Taking stock

At the moment I am doing a online blogging course Blog with Pip, run by Pip Lincolne from Meet me at Mikes. I would happily recommend it to anyone new to, or wanting to improve their blogging. Anyway, an activity she set the other week was to ‘Take Stock’. I did it, and I really loved it.

So what did I learn by taking stock? I learnt that I am a bit food focused at the moment, really food focused. I also realised that even in the midst of physical and emotional discomfort, and ongoing frustrations I can feel content and calm. It helped me to appreciate that my desire for change in the future doesn’t exclude happiness and joy in the present. And on the topic of judgement I have realised, or rather remembered, that if I stand proudly in front of my own internal judge, and say that yes, I am trying, and I am learning, and I am doing the best I can, then I will probably worry a lot less about being judged by others.

I am pleased to share this list here- and really encourage you to try it out for yourself. It is simple to do and where it takes you could be surprising. Just take the first word of each line in the list below and finish off the sentence.

Taking Stock November 2017

Making decisions about where to live and what to do
Cooking vegetables, nuts and eggs. (I’m on an exclusion diet to try and reduce some of my symptoms and this is pretty much what I am left with.)
Drinking a cup of tea- no milk
Reading Big Magic: Creative Living beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Wanting to eat Pizza!!
Looking across at the dam.
Playing no man’s sky on my PS4
Deciding on what to write next
Wishing I had more energy.
Enjoying sitting outside and writing.
Waiting to see if this diet, or the Botox treatment helps.
Liking how my day is going.
Wondering if I can make a career as a writer.
Loving my partner, the cats, and so much about my life at the moment.
Pondering if I can ever get to a point where I am not concerned about being judged by others.
Considering what I will have for dinner (how will I cook my vegetables tonight?)
Watching out for snakes- I saw two yesterday and now I’m nervous about letting the cats outside.
Hoping that the same sex marriage survey comes back YES and the politicians finally pass legislation to recognise my life, my relationship, and my love as EQUAL.
Marvelling at how much bigotry and hate there is in the world. WHY!!!
Needing to get up and move around- my butt has gone numb and my legs are asleep, but I don’t want to move.
Smelling the earthy smell of dust from the dry ground, mixing with the grass seeds and pollen which are floating in on the wind, with a hint of the possibility of rain.
Wearing such a comfortable dress- I bought two in different prints- this is my wardrobe for summer!!
Noticing how dry the grass is getting, soon it will all have died off.
Knowing that it’s really coming into summer now.
Thinking about hope, acceptance and how I make sense of it all.
Feeling calm and somewhat bold
Admiring writers and teachers (my partner’s a teacher and my god I could not do that!!)
Sorting through thoughts and notes to get clear on my next big writing project.
Buying vegetables, eggs – oh and nuts.
Getting sick of vegetables! I realise I’m feeling a little obsessed about food- one more week on this diet to go, unless it works eek!!
Bookmarking articles and blogs on the body, identity, health, healing, hope, creativity- all with the aim of reading them soon.
Disliking brain fog
Opening up to the idea that I am good enough, exactly as I am.
Laughing at the cats playing.
Feeling pretty relaxed.
Snacking on vegetable fritters.
Coveting health.
Helping a friend, just by being there.
Hearing the magpies sing and the crows caw