"IT IS WHAT IT IS" - AND OTHER WORDS OF ACCEPTANCE

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WHAT DO YOU TELL YOURSELF IN TOUGH TIMES?

As anyone who reads my blog knows, I have hip dysplasia that's been a minor irritant in my life for the last 25 years or so. Then around this time last year it started to flare up and all of a sudden I found myself at the orthopedic surgeon's office being told that I'm going to need a total left hip replacement if I want to be able to walk without pain and a limp.

Since that appointment a few months ago, things have slowly progressed in a downward spiral and I now find myself unable to walk even a few steps without pain. It's a constant presence in my life - but you know what? Rabbiting on about it non-stop just makes it worse, dwelling on it makes it worse.....so while I wait for my operation day to arrive I've developed a litany of responses that help me accept what is, wait patiently, and focus on the stuff I have some control over. I thought I'd share a few of them today....
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MY FABULOUS SEPTEMBER

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MY FABULOUS SEPTEMBER

Oh my goodness, we're into Spring in Australia, although a lot of the time it still feels quite wintery. Still, the sun's up earlier - which makes getting out of bed easier, and the days are warming up. It's been a quiet month for me, but there's still lots of little updates to share. So, on that note here's what's been Fabulous throughout the lovely month of September....
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5 REASONS SOLO TRAVEL IS THE ULTIMATE LESSON IN SELF-LOVE

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INTRO

Today on the blog I have a really interesting post about travel. I don't write about travelling solo because I'm a bit of a scaredy cat at heart and it seems so daunting. But....I was asked if I'd be interested in collaborating with this post and it has opened my eyes to the reasons why taking off on a trip alone can be good for the soul. 

The added bonus is that it includes five personal benefits of solo travel that I'd never really considered before. So, if you're a solo traveller or not, I hope you find this as interesting as I did.....
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THERE'S VALUE IN PRACTICING THE PAUSE

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THERE'S VALUE IN PRACTICING THE PAUSE

A pause can be for a moment where we stop, take a breath, and think before we respond to a situation....or it can be for much longer, when life tells us we need to rest and recalibrate. There are no rules when it comes to taking a positive pause in your life and I don't think we give it the value it deserves in our busy, fast paced world. 

There's a big difference between dithering and taking a strategic pause. Dithering means our minds are running like a hamster on a wheel trying to avoid making a decision, whereas taking a pause allows our mind, emotions, or body the grace and time needed to  respond healthily to the situation we find ourselves in.
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AVOIDING COMPARISON AND EXPECTATIONS IN A HIGHLIGHT REEL WORLD

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BOMBARDED BY OTHER PEOPLE'S HIGHLIGHTS

We live in a world where everyone shares their highlight reel. I think we're all guilty of it in our own way - we share the best holiday snaps, the happy family pics, the most flattering profile photo.....and don't get me started on those Instagram filters! Everyone seems to be living their best life - which is fine and it's human to want to share those highlights, but we need to be careful to remind ourselves that everyday life is a lot less "pretty" and not to get caught up in the "compare and despair" spiral.

I thought I'd written a lot about this, but when I look back, it's just snippets here and there and I was surprised because comparison and expectations have both been issues I've struggled with throughout my life. So, today I thought I'd write about both....
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LIVING AUGUST WITH FABULOSITY

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ENJOYING A FABULOUS AUGUST

Well, today marks (almost) the end of another month - August supposedly heralds the end of the cold Winter days and evenings, but the seasons seem to be a bit slower these days, and I'm sure there's more rain and cloudy days ahead.... But that doesn't mean that life is any less Fabulous, and today I'm sharing what went on during the weeks of August....
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YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE EVERYTHING TO HEART

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BECOMING LESS BOTHERED BY OTHERS

We had our grandgirls down for a visit a few weeks ago and it was interesting watching their interactions and dynamics. We parented a boy and a girl, and I grew up without a sister, so I'm not familiar with all the 'negotiating' that goes on between two girls. My husband would just look at me and ask "Why?" when they'd go on and on about some small issue like:

"I'm the queen.....well if you're the queen then I'm a princess.....no, I'm a princess too......no, you're the queen, I'm the princess.....no, I'm a princess.......Nan, I'm a princess aren't I?.....no, I'm a princess......" and around it would go. It wasn't an argument or even true bickering, it was just a constant discussion about absolutely irrelevant issues. All they really needed to do was think "Whatever" and move on.

It opened my eyes to the fact that I often have these types of conversations in my own head about things that really don't matter either.....
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LIFE LESSONS A TOXIC CO-WORKER TAUGHT ME

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LIFE LESSONS FROM A TOXIC WORKPLACE

A few years ago I wrote a lot of blog posts about working through leaving my toxic job. It was a watershed point in my life where I realized that I was in a situation beyond my control and it had seriously messed with my mental and emotional health. I survived, rebounded, re-assessed, and now I feel like I'm in a much better place......not because of what I went through, but in spite of what I went through. 

I walked away from that mess and moved on, but I also learnt some valuable life lessons from that difficult time, and I thought I'd share a few of them today.....

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LIVING WITH AND MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN

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LIVING WITH AND MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN

It's strange how you take so much in your life for granted....until something is taken away from you. I read somewhere a long time ago that it's not until we're in pain that we realize how much we take pain-free living for granted.....and I can certainly attest to that! I look back to how I'd stride out each day for my morning walk, and all the bending and twisting I could do without giving it a second thought, and I miss it every.single.day. 

It's been a year now since my hip pain flared up, and as the pain settles into becoming my "new normal" and limits so much of my life, I can see that weathering this storm depends on several different approaches - including taking the medication I'm prescribed, doing what I can to maintain my physical strength, and also on my attitude and my perception of life. You can let pain and discomfort steal from you, and beat you down, or you can choose to rise above it and learn from it - I'm choosing the latter.
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HOW GRATEFUL ARE YOU FOR THE LIFE YOU HAVE NOW?

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FEELING GRATEFUL AND HAPPY

I've heard the expression "happiness is very overrated" and thought it was a little bit sad. I don't think we can expect to be happy every moment of every day, but I genuinely believe that we can create a life where we feel a sense of peace, contentment, and happiness.

Some people want all the bells and whistles and feel cheated when life doesn't provide it for them. I'm not one of those people, I've always just wanted a life where I wake up in the morning and look forward to what the day ahead has in store for me. It's taken many years to arrive at the point where I feel a quiet sense of happiness deep within and that's what today's post is all about.....
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