Tired - Five Minute Friday

Go

I'm sleepy it's 3am in the morning, but really its only 10pm at night.  My body clocks a little confused - time zones, transatlantic flights, train journeys, losing and gaining time - all take their toil on one's body and mind. And, yet, I feel good.  Tired but good.  Tired but blessed. Tired but thankful. I just know I am about to go off base, but stick with me.

You see, I have just returned from an adventure in the USA, and North America, I am not back in God's own country yet, as I made a short interlude to hang out in London, but I am happy.  

Lastnight I chilled with one of my dearest friends, we sat in silence, the closest distance between true friends, we just shot the breeze, watched some tv, chatted, laughed, told stories, made plans, and cooked food.  It was a perfect evening, after a day of travelling.

Today in London I had lunch with my great friends from law school, and their beautiful little baby Amber. While I waited for them outside the tube station, one of my most wonderful friends, who I haven't seen for a year, literally bumped into me in the street.  Things like that just bumping into people don't often happen in London. We were able to hang out later in the afternoon.

As I walked around London today my phone filled with messages from friends in Ireland, who are looking forward to my return.

Tonight I worked on photos of the wedding I shot when I was in NYC.  Conversations and laughter floated through my mind, as I edited, as I remembered.  Memories, how precious you are to me.  My friends how precious you are to me.  

My friends and I, don't see each other that often.  They live scattered across the globe, oceans, time zones, and borders separate us from each other.  Time together is so precious made more so by the fact that we will say goodbye.  Our time together is so comfortable, we return to a space in each other that is unaffected by distance, or time.  We return to friendship.  We return to each other, and nothing matters but the moment.

You see I have been truly blessed by the most amazing friends in the world, friends that have shared my life, in all its colour.  Friends that have walked with me in the darkest of darkness, and the sweet lightness of happiness.  

My friends I shout out to you and say THANK YOU, I love you, be blessed.

I lift my glass and say to y'all -

Sláinte to you

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand. 

That's it for now...

Nics

Salt and Sparkle = Life Remarkable

I can't wait for Christmas ...

My friend Peter shared this with me on Facebook, and I just had to share it with all of you.  I remember the countdown for Christmas!  I hope you are enjoying this magical time of year.  It is wonderful to share it with you on Salt and Sparkle.

That's it for now...

Nics

Salt and Sparkle = Life Remarkable

On Life - Five Minute Friday - Take Time

GO

Sometimes life in general gets on top of us.  Everyday, there are bills to pay, telephone calls to make, paperwork to sort out, children to dress, housework to do, revovations to attend to, work to finish, work to get to, shopping to do, food to cook, telephone calls to make, people to see, places to go, and things to do and on top of all of this we need to eat, sleep, take exercise, drink water, and spend some time just being.

Have you ever wondered how life has become so busy?  Do you take enough down time?  Rest is as essential for our lives as exercise, eating, drinking and breathing.  But I sometimes think we forget this, I know I certainly do. I have just realised recently that I am very good at packing my day full, so there is barely a moment to look up from a hectic schedule, and then I realise two things  - 

One - Life is not a television schedule, its messy things take longer than expected, they don't happen when we plan, and there are interruptions, diversions, and if your living in Northern Ireland (like me) at the moment, increasingly -  bomb scares, and the chaos that ensures, both practically and in our minds; to deal with. 

Two - Life takes longer than I expect and I should give myself a break, rather than always chasing my tale, and berating myself because I haven't ticked points 53 and 67 off my daily 'to do' list and be realistic, about my expectations of what I can get into a day.

We weren't build to run 24/7 -365 days per year, without stopping, life is not about go go go go go go go go go go.  We need to take time out each day, and we need to take one day off a week.

It is about taking time to enjoy the wonder that surrounds us on a daily basis, whether that is the chat with the lady at the store, helping friends move house, making a cake, picking up the telephone and making those calls that need done, going for a walk or a run.  Or as I did with my friends today, just eating lunch outside by the sea, listening to the waves with my shoes off.

If you aren't feeling well today, stop and ask yourself three questions - 

1 - Do I get enough Sleep/rest?

2 - Do I get enough exercise?

3 - Do I eat properly?

These three things are essential for life, and so much of our stresses and busy craziness stem from not having them right.

We need to take time every day to be.  To connect with family or friends, to enjoy what we are eating, to listen to those that need us, or some lovely music, to enjoy the sunshine or rain on our faces,  to be alone with our thoughts, to give or receive a hug, and to enjoy nature, to take our dogs for a walk and to pray, pray, pray. Prayer our core foundation for life, that never-ending conversation with the Father.  Chatting to the one who makes it all possible, to give Him everything that makes us anxious, stressed or upset, to celebrate with him when things are making us smile, to give thanks that we live in an amazing planet, 

We need to take time out of life's craziness to 'just be', our each breath, each day, each thing - a prayer to him.

STOP

Wow, my fingers have possibly never typed so quickly, so much to write and only five minutes.  Five Minutes, One Prompt, JUST TYPE, that makes Five Minute Friday, which you can find out more and take part in here.  It is run by the wonderful Lisa-Jo. Head over and have a go yourself!

Happy Friday folks.  What are you up too this weekend?

Tomorrow I am singing with Belfast Community Gospel Choir, at a jazz festival, and Sunday my Mama goes into hospital, keep her in your prayers if you have time.  Thank you

That's it for now...

Nics

Salt and Sparkle = Life Remarkable

John Hunter on Ted - Ideas worth Spreading

Don't you just love TED, head over there at any time day or night, and there is definitely a talk for you.  What a privilege to get to hear all these people speak for free, to share their stories with us.  For me that is what it is really all about sharing stories.  As I listened to John Hunter talk, I felt honoured to hear how he created 'The World Peace Game' and how this grew out of him asking the question 'What do you want me to do?' and the answer not being prescriptive, but instead being 'What do you really want to do?' 

I often wonder what we all, what I would do, what I could create, if I was doing what I really wanted to do - then I remember, that I am doing what I really want to do - writing, broadcasting talking photographs, telling stories - and sure, there is a long way to go, and sometimes, I feel right at the bottom, of an endless climb.  I see parts of the endgame - never the end, but parts of it, the bigger picture, and pictures. Often I wonder, why aren't I there yet?  How long? Why?   Then I remember, and trust me this remembering it can take a while, and sometimes I need to constantly download these thoughts to myself.  

I am at the beginning of doing something I love.  Right at the start.  I am pursuing it with all of my being.  I need to accept that this is a growing period, something has been birthed.  And, now that it is alive, and needs nurtured, it needs fed, it needs sunlight, and water, it needs encouragement, it needs love, and looking after.  It needs support, and that I must allow myself the gift of time, I must not expect everything to happen instantaneously.  I must not look at others further on the journey than me, and ask myself 'why aren't I there yet?'.  Instead, I must love my dream, live my dream slowly, putting one foot in front of the other, and allow it to be organic, and to grow, mm by mm.

This quotation from the beginning of John's talk has been dancing with me all day - the idea of how so much that is so very important goes on in the empty space around a table, as we talk and dream, listen, and discuss with others.

"We would sit around that table every night, and as we sat around that table, I heard so much knowledge, so many insights, and so much wisdom come out around that table, that I began to call it the wisdom table.  When he passed on I took this table with me, and it reminds me of what goes on around an empty space…"

That's it for now...

Nics

salt and sparkle = life remarkable

Groggy

I woke up this morning - groggy, and the feeling hasn't really shifted.  I have wanted to curl up with a book, and hide from the world, but that really isn't an option today.  It is somedays, but not today.  Instead, I have done something purposeful.   Cleared a space in my study for a new desk, which I am hoping to go to get tomorrow.  Sometimes just clearing something, throwing some stuff out, building a great big fire in the grate with unneeded or dealt with paper, feels soooooooooooo good!

I have a pile of paperwork to get through, things to file, bits to organise, mood boards to assemble, on location out of office emails to answer, and all the related stuff to do from those, and the list really does go on and on and on.  For the past few weeks, I have been really busy with work, orders and shoots and all this stuff, has been pushed to the side, well it can't be any longer.  I need to make some order in the chaos, and just get on with all the things, that are essential, like the paperwork but that I can find fifty billion things I would rather be doing.  However, the dull stuff is really important, and it needs to be dealt with, or I will continue running in concentric circles, with no end in sight. 

Isn't it funny how the stuff we don't really like doing, is actually pretty central to our lives, it makes them run smoother, and it gives us time to do the things we really enjoy.  I have made the decision this year, not to put things off, and to try to be more organised - it definitely doesn't come naturally to me - because too much chaos, just leads to stress, that I really could deal without.

What are you top tips on dealing with the paperwork in order to free yourself up for other things?  

Gotta go, as there are a pile of letters over there, with my name on - letter opener in hand, I move forward.

That's it for today…

Nics

salt and sparkle = life remarkable