This week, as discussed in the previous blog- Experiencing Grief with Children, our family experienced the loss of a friend’s 37 week old unborn baby. Our family also re-experienced the loss of our baby Abe.
As always, grief forces me to assess my life. To sit back and analyse how I am juggling all of the different hats I wear. Or all of the different roles I play in my life which I talk about further in – Juggling Act.
Whenever I think of our dear Abe however, which is most days, I like to ask myself:
Am I taking life too seriously?
Am I living in the moment? ‘Diving in’ or simply observing?
Am I making time for fun in my day?
Sometimes I am way too serious about life and I have to remind myself of what it is that actually makes me happy. If we don’t make time to register the things that make us happy then life gets away on us and can take on a certain level of “numbness”. Or worse, a degree of emptiness.
Let me share with you my very simple list of things that make me happy, things I that try to make time for in my week.
- Hearing Simon roar with laughter until he cannot contain his tears (preferably at something amusing that I have said)
- Singing at the top of my voice (preferably in tune)
- Running with my girlfriends
- A good cup of tea or coffee
- Eating home-made pudding whilst watching a DVD on the couch, cuddling my groom.
- A great chiropractic adjustment
- Beating my children at board games – well the eldest two anyway
- Clean, crisp sheets (so I can pretend I have escaped to a hotel)
- Hearing the boys cackle with laughter
- Making time to sit and eat my breakfast, rather than eating as I stand, making school lunches
- Finding time to read something inspiring or listen to something inspiring
- Being brave and speaking from my heart ie. telling someone what I admire about them or acknowledging people in a loving way
- Putting some of my Parent Effectiveness Training to work with the boys ( I am taking the PET course again at the moment as it is always refreshing to learn more parenting techniques)
- Completing one, maybe two, small work items – any more is always a welcome surprise!
Simple but true.
Life can sometimes feel like its on “repeat” with little people, however it can be an amusing kind of Ground Hog Day if we take the time to find out what makes us happy.
Yours in health and happiness,
Jennifer
