It’s been a long time since I last wrote on here. I’ve really struggled with what this blog is. I didn’t want it to be me constantly documenting how I struggle with work/life balance and then go abroad every year and it’s all ok (despite the fact that that’s kind of how it feels). Now admittedly I am sitting in the south of France right now, but I’m going to try to think about how I can try to bring a little bit of the holiday me home (just probably not the holiday sunshine unfortunately).
Here is a list of the things that I love about this place: sunshine, delicious wine, swimming outdoors, the stunning scenery, dining alfresco, reading books, napping if I want to, evening runs, coffee by the pool, plants and flowers, looking at the stars, playing cards, puddings, reading with the girls, good food, jumping into the sea, ice cream and boat trips. I could go on.
It is easy for me to sit in the beautiful sunshine and say that life is peachy and I’ll just make sure I stay in this mindset when I get home. I’ve done it before and it doesn’t last once the workload piles up, the kids start squabbling and the skies are grey. Actually in the past October has often been one of my bleakest months – summer is well and truly over and it’s my birthday month. Ridiculously, I find both of these things hard. So this year I need a few tricks up my sleeve to try to avoid the funk.
As I said, I can’t bring the sunshine home and rain and grey skies are incredibly bleak and depressing. However, the countryside and coast are still beautiful and there is no good reason why I can’t escape there when I need to. I do have a plan for the different aspects of my life for when I get home. I won’t bore you with the details but I do want to make some changes so that I don’t revert back to old ways. However, the most important thing I am going to take back with me is the importance of having fun. I have loved hurling myself off the rocks into the sea, jumping off the back of a boat, scrambling across rocks to reach beautiful beaches and retrieving sinkies from the bottom of the swimming pool. I’ve had fun. I’m not too old. I haven’t cared if my tummy looks a bit round in my bikini because of all the yummy food I’ve eaten. No one else cares and if they do, it’s none of their bloomin business. I like the me who has fun. I don’t often like the me at home.
So along with some other ideas of how to re-jig my life on a daily basis, I’m also going to plan my days around the good stuff, not the daily crap that has to be done. The most important thing I’m taking back with me from this beautiful, sunny holiday is the importance of prioritising fun.
Winging it! 