Cresting The Hill

5 QUOTES TO REMIND YOU TO BREATHE

Friday 31 March 2017

TAKE TIME TO DE-STRESS

We live in a fast paced world and all that busy-ness tends to take over our life. Sometimes you just need to stop for a second and do nothing - just breathe. Inhale some peace and beauty and exhale some of the stress that's been building up inside.

For Five Things Friday I've put together five quotes about the importance of stopping for a moment to breathe. As you browse through them, take a deep breath and feel the peace descend - then maybe pin a couple of them to remind you to stop and smell the roses occasionally.

JUST BREATHE AND LET IT GO

Wednesday 29 March 2017

IT'S UP TO YOU

It's so easy to let life knock the us down. There are so many petty little things that nip at our heels every day, just waiting to get a good grip and pull us backwards and sink us into a funk.

In years gone by, I'd let that happen and let it affect my mood - but now I know that it comes down to a choice - my choice. I can choose to let circumstances bother me, I can choose to let the words of another person hurt my feelings (whether the words were intentional or not), I can choose to let ignorant people have an influence on my day.....or I can choose to just breathe and let it go.

TAKE TIME TO EXHALE

Monday 27 March 2017

Sometimes in life we need to breathe out all that we've been breathing in

INHALATION

Life is busy - there is always something happening, something new to experience - some new delight to breathe into our world. We are forever being told to "take a deep breath", to "listen to our breath", to "just breathe", to "breathe it all in".

It seems to me that the focus is on sucking it into ourselves, drawing all we can from what is on offer and filling ourselves with all that comes our way. What I've been wondering lately is.....what do we do with all that we've breathed in?

5 LITTLE THINGS I'M LOVING RIGHT NOW

Friday 24 March 2017

A LITTLE FRIVOLITY

When I write my Five Things Friday posts I usually pick something I've been thinking about - some are even a little bit deep. Today's is much more frivolous - I've just picked five little things that have added a smile to my life lately.

NOW IS YOUR TIME

Wednesday 22 March 2017

LIVING IN THE NOW

Midlife is my time - time for me to focus on what is important to me now, and to let go of all the distractions and needless worries about past and future. There is a lot to be said for moving on from the past and leaving it behind - learn from it for sure, but then kick it out the door and get on with the life that I'm part of now. Everyone has stuff in their past they want to leave behind - so now is the time to make the decision to unclench your fist and let it go. It's time to live in the present and not keep looking back to the past.

TACKLING THE A TO Z CHALLENGE AGAIN

Monday 20 March 2017

The A to Z Challenge kicks off again in April 2017 - my theme is "Why Midlife's Fabulous"

TACKLING THE A TO Z CHALLENGE

Last year I took on the A to Z Challenge because I thought it looked like fun - and it was....but it's not called a Challenge for nothing! Writing 26 posts in one month is quite full on and not for the faint hearted. A lot of bloggers start with good intentions and then fall by the wayside as the month progresses.

I soldiered on through the Challenge and used the theme "Positive Personality Traits" - it was an interesting exercise, and one I decided I wouldn't be repeating. But a year is a long time and I seem to have forgotten all the hard bits and I'm feeling the pull to do it all again. So......

5 BENEFITS OF BLOGGING FOR FREE

Friday 17 March 2017

BLOGGING FOR FREE

Ever since I jumped into the world of blogging I've read dozens and dozens of posts on why it's best to set up a self-hosted blog on Wordpress - all the money you can make, all the plug-ins and added extras you can access, all the bells and whistles that blogging for free doesn't give you. Everyone talks about self-hosting, but what about those of us who use a free blog? I've been blogging for a few years now and (other than buying my domain name) it has cost me nothing, zero, zip, zilch - and I just love the freedom that gives me to blog on my own terms.

DO YOU KEEP A JOURNAL?

Wednesday 15 March 2017

keeping a journal - is handwriting a skill we're losing?

TIME TO REFLECT

I try to make a habit of reflecting on my week by writing a few lines in my personal journal. I don't have a very exciting life, in fact I have a fairly ordinary life most of the time. I don't have reams of things to write about when I look back on my week, but I find jotting down a few thoughts and reflections gives me a bit of an overview of how my life is going, where I've been and how far I've progressed. It also gives me an excuse to get out a nice pen and write in a notebook that lasts me a few years - then I get the pleasure of buying a new one!

THE BRILLIANCE OF BLOGGING IN MIDLIFE

Monday 13 March 2017

IN THE BEGINNING

I've mentioned before that I started this blog with Absolutely.No.Idea about what blogging actually was, and how to go about it. I just jumped in and started typing away and learned the basics as I went along. I've never tried to turn it into a money making enterprise or a soapbox to vent from, it's just been a wonderful outlet for me and a fantastic way to meet and connect with people all over the world.

I'm a latecomer to the blogging party - some people I've "met" have been blogging for a decade or more. I am in sheer awe of their tenacity and adaptability, and the way they keep up with all the changes that have happened in that time. I've only been kicking around the edges for the last two and half years - but let me say this - "it's been brilliant!"

5 FABULOUS THINGS ABOUT MIDLIFE

Friday 10 March 2017

WHAT'S TO LOVE ABOUT GETTING OLDER?

Sometimes I sit back and feel my aches and pains, or see a new wrinkle, or notice an extra kilo or two and wonder what good there is in growing old? All the vibrancy and the fast pace of youth are behind me, what's left to look forward to?

Then I stop and remind myself that Midlife is a pretty fabulous stage in the journey. It's not the beginning, and it's not the end - it's a hiatus where I can catch my breath and enjoy these five fabulous things:

THAT GOLDEN AGE

Wednesday 8 March 2017

midlife is the golden age of something good and right and real

THESE GOLDEN YEARS

I'm pretty sure Taylor Swift wasn't referring to Midlifers when she wrote "State of Grace", but a little snippet of the lyrics rang true to me about this stage of life. It is a golden age - time to take a breath and discover the people we've become, different to who we were and hopefully better versions of our younger selves.

SHOULD THERE BE LIMITS ON FABULOUS-NESS?

Monday 6 March 2017

Should there be a limit on how many talents and gifts any one person is blessed with?

BEING ORDINARY

I am a midlife woman who has come a long way in the last few years in accepting myself and owning my fabulous-ness and my not-so-fabulous-ness. I know I have some great attributes and I also know that I still have a few areas that could do with some polishing up before I'm happy with them.

5 CREATIONS YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF

Friday 3 March 2017

You may not be the craftiest kid on the block, but here's five things we can all create in our lives

CRAFT VS CREATION

I'm a really ambivalent person when it comes to craft and DIY. I have even written a post about being the Anti-Craft because I have never been a clever cutter, gluer, folder, painter, or baker. Sometimes I surprise myself and do something a little bit clever (like my stained glass project) but in general I leave all that stuff to the innately creative people.

What I have learned over the years is that there are actually things I am more than capable of making - to open up my world, grow my character, and feed my soul. So to get started, here are five things even the least crafty people can make (and I'm sure there's quite a few more!)

GROWN UP COLOURING-IN

Wednesday 1 March 2017

There is nothing quite so relaxing as a little bit of colouring in is there?

TRUE LOVE

All through my adult life I have had a secret love - unfortunately there isn't anything remotely romantic or exciting about it, but it is something I find relaxing and strangely satisfying.....Yes it's colouring in. I thought I was the only grown-up in the world who loved spending time choosing colours and finishing pictures but it turns out that there are a lot of us out there.