Simplicity

It is the most perfect day in London today – clear blue skies and a cool breeze, the sun shining as brightly as ever and the warmth of her rays hitting everyone in their way ;) Amazing.

I was looking through my clothes this morning and wondering what to wear – the dilemma of every morning – and I realised it seems spring’s been slightly missed. The coats/jackets I always keep for the autumn chill and spring breeze – seem to have been placed aside, as the 20degree weather is finally upon us and the coats are really just not needed at this time. Oh well – they’ll just have to wait for Autumn ;)

London in the sunshine is just such a different city – the landmarks look different, the tube feels brighter and airier (we’re not in summer just yet – so air is still available!) and the people finally bring their best fashion accessory available – they smile! They joke, they laugh – they come alive again after the grey clouds have suffocated their presence for all of those dark and cold wintery days. (Don’t get me wrong – winter has its own charm too – it has an ambiance of mysteriousness and mystique amongst it – and brings about a hurried zone to get inside to the warmth where you can enjoy your glass of red by the heater or fire in the local pub) The city’s different – it’s London in the summer –and there is really nothing quite like it.

So even in all of this amazing sunshine I’ve been struggling to catch my thoughts these past few weeks. What I mean by catching my thoughts is like having the calmness and clarity and assurance all is ok. I’ve felt like things have been floating around instead of being secure and my thoughts as a result have led me to feel a bit unsure of myself and lacking in confidence. Not dramatically – just slightly off balance and not my usual self. I’ve just kind of lost my footing, but within even constructive criticisms I’m trying to keep on and stay self-assured, as insecurity should never win on each of ourselves. There’s always got to be acceptance for the good opinions and for the bad, but overall – we must adhere to our own maintenance of self-appreciation.

It’s cool in Yotopia’s yoga sessions – the teachers always ask you to thank yourself for coming to class and giving yourself time and energy – so simple yet so true and so effective. My beautiful soulful friend Julia and I just chatted (all too briefly) on this last night. We focus so much on what we ‘should’ have done with our time (I honestly believe there are never enough hours in the day for any of us) instead of acknowledging actually what we have done – it’s so cruel sometimes how much we pressure ourselves, and I said to Ju – everyone struggles with not letting themselves off the hook for the things in their day they haven’t gotten around to – everyone. So she should feel pleased with her productivity on what she had done and stop pressuring herself on the other items she hadn’t gotten around to.

Speaking of productivity – I’m starting ballet again this week for the first time in maybe 5years – OMG! Am super excited though and looking forward to getting back to the technique and having my body move again in a dance studio. Cannot wait! I feel it’s so important to spend time doing things you enjoy, things that are good for your mind, body and soul and considering I’ve felt a bit shaken – getting back to the basic roots of what I love and what makes me happy (even though my heart is wrapped up in contemporary dance, ballet will be ok for now) is key for this week. It’s a time to just zone out of the hectic nature of life and zone into my own little happy area. In speaking of Julia – she reminds me of this person every time I spend time with her – she is the epitome of happiness, goodness, generosity of spirit and kindness through and through – anytime with her is always such a fab time – so Ju if you’re reading – thank you super muchly for reminding me this week! You’re a star!

So enjoy the spring if you’re in London – If you’re in Aus or NZ you’ve got sunshine still also I believe so enjoy it there too! And try and find some quiet moments this week to check in for yourself and chill out. As My beautiful Mama emailed me another reminder and food for thought today:
Keep strong, keep faith, keep loving

:)

Back to Basics in Berlin

Coming Soon!

Totally rested!

I feel rested.
You’d think so at least after a 4day weekend over Easter! But I feel genuinely rested in myself too.
It’s been personally a bit strenuous days of late, and I finally feel that I’ve caught my breath the last couple of days. I made the heart wrenching decision not to go to Sweden and spend Easter with our family, due to just really needing some ‘Shae’ time, and I feel so glad, that not only did I get that time, but I got the support to have that time too.
In the daily grind, we get so get up with the ‘I should’ self-guilt, that the support of my family meant I could just really catch my breath.  I’ve had the time to reflect and realise I sometimes strive for perfection – in a draining way and I’ve felt depleted because of that expectation. Imperfection is far easier to achieve, and in actuality the flaws we host within ourselves, give us the character and the lessons learned we reflect upon. So I’m grateful for the few days in London where I could see the imperfect flaws within myself and my life lined up to give me peace, rather than pressure – such a renewed feeling. I guess in the spiritual terminology – that is exactly what Easter is about! Anyway…..

So through pictures, you can see all of my mini adventures over the weekend. Not having anywhere set to be, other than where I chose. This included a lot of just relaxing and strolling, a fab lunch with my adopted London sister and her beautiful family, a jazz concert adventure with a great friend from school, and each day consisting of a much needed sleep in. Total London goodies - the trick is to just have your eyes open and available to take the sights in....I even stumbled across a fort, near London Wall - a true fort totally unbeknown to me

Nothing like good good music :)

 

    

A sign of Spring!

It even led me to today – heading out in the blue clear sky to sit in Regents Park. I ate lunch, read my book and just took the time out, allowing me to hear the park sounds of birds, and squirrels and the wind air blowing in the trees. Sounds cheesy – most likely – but once you get that balance back in life, and remove the hustle and bustle – life stills for short moments, which I’m currently aiming to find on a more constant basis. Today transported me back to NZ with memories of school lunches sitting under the trees with the sun shining and hearing that same park noise. Made me miss home, giving me such a clear reminder, and similar feeling of stillness.
Just perfection really. Perfection in its natural form J