Not my usual style, but I recently heard a song on the radio where the lyrics really stood out to me, and a pop song no less! It’s unusual I hear new songs that have any kind of effect, but this has a very different feel to it than most of the ‘pop’ that’s out there these days:
I can’t tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start… You tell me I’m too young to understand, they say I’m caught up in a dream, life will pass me by if I don’t open up my eyes, well that’s fine by me. Wake me up when it’s all over, when I’m wiser and I’m older. All this time I was finding myself, and I didn’t know I was lost…
(Wake Me Up by Aloe Blacc)
Pop song it may be, but life will pass us by if we struggle through it with our eyes closed. Don’t be woken up when it’s all over, live it now! It’s a gentle reminder to open our eyes to what’s around us, and enjoy it!
Ok, so maybe every day isn’t possible! Understandably life often gets in the way, but it’s so important to try and do something as often as you can that either inspires you, takes your breath away, or simply makes you smile. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular, it could be stopping to look at a beautiful view, making the effort to watch the sunset, pulling over in the car to admire a rainbow, or simply pausing to appreciate where you are. All too often people find it difficult to look past the negatives in their day, without stopping to appreciate their great friends, their comfortable life, the people that love them, and the food in their fridge!
It is perhaps an old cliché, but I do think the simpler things in life are often the most pleasurable. Daily life is so hectic, juggling the work/life balance, that people often don’t feel they have time to even stop for a minute, myself included, because in that minute that you paused to take a breather, imagine all the things you could have done, the emails you could have sent, the phone calls you could have made… We’ve all felt like there’s just not enough time in the day, but if you take on too much and never pause for breath, you begin to lose perspective of why you’re here in the first place. Money is a huge driving force behind how much you take on, but there has to be a balance somewhere, and I see it as so important that every now and again you sit back and appreciate what you have, and where you are.
Have you ever stopped to think about how much worse it could be? The answer to that is probably ‘a lot ‘, so next time you feel overwhelmed, try and find time in your day to talk to that person you didn’t have time for, or to stop and take a photograph of the light through the trees that you may never see again. In a hectic day at work, take five minutes to get in touch with that friend you just haven’t haven’t had time to reply to, because if you’re anything like me, an e-mail from an old friend is a ray of sunshine on a never-ending day, and a sure way of making you smile!
Despite being tired and with a million things on my mind, I managed to get out for a quick ski tour after work yesterday afternoon, and wow was I pleased I did!
The sun sets over a spectacular vista on the ski down
A lonely peak peers out through the cloud inversion
In my job some of the most frequently heard lines from fellow teachers are, “Thank goodness it’s the weekend”, or “I’m just so exhausted, I feel like I have no energy”, which I’m sure is the case in any number of work places. People live for the weekend, and tend to battle through the working week simply striving for those precious two days when they can put their feet up and have a well deserved 48 hours of, in general, doing not much. I’m often tired by the end of a Friday, as is the majority of the full time working community, but in my experience I have found that this group is divided in to two categories. There are those who sit around doing very little, and will happily justify this inactivity by reasoning that “I’m so tired, I couldn’t possibly do anything”. Then there are those who view it quite differently, thinking, “I’ve been at work all week, I can’t wait to get out and make the most of the weekend”.
Whether ‘making the most’ comprises of a sporting activity, a book club, visiting friends, a dance class, or simply taking your dog for a long walk, this means you have got out of the house and done something that provides you with new subjects to think about, gives you some fresh air, and most importantly, ISN’T WORK. Those from the latter group will feel like they’ve had a great weekend, and despite a few Monday morning grumbles, will generally arrive back for the next working week refreshed and positive and full of tales, whereas the former will feel just as exhausted because, due to lack of activity, their weekend has been unfulfilling, and uninspiring, leading to negative feelings, and sheer misery about having to go back to work and do it all again.
Time and time again I come across people who are “too tired” to go to their evening class, or to attend that social evening they were invited to, and I am no saint, we’ve all done it. But every single time I regretted not going, because staying in for that ‘well deserved rest after my tough week at work’ ends up doing quite the opposite, making me feel grumpy, lazy, unsociable and no less tired than I did before.
I think you can make your working week a great deal more tolerable if you have stories to tell from your weekend, and if you feel like you made a worthwhile use of your time. What’s the use of having free time if you don’t use it to make yourself happy? Whether you love your job or hate it, or are residing somewhere in between, is it better to spend your free time grumbling that you wish you had more of it? Or making the most of every second, spending it doing something you love, and being grateful for what you do have?
I was exhausted after a busy week this week, so spent my Saturday doing the thing I love the most – enjoying the first ski day of the season! Certainly not a restful activity, but once the adrenalin is flowing and the endorphins are flying, you’ve forgotten all about any tiredness…!
Have you ever met someone so unpleasant and obnoxious that they actually make your blood boil? Do you ever stop and wonder what could have possibly gone so wrong in someone’s life, that they seem to have missed all social cues, avoided all forms of etiquette, and seem to have no concept of how to treat another human being? Well I’m sad to say that I have crossed paths with these people, and they bother me. I envy those who can rise above people such as this, feel sorry for them even, and simply ignore the small minded and petty behaviour.
What is it that makes a person so unpleasant? Can you put it down to simply a clash of personalities? Although surely it must be difficult to clash with every personality you meet? Are some people just bored? Does being rude to others make people feel powerful? Are they just bitter? Does it always come down to a tough day? A difficult life? A troubled background? Call me naive but no matter how rough you feel, or how tough your day/week/year has been, it is simple courtesy to be pleasant to those around you. After all, other than your nearest and dearest, is anyone else interested in how dreadful your day was?
My pondering today is how to deal with these people, because no matter how hard you try to avoid them, you will occasionally come across those that leave you with a sour taste in your mouth, feeling that although they are not your concern, there’s just no excuse for being that way, for thinking it’s ok to treat others like they don’t matter. And the most irritating part is that they are not open for discussion, they aren’t interested in feedback, they simply don’t care what you think.
So much to my dismay, perhaps my conclusion is that one must simply accept that these obnoxious people exist, and will continue to irritate us whether we like it or not. We can fight against it, or try our best to rise above it. By demonstrating how to be a calm, rational and reasonable person, perhaps we are improving the world, little by little… Here’s hoping!
Even on a rainy, grey day such as today, I often think it’s important to try and make the most of it, and get outside. The beauty of a less than perfect day is that when you’re out there, you often have it all to yourself, so you can enjoy the peace and quiet that you will rarely find when the sun is shining. Despite the grey skies and drizzle, and keen for some exercise this afternoon, I went for a run in the mountains, and in the 2 and a half hours I was out, I saw 3 people. The view was less than spectacular, and underfoot occasionally slippery, but as clichéd as it sounds, it gave me a couple of hours out on my own, to think and enjoy the solitude and the beauty around me. Autumn is on its way out here, and it’s now dark by 5.30pm! The snow is coming, but I’m holding on to the remnants of the incredible colours that Autumn provides, before it all turns to white. However I will certainly not be complaining when this arrives, as winter in the mountains provides a whole new level of beauty, and brings with it so many enjoyable ways to fill a cold day!
We have decided on our first book! The Chamonix Book Club’s first title is going to be ‘The Giver’, by Lois Lowry. Thought provoking and controversial, we thought this would be a great starting point, and provide a variety of opinions from the group! Looking forward to publishing my first review once I have the feedback from the book club. Watch this space!
How your life choices can have such a profound impact on your life and happiness.
I spend a lot of time thinking about lifestyle choices, career choices, and just choices in general. Why and how do people make the choices they do? What really rings true for me, is how many people I come across that quite openly admit that they either hate their job, hate where they live, or can’t stand the people they live with. So why continue on with a lifestyle that clearly makes you unhappy? Obviously there are countless answers to this question, and of course for some, there is no other choice, but this is not the case for so many. It is a true cliché that the grass is always greener, and I will hold my hand up and say that I, along with so many others, am a victim of this. Yet rather than view this as a negative, as something that you must try and avoid at all costs, I see this as a healthy way to live your life. It is perfectly natural to dream of different things, or to wonder what the next adventure or challenge might be. Of course you must be happy with what you have, but if you can’t look forward and dream of more, won’t you just stand still for the rest of your life?
From my personal experience, I have found that one of the main reasons people become stuck in a lifestyle that doesn’t fulfil them, is the fear of the unknown, and the sheer terror of stepping outside of their comfort zone. I have been living in France for several years, and even now when I return to England I am told by friends and acquaintances that I am ‘so lucky’ to be living the life I do. As gentle a sentiment as this flyaway comment is, I am often left resenting the inference that my lifestyle landed on my lap, as if I had recently stumbled across an unexpected inheritance, or a lottery win.
Of course not everyone can up sticks and follow their dreams, but what I am finding more and more are those who either have a dream and are too afraid to follow it because it would disrupt their safe life, or those who are spending their life doing a job or living in a place they hate, but can’t muster up either the energy or the drive to find something that inspires them. Statistics say that for people working 40 hours a week, over 30 percent of their lives are spent working. It is a large chunk of your life to throw away on a job that leaves you feeling unfulfilled, or at worst, unhappy.
I have found that the other important factor in quality of life and happiness, is where you live. Yes you may be in a job that perhaps wouldn’t be your first choice, and is a bit of a drag. But if you can spend every evening and every weekend doing the things you love, in a place you love, life suddenly doesn’t seem so bad. Sometimes it is necessary to stick out a rough few years in order to get where you want, but if you are aiming for a goal, or doing something uninspiring to pay for something you have had your heart set on, it makes a huge amount of difference to your motivation and work ethic. I spent a fairly unhappy few years in places I didn’t really enjoy, but I had my goal in sight and I was aiming for it. You can make the most of a less than perfect situation, if you have the courage to look further afield, and pursue something that will make you happy, even if at first it seems out of reach or too much hard work.
What a wonderful time of year this is. For many, autumn is a bleak period, associated with short days, dark mornings, and endless rain, but in the mountains October is by far the most spectacularly beautiful and colourful month. Everywhere you look there are different colours, fiery reds and burnt oranges mixing harmoniously in with the evergreens. The temperature is cooling, but the sun is still shining and there is still a lot of climbing and hiking to be done before winter kicks in! Here are just a few recent photographs from my local lakes.
Autumn reflections at Lac Vert, Plaine Joux, Chamonix
Sharon Wray Writing 