Time is a precious commodity. Time to go places, see friends and family, exercise, read and do all those other things that make life worthwhile. And of course to write my blog. I’m very conscious that I’ve only blogged twice in the last few weeks. Not due to the  creative juices drying up but I just haven’t been able to fit it in between the other things I have been doing. 

Over the last three weeks I have travelled to Barcelona, gone to a fitness festival and visited friends in Wiltshire which included a 8 hour walk along the Wansdyke. This weekend it was the Heybridge Regatta. Not that we see many boats. It’s all about the cool box. All wonderful experiences but throw in work, domestic responsibilities and training there is not much time to do much else. 

Has life always been this busy? Possibly. There was a time when studying was a big part of my life. Go back twelve years  I had young children, was working four days a week and doing a law degree. I want to lie down just thinking about it now. But I completed it with a 2.1. Not too shabby. And it made my mother very proud during the last few months of her life. My motivation for doing a law degree was a combination of career development (I work in the trade union world) and interest. It was absolutely fascinating. But it was hard work.

Move on a few years the priorities change. It is about doing new things. Due to my experience of illness and death (fortunately not mine) I’m mindful that putting off experiences may mean that they may never happen so I just go for it. Within reason. It doesn’t do my bank balance any favours. There continues to be a challenge in living for today or prepare for the future when that future may end tomorrow or last for thirty plus years. 

However, I am very aware of the importance of taking a break from our busy lives. I am dipping into  ‘Do/Pause /You are not a To Do list’ by Robert Poynton. I do love a To Do list. I nearly had a meltdown when my dog ate mine but it turned out to be fairly liberating as the world didn’t fall in. 

Poynton looks at the importance of taking time out of trying to cram in as much as possible into our lives to reflect and take stock. By doing so we become more creative and better equipped to make the most out of life. A great example of someone who built a pause into his life is Bill Gates. Every two years he would take a ‘think week’ at a remote spot where he would immerse himself in his selected reading to ‘think long thoughts’ which had a significant impact on Microsoft’s strategy. 

But a pause can be a minute, an hour or an afternoon.

I am trying to fit those pauses into my life. Be it a visit, on my own, to a spa, taking a couple of hours out to reflect on my work and personal goals or taking stock before I go into a meeting. But I often fall off the wagon. Hence not having time to write a weekly blog.

 Finally a reflection on my last three weeks.

Barcelona was beautiful. I went with my daughter to celebrate her birthday. We walked miles, we travelled on the open top bus, we visited a few of the top attractions (La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell) the zoo and aquarium (my daughter is animal mad), we ate paella by the harbour and got through a good few jugs of sangria.

The Sweatlife Festival was a delight. Sweatlife is the opportunity to try out dozens of classes from yoga to boxing, Olympic weightlifting to pilates but I just go for the talks and panel discussions. One take home for me were how Instagram has impregnated our lives. Mainly to the detriment but a great example where it can be amazing is the support a man who had previously attempted suicide got from others using various hashtags.  But this was eclipsed by the negativity of the platform in it being all about appearance, the perfect selfie and the number of followers. As one panelist stated ‘don’t do it for the gram’. Incidentally between 2011-2017 there were 259 selfie-related deaths. Another two were added last week when two men fell to their deaths from a cliff in Spain whilst trying to take the perfect photo. 

Walking in Wiltshire. Meeting up with friends one of which I have known for 42 years. We were nursing students together and lived next door to each other in the nurses home. I just hope I have as much fun in the nursing home as we had in the nurses home. We walked to the pub and back on the Friday evening and then did 15 miles on the a Saturday in 30 degree heat. My body felt broken at the end of it but quickly recuperated.

And finally the Heybridge Regatta. The sun didn’t shine but the rain held off. We saw a couple of races and cheered on the pillow fight on the greasy pole. And we worked our way through the cool box.

Now to upload  this blog and take a pause.