, I know the Americans are incredibly attentive in restaurants but usually it’s only the person allocated to your table).  In a service station I heard people discussing me at the counter while I browsed the shop, and at a winery I came out rather the worse for the free samples as the assistant never left my side and kept topping my glass up saying ‘and you must try this one’.

In 1979 Andy Warhol said ‘In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes’.  I think I just had mine in an extended version, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  God Bless America!

Enjoy the journey.

If we want to grow as people we need to embrace these losses, accepting the changes that come our way so we can make room for the new beginnings and new experiences that face us, and these may well bring us much greater happiness than we have ever known.

Enjoy the journey.

Since my last post I have been faced with a series of changes.  One of those change was unexpected and certainly unwanted.  One of the horses in the WOW! World of  Whispers herd became ill and died.  It was tragic, tremendously upsetting and left a big void in the project.  The space Glen’s death has left will not be filled, no matter how many other horses come into the project.  All of us in the project needed to deal with this change, we had to come to terms with our loss.  One of the things Glen’s death brought about was a renewed enthusiasm for the work the project does.  The people who cared for Glen realised that the immense learning they went through whilst trying to save him can be used positively for other horses who may find themselves in similar situations.

Try to recognise the positives in every change in your life.  Change is inevitable and it is essential for us to learn and grow.  Embrace change.

Enjoy the journey.

I love these events.  There is always such a variety of people there, and often people from the parish who I don’t see very often.  It’s nice to have the opportunity to catch up on all their news and share my own with them.

The other thing I like about these events is the food.  Being a real foodie I love the ‘shared suppers’ where everyone brings a plate of fare of their own choosing.  There are always some extraordinary dishes on the table to try.

We had a collection for Tim, deciding to give him the cash rather than buy an inappropriate or unwanted gift.  After all, at 65 he more than likely has everything he needs or wants.  We decided he might like to use the money for something like a holiday, or maybe he has a project he can put it towards.

The amount collected was testiment of Tim’s good works in the parish.  He was handed nearly £1,000 on the night, in a box that looked like it might have contained a carriage clock.  I think he thought it was a carriage clock at first!

Tim made a speech; we expected nothing less from this great narrator.  He told us how humbled he was by our generosity, and yet it is he who has been the generous one, constantly giving of his time, always having an ear to listen, a wise word to say.  He told us about his decision to give his life to God, and made us all laugh when he said ‘neither of us mentioned me stopping at 65′!

We are expecting a new incumbent in the near future, but Tim will continue to work in our parish – mostly unpaid, of course, as he has been for some years now.  People who work in a caring role don’t stop caring just because they reach retirement age.  God Bless them.

Enjoy the journey.

I love where we live.  We’ve been here for 19 years now and although I vaguely consider living somewhere else from time to time (Scotland being the favourite choice!) I don’t think there will ever come a time when this house will not be mine.

There really is only one drawback here, and that is we have no dining room.  We love entertaining, I adore cooking, but currently we can only host a buffet type evening or a sit down meal for a maximum of 6 people (and that’s a squeeze!).

The plan I have always had is to build an extension that will become a lounge and small library downstairs, with a bedroom and ensuite bathroom above, turning the existing lounge into a dining room, as it is only 14′ square.  In addition to this we will put a conservatory leading off from the kitchen, not too big, just about 10′ x 16′.

So I have now drawn the plans to set my intention and let the Universe know exactly what I want.  I thought, with my product going live in the not too distant future, that this would be a good time to decide what I am aiming for.

I hope you know what you are aiming for too.  Write it down, draw a picture, make a plan.  Let the Universe know what you want from it!

Enjoy the journey.

Needing a shower I decided at this point to go home and take the rest of the day off.  A bold decision – if we are not open we cannot sell anything – but it was necessary to my overall well being.

I have become so used to being at work 7 days a week I realise I have slipped into an unhealthy pattern.  I don’t take regular time for things outside of work.  I even went to have my car valeted after the shower – Bliss!

On Friday evening I read 8 palms for a charity fund raising event.  Palm reading is another little hobby of mine.  Two of the palms I read had no defined fire line.  This is the career line.  I don’t often see this.  I have a very strong fire line in my hand and am used to seeing similar definition in the palms I read.

What this lack of a clear fire line means is that a career does not feature strongly in the bearers life.  It does not mean they do not work, just that they have other priorities.  Part of me envied these two people as I saw them as people who have got their priorities right.

Susan Owen-Thursfield has a splendid post on her blog about taking time out.  You can read it here.

Work is not the be all and end all, as I proved to myself on my afternoon off.

Enjoy the journey.