Cresting The Hill

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT FEBRUARY?

Monday, 26 February 2018

According to the internet, February's a pretty boring month - but not in our house

A SPECIAL MONTH

A few weeks ago I was wondering what to write about for February - I looked all over the place for inspiration and found.....crickets......nobody seems to have much to say about February at all. However, I did find one little quote from Jerry Della Femina that said:

Why do all our friends and relatives destroy the Summer for us?

Why can't they get married in February?

SUCCUMBING TO THE FITNESS TRACKER CRAZE

Thursday, 22 February 2018

FADS AND CRAZES

I have a real thing about not getting sucked into the latest fad or phase or craze that is currently swirling around the world. I've resisted so many one-minute-wonders because I hate throwing money away on something that isn't going to last more than 5 minutes.

I've resisted "cold shoulder" tops, mixing patterns in my outfits, fidget spinners, kale smoothies, keto diets, thermomixes, quinoa (I still can't even pronounce it!), and numerous other fads I've seen people get immersed in. Up until now that has also included the ubiquitous fitness tracker that you wear on your wrist.

WHY ARE GRANDMOTHERS ALWAYS "OLD"?

Monday, 19 February 2018

WHY ARE WE "OLD"?

Have you noticed that social media always seems to portray grandmothers as being "old"? Where did that idea come from and why hasn't the grandmother image morphed to keep up with the times? I don't know a single "old" grandmother - and I know plenty of grandmothers.

All the grandmothers I know are rocking Midlife and are looking young, fit and fabulous. A lot are still working, and the ones who've retired are out travelling, volunteering, coffee-ing, golfing, blogging, and goodness knows what else-ing! We aren't sitting in rocking chairs knitting sweaters and darning socks for the family - we're way too busy to be doing that!

DO WE ONLY GET ONE GIFT IN LIFE?

Thursday, 15 February 2018

A ONE OFF GIFT?

A while ago I saw a quote that got me thinking. The quote was: "Everyone Is Gifted, but Some People Never Open Their Package" and although it sounded very profound, I stopped and ran it through my head one more time and started to question the whole premise of only being given one gift in life.

HOW TO FIND BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE (PART 3)

Monday, 12 February 2018

FINDING BALANCE PART 3

Last week I shared Part 1 and Part 2 of a quote from Charlotte Freeman that gave some great suggestions on how to find balance - and consequently some contentment and happiness - in life. This is the third (and last) part of my series - where I'm sharing how her thoughts intersect with Midlife and trying to get the balance right.

PUT YOUR TRUST IN A HIGHER POWER

Put your trust in the universe.
Some things are just meant to happen, and some are not.

No matter what your belief system is, I think we all like the idea of a higher power having some influence in our lives. As a Christian, I will give a difficult situation over to God - often much later in the day than I should! We are so restricted in our understanding of life's events - we get caught up in the moment's trauma and often forget to think about the bigger picture. When we look back we can often see why something happened the way it did, but at the time it just seems beyond our understanding. It's easier to give it over to God and trust that the end result is what it needs to be.

I like to think that God is allowing difficulties into my life for a purpose, it can't all be good times, sunshine, lollipops and rainbows - it would be nice, but I don't think I'd be the person I am today if life had been one long picnic or party. Tough times teach us and develop our character - sometimes I think I wouldn't mind being shallow if it meant missing out on the trials, but I know deep down that they have given me my backbone.

LET GO

Let go of whatever is stealing your happiness, it’s hard but it is worth it.

This is a tough one for me too - I tend to hold on to things too tightly - and the more they slip away, the tighter I want to grab on. If something is meant to be in my life, it will stay and if not, then grasping it in a stranglehold won't keep it there. I've watched unhealthy relationships become even more toxic when one person won't let go and I never want my life to become like that.

I saw a fantastic quote from Iyanla Vanzant recently that I'm sharing below - it beautifully sums up the need to open our clenched fists and stop trying to hold on to what is not ours.

EMBRACE CHANGE AND EMBRACE LIFE

Embrace change. Embrace life.

I love these two short sentences! I have resisted change for a large part of my life. I am a person who likes having their ducks in a row, who likes routine, who likes to know what is coming up next. But, life doesn't fit into neat boxes, rather than fighting that fact and resenting the curve balls, it really makes things simpler if we are open to change and welcome it as it comes into our life.

I want to live with my arms wide open and to accept what comes my way with a smile - life is short (and getting shorter every day). I admire those people who vow to say "Yes" to everything that comes their way - I want to be more like that and not miss the opportunities that present themselves - to miss out because I hesitated or was too scared to say "Yes" seems like such a shame - and I don't want to live with regrets.

THERE IS A REASON FOR EVERYTHING

Everything happens for a reason, sometimes you just need to breathe, trust and let go.

The whole "breathe, trust and let go" thing is an area of life I have really been working on. When you are a bit of a control freak (like me) it's hard to let go and trust that things will work out without the need to micro-manage everything. To accept that I can't control everything in my life is a fact that I can acknowledge intellectually but struggle with on an emotional level.

I'm getting better at this - but I still have a long way to go. To not have a plan just blows my mind and the fact that I married a man who says he "never plans" amazes me too. Sometimes it's nice to not always have the oldest child syndrome in my head - to not feel like I have to be the grown-up responsible person - sometimes it's nice just to let it all go.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Are you and oldest child at heart? Do you need to always have a plan? Do you hold onto things and people too tightly? Maybe it's time to open up your fist and let everything go - what blows away wasn't meant to stay - and I think we'd be surprised with all the good stuff we still have left in our life.

How To Find Balance In Your Life (Part 1)
How To Find Balance In Your Life (Part 2)

BEFORE YOU GO:

If you'd like to know when I write a new post, please click HERE for email updates.

If you'd like to comment but not here on the blog, feel free to email me at

leanne.crestingthehill@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from you.

And please share this post by clicking on a share button before you go.

Cresting the Hill - a blog for Midlife (Middle Aged / 50+) women who want to thrive

HOW TO FIND BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE (PART 2)

Thursday, 8 February 2018

FINDING BALANCE PART 2

On Monday I shared Part 1 of a quote from Charlotte Freeman that gave some great suggestions on how to find balance - and consequently some contentment and happiness - in life. This is the second part (of a three part series) where I am sharing how her thoughts intersect with Midlife and trying to get the balance right.

KNOW YOUR WORTH

Know who you are and know that you are worthy of reaching your dreams.

I know from reading hundreds of blog posts from other Midlife bloggers that we all doubt our own self worth more often than we should. We've been brought up in an era of children being seen and not heard, of putting everyone else's needs before our own, and very rarely hearing any praise or commendation. We seemed to miss the boat when it came to being part of the "Me Generation" that Millennials inherited.

The joy of Midlife is realizing that it's not too late. We may have half of our life behind us, but there is still (Lord willing) half to go and we can use that time to find out who we are and what we want to do. All those little thoughts we've had can be looked at more closely and any that tickle our fancy can be put into action.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE

It is never too late to start creating that life you have always dreamed of.

I think we all have a secret (and not-so-secret) bucket list, now is the time to start living some of those dreams. I know I always wanted to try leadlighting - so my husband gave me a little push by enrolling me in lessons for my birthday a couple of years ago. The staircase I ended up being able to make still gives me something to smile about every day.

Blogging turned out to be another dream that I never even knew I had - what a wonderful world it has opened up for me. It has given me the impetus to change jobs, introduced me to wonderful people all over the world, and given me a gift that is something I really treasure. The encouragement and connections help fill this second half of my life with joy and my blog has given me my voice - something I hadn't known was missing.

DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF

Do not compare yourself to others, that’s just deadly. No two souls are the same. You are your own person, you are beautiful and you are unique.

One of the other blessings from blogging is the realization that life is not a competition. We can all be doing something similar, but we all have our own way of doing it. You can admire someone else's journey without needing to make it your own. There is a saying: “lighting someone else's candle won't make yours any less bright” and it is so true - along with "comparison being the thief of joy". Let's take the time to compliment each other and cheer each other on - someone else's success doesn't diminish our own.

I tend to baulk at the "you are soooo beautiful" type comments that are thrown around willy-nilly these days. Society is so fixated on outer beauty - trying to measure up is a battle that we're destined to fail. But....we can develop our souls - we can become more beautiful inside as we age and that shows through as we demonstrate kindness, and compassion, and tolerance, and peace, and acceptance - all qualities our world desperately needs.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Do you see yourself as beautiful and unique? Are you living the life you dreamt of? Have you started to make the second half of life really count? I truly believe that the best is yet to come - life has really only just begun and we don't want to waste a moment of it in self-doubt, excuses or comparisons.

How To Find Balance In Your Life (Part 1)
How To Find Balance In Your Life (Part 3)

BEFORE YOU GO:

If you'd like to know when I write a new post, please click HERE for email updates.

If you'd like to comment but not here on the blog, feel free to email me at

leanne.crestingthehill@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from you.

And please share this post by clicking on a share button before you go.

HOW TO FIND BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE (PART 1)

Monday, 5 February 2018

IT'S ALL ABOUT BALANCE

Last Thursday, when I wrote about losing my happiness I realized that part of the problem was that I'd lost the balance I had in my life. Some areas had been completely swamped and were drowning out other aspects and dragging me down.

Recently I read a quote from Charlotte Freeman that gave some great suggestions on how to find balance again - and consequently some contentment and happiness. I've been striving so hard and not really getting very far. Where has the serenity gone? Where has the simplicity of just being in the moment gone? How do I find balance in my life again?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR HAPPINESS?

Thursday, 1 February 2018

ASKING THE BIG QUESTION

I mentioned in my Goodbye to 2017 post that I had struggled with a couple of things last year - my job, and a falling out with a person I was very close to. Both of these upsets caused me a great deal of heartache and stress - there were many times when I was quite teary and genuinely unhappy. I struggled with coming to terms with my lack of ability to find balance in my life, and a to be in a good place with both areas. The big question was - How did I lose my happiness?

Cresting The Hill

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT FEBRUARY?

A SPECIAL MONTH