A woman of substance can make a life anywhere.

“Become a documentarian of what you do.” 

~ Austin Kleon

I take photographs.

Lots of them.

Sunrise at Pt. England

They document an aspect of my life that I love

- what I see on those early morning walks.

It’s not always easy getting up early though.

It’s tempting to pull the covers up more when the alarm goes off.

Especially as winter approaches and the air gets chillier 

and the mornings darker.

A misty morning sunrise

I try not to give my brain time to ponder over why I’m rising before the sun. 

It will talk me out of it if I let it.

It’s feet on the floor and zombie walk to the kitchen,

with the furball doing her best to trip me up.

Food is a priority in her eyes, and she doesn’t let me forget it.

I know once I’m up though, I won’t go back to bed.

And just sometimes, the moon is setting as the sun's trying to get out of bed.

With the furball fed, there’s just time to make the bed

 and grab the backpack before heading out the door. 

Sunrise over the city

There’s a strange sense of satisfaction in knowing that

my day is starting while most people are still warmly ensconced in bed.

They miss SO much!

The peace and quiet of an early morning is startling.

Especially in winter.

The world hasn’t quite woken up yet and I revel in the silence.

There’s so much else about my early morning walks that I love too.

For starters, the sunrises.

Sunrise from Achilles Point

I see SO many!

Sunrise over the Tamaki Estuary

It’s a little ritual the sun and I have.

Our good morning wave to one another.

Here’s to our day!

Sunrise over Kohi Beach

It has a ripple effect that touches all areas of my life

and helps me be a better person.

I take control of my day just by waking up early!

I value these small frequent positive experiences that happen every day.

They give me reason to pause.

To wonder at the chain of events that caused me 

to be living where I am, and how I am.

And to give thanks.

Because life really IS wonderful.

“Don’t explain your philosophy. 

Embody it.” 

~ Epictetus

If all else fails ... improvise!

Happiness

is a choice.
Every day.

I penned this doodle a few years ago when I started bullet journalling. 

I loved the idea of adding my own doodles to the mantras I try to live life by. 

I pen them in ink so there’s no option to edit.  

They’re perfectly imperfect and I like that. 

Penning the doodles is therapeutic.
All they need is paper, a pen and time.

Whilst I love my photography and the emotions it evokes, 

doodling allows for experimentation down a different creative path.

And different can be good.
Like Owha the Leopard Seal
Not your more usual sighting at the marina. 

Each of our lives is different.
That's how they're meant to be.
A mish-mash of moments, unique to each of us,
sttched inelegantly and imperfectly together.
All different and each it's own kind of normal.

But back to the doodle.

This particular doodle was accidentally cut in half when it was caught up 

in a batch of cards I was putting through the guillotine. 

I stuck it back together and have it pinned up near my work station at home.  

It reminds me of why I do what I do.

It’s a consistent visual memory in my head of how to get the

most out of every day. 

Even on the days when my head isn’t listening too well to my heart.
And even on the days when the temptation to 
descend into the dark threatens to overwhelm.

It reminds me to do what I LOVE.

(And who wouldn't want to do that!)

To let go of GRUDGES and what I CAN’T control.
(Practise makes perfect)

To ALWAYS have an attitude of gratitude.
(Not hard when you get to experience what I do EVERY morning!)

To step OUTSIDE my comfort zone.
(Change doesn't have to be negative, and adventure is exciting!)

And to EMBRACE every crazy minute of life
(and the crazy souls who do life with you!)

And, if all that fails?

TO improvise when I need to!

"Trust my nudges."
~ The Universe

Our lives are lived in hours.

“There is a voice that doesn’t use words.  

Listen.” 

~ Rumi

Hard to believe but January’s already done and dusted.  

We've used every second, every minute, every  hour of 31 precious days 

and are a month into THIS new year.

Another loop around the sun.

One more winter, summer, autumn and spring.

I was trying to decide which was my favourite season.

But I love them all.
Even winter!

Time really IS fleeting though.  

We can't buy more of it.
Not even a minute.

No matter how wealthy or otherwise we are.

There's this notion inside of me too that  I still have so much to see and do 

and that clock is ticking on relentlessly.

 My life's a little like a roller-coaster ride. 

I'm sure most of ours are!

Exhilarating one moment and terrifying the next.

It's all too easy to hurtle into a downward spiral

and to doubt you'll ever resurface.

But that little voice inside always urges me up.

It's unrelenting.

Even in the times when I struggle to hear it. 

It's the voice that sees infinite possibilities where I see obstacles.

The one that tells me I’m stronger than I sometimes think I am.

The one that reassures me that I have more than enough courage 

for any challenge I need to face.

It reminds me that every hour I have is precious.

To make decisions that are right 

for the moment in time that I'm making them.

To BE mindful. 

To be present enough to feel every terrifying, 

exhilarating, imperfect moment of life.

And to LISTEN to the wisdom within.

The more I listen to that inner voice,

the more I believe in me

and the more completely I embrace life.

Our lives are lived in hours.

Make the MOST of them.

“We do not need magic to transform the world. 

We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.” 

~ J.K. Rowling

Giving off good vibrations

For a while now I’ve thought I had no more need to write. 

My head’s in the happiest space it’s been in 'for a very long time and the words, 

whilst they still scramble around in my head for a footing, 

are all positive and uplifting.  

Gratitude abounds.

One of my dearest friends though, 

who’s provided SO much love and support over the years, 

has started blogging again (Follow this link to read her blog) and she got me thinking.

Being in a happy space doesn’t mean I shouldn’t write. 

In fact, it would be quite remiss of me NOT to share the happy space I find myself in.

The written word has a permanence the spoken word doesn’t have, 

and I love that.

Choosing to be happy with what I have and where I am in life at the moment is easy.   

I have to pinch myself some mornings 

to reassure myself that the life I’m living isn’t a dream.

And it isn’t.

It’s real.  

It’s me being connected to who I authentically am 

and loving what that means.

Giving off good vibrations has become my norm.

Even at 5.30 in the morning.

I cannot emphasis enough how life-changing my morning rambles are.  

Even when the body’s weary and the mind over-burdened, 

the very act of putting one foot in front of the other is therapeutic.

It sets my state of mind for the day.  

Reinforces the natural order of life that is so easily overlooked

 - to firstly know oneself.

Know your values, your interests, your temperament.  

The focused mental state of being interested in something 

that makes life vivid.

The relationship I have with myself is one of the most important relationships in my life.  

If I don’t know who I am, then how is anyone else supposed to?  

I have a very healthy and positive self-esteem,

 which has been a long time in the making. 

It’s this very self-esteem though 

that enables me to live the happy and fulfilling life that I do.  

And yes, life really IS fulfilling and meaningful.

It doesn't mean that everything's perfect

 - far from it - 

but I'm perfectly happy with that.

Chaos DOES create change, and it IS life-altering.  

Your attitude to it will ultimately determine what you take away from it.  

I choose to be happy and let those good vibrations ripple through my life.