January 2010

Image by freefotouk via Flickr

What a month it has been. Cold over much of the UK at the beginning of the month with more snow than we have seen for quite a while and schools being closed because of the freezing conditions. Then there was rain and after all of that some mild, sunny weather, at least in the South West of Cornwall. Then just as I hope that the worst is over, the cold returns. This morning we've had sun, rain, sleet and snow with more sunny intervals. Let's hope that February is kinder to us.

One Year On

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It is over one year since I started my blog. The original intention was to write something every day but the IRL (intrusion of real life) happened and I wrote less frequently. I like to write once every other day if I can. I started with the intention of doing fairly inspirational things if I could. However, as anyone who writes knows, inspiration ebbs and flows and mine spent a lot of time ebbing in the past year. Still, I'm here and still writing. Now what comes, comes and I post it, which is much less pressure and can be pleasantly surprising on occasions!

Musical Education

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Learning to play a musical instrument or sing, apparently enhances brain activity in children, according to an extract from an article I read today. It is necessary to actually interact with the music in some way, so passive listening doesn't have the same effect. Apparently something to do with learning how to co-ordinate an instrument with the music (or to sing) enables pathways in the brain to form which are not there in non-musicians. This is particularly obvious in children, but the evidence for enhanced brain activity for adult musical learners is not quite so clear-cut.

Living in the Now

Image by Rebecca L. Daily via Flickr

I've heard so much about this concept. Until a few days ago, I hadn't given it any serious thought because my idea of reality was that it was 'boring' and so I kept in my mind and in my emotions. Now I'm trying out this 'living in the now'. It is hard but there are unexpected benefits to the practice I find as well as the difficulties. Experiencing painful emotions is never easy but to push them away or repress them only means that they will return at some other time and possibly in greater force. Awareness and attention seem to be the key to this for me at the moment as well as the ability to breathe through the more difficult times and to be with them. But 'living in the now' also brings the beauty of what is around me so clearly to my senses that it is quite wonderful and awe inspiring. I feel that I am beginning to appreciate what is around me in a new and more meaningful way and am deeply grateful for it.

The Perfect Day

Image via Wikipedia

I don't know where this phrase came from but it seemed to want to get written. Perhaps everyday is the perfect day for where we are if we can but recognise the fact and go with it. I've just started to read a book on Zen Buddhism and the above sentences more or less wrote themselves. Writing is such a curious business altogether!

Hairdressers

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I feel that hairdressers are often undervalued. Earlier this afternoon I went to have my monthly cut and colour. My hairdresser is not only a lovely woman but she is also a consummate professional and very creative. I always feel better after having spent time in her company and having my hair done. I'm sure she is not alone in offering a much needed and often discrete service in that while she is doing my hair we are also sharing what is important to us both in our lives. It's a very healing experience.

Wet and Windy Weather

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We seem to be experiencing a myriad of different weather this winter. We've had frost and snow, which is pretty unusual down here in West Cornwall, as well as some fairly mild and sunny days. Now we are back to wet and windy weather which is all too common in this part of the country!

Birthdays

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I just had a birthday recently and it made me think about several things. One of these is that, after a certain point, the age you are becomes increasingly unimportant. As a child we were all looking forward to being that one year older and bigger. In the 20s and 30s, and particularly the last digit of the latter decade, birthdays are not so welcome. Sometime after that it becomes apparent how unimportant your chronological age becomes as how you feel seems to have no bearing on how old you are. Sometimes, if you are tired and out of sorts you can feel much older than your chronological age, especially if you have lots of aches and pains. Then there are the other times, which in my case I'm extremely grateful for, when I feel much younger than my chronological age. I look at the figures that represent my age with total amazement as they have no actual meaning for me. As I continue to 'mature', I hope that I will feel younger than my chronological age for most of the time!

Gratitude

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It is so easy to get wound up about what is not good in our lives that it takes reflection to address what is good in our lives. When we look around us, especially those who live in the western world, we all have a lot to be grateful for. Few of us are permanently hungry and the majority of us have a place to live. These are blessings in themselves. Situations which create disruption like the cold snap here in the UK, make you really look at how much we take for granted and only notice the absence of these things when something removes them temporarily.

My mind was brought to the subject of gratitude when I considered the terrible catastrophe that took place in Haiti. Few of us can imagine the horror of an event like this and most of us are fortunate enough not to have to experience it. This in itself gives reason for gratitude as well as compassion for those who have been affected by the disaster. My thoughts go out to them.

Different Universes

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It is surprising sometimes how much you think you know someone and assume that you have the same experiences only to find something which makes you feel that perhaps this other person has been living in a totally different universe to yourself. I read a poem this afternoon which made me feel that perhaps the person who wrote it and I live in too different worlds. Sadly I prefer his to mine! Hey ho!

Sunny January Day

Image by Ennor via Flickr

Today is the complete opposite of yesterday when we had snow all day. Fortunately, none of it really settled. Today is a bright sunny day and dry if also still a bit cold.

If

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The word with so many possibilities and dreams for many of us. If we could all dream of a better life for every being on Earth wouldn't that be something? If we could get rid of the old agendas and alliances which were doing us no good and benefited only a minority elite, we could only imagine what the world would be like. And as is the case with many dreams we would have to have courage to act on the future possibilities that we all desired. If we could only all do that . . .

Cold and Snow

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We usually have pretty mild winters here in Cornwall because of the Gulf Stream which runs by the south west of the UK. But last winter was decidedly colder and it looks like this one, after a fairly mild start, maybe too. When we lived in London, where it is much colder, I found winter an extremely uncomfortable time because of the low temperatures. Down in Cornwall, I'd forgotten how cold it could really be - until last winter. Now, once again, as in times of old, I've been digging out the thermal underwear to help me withstand the cold today. Why did we ever give up the idea of hibernating through winter? It seems so much saner than having to live through it. If we hibernated, say, from the beginning of November until late February or March, we'd miss the worst of the winter and emerge refreshed from our rest. Maybe we would all live longer too! I think bears have the right idea in this respect.

Fountain Pens

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I love pens, especially fountain pens. Having fought for much of my childhood to write with a biro when I was at school, I now find that, ironically, I love to write with a fountain pen. Unfortunately I also have trouble with them because of the ink flooding or something similar and end up giving up with them. But today, after having seen a television advert (oh, the power of advertising!) I bought a pen set. This has been guaranteed not to flood and the nib is made of stainless steel so I can certainly hope for the best. I also hope that a new pen will inspire me to use it and to write more. Well, I can hope . . .

Clutter Clearing

Image by Aine D via Flickr

Tidying is not really my thing and I only usually do it when I absolutely have to. Nevertheless, yesterday, I had the urge to clear some clutter from my bedroom/office. I decided to get on with it straight away before I could talk myself out of it and managed to make a substantial difference in the amount of space now available that wasn't before. Then, very virtuously, I took the rubbish up to the local recycling area. I'm pleased with the new arrangement of my bedroom/office.

2010

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So here we are then, at the start not only of a new year but a new decade. When I was younger I thought by 2010 we would have colonies on the moon and be exploring outer planets. The reality is not so innovative, unfortuately. The heady space explorations of the 1960's and 1970's did not lead to increased exploration in the way that many of us had expected after the moon landings. Perhaps it will happen later but in a different timeline than we had envisaged. Perhaps we need to sort out our environmental problems here on Earth before we decided to visit other planets to colonise. In any event it will be interesting to see what the next decade will bring.