I am such a stress head. Even in beautiful Bali I had to remind myself that I was on holiday and I had to tell my brain to relax and not worry about anything . I'd like to say I'm out of practice at relaxing, but that would be a load of polly-waffle because I've always been an anxious sort, a worrier...and sometimes I feel I'm just getting worse.
And no matter how hard I try to not let it worsen , the anxiety breaks through. In the last few days the incident in Sydney has left a lot of people ( not just me), with worry lines etched into their faces. How is it possible that this horrible event unfolded in our beautiful country? Is this an indication of the life our children and grandchildren will forever be exposed to?
It just seems lately that nowhere is really a " worry free zone". Our beautiful town appears to have had an increase in break ins and theft. Whether this is actually an increase, or it's just more known about due to social media, is hard to know. But the worry seed is sown regardless . And of course being Australian, we refuse to remain housebound and town bound because of the actions of a few. We go about our day, we secure our home, we exercise caution and we worry...or at least I do.
Currently the husband and I are in the car returning home. MORE WORRY - daughter number 2 is ahead of us driving herself and her boyfriend. I'm not worried about her driving ability, she is a good driver. I'm worried about the idiots on the road. Even as I type this, a man flies past us in an area where he is not allowed to overtake. He has kids in the car and is doing about 15-20 km over the speed limit. OMG! Why do people think accidents will never happen to them? How much more tragedy do we need to experience?
Christmas is one week away and this year in an ongoing effort to minimise my stress I have once again cut corners. This year I am refusing to buy any women's magazines which are full of pictures of decorated tables, Christmas recipes and perfectly wrapped gifts. After many years of doing this, I know how to organise the sort of Christmas my family enjoy and I don't need the magazines making me feel I'm not doing it right. May sound really silly for some, but Christmas is a pressure pot for many and those magazines are in my pressure pot.
Add to that present shopping. I thought I had it stitched up this year thanks to Internet shopping. Now I find that some internet purchases may not arrive in time for Christmas. Scream, yell, shout. Now what? Do I need to start in July to get stuff mailed on time? Ridiculous!
As we left Bali this week, the Balinese were getting ready to celebrate Galungan. This is a festival celebrating good over bad, so in keeping with this I want to share some good things that I've heard about this week which have really touched me.
* At the FEDs work, a lady stepped forward to pay a bill for a mother desperately trying to deal with shopping and children.
* In America a stranger has paid off all the christmas lay-bys in a store.
* The #illridewithyou has trended all around the world. Please look it up if you don't know what this is - australian mateship at its best.
* A video on YouTube (link below) showing kids in a third world country opening the Christmas shoebox presents which a lot of people world wide ( myself as well at times) have contributed to.
Yes I'm anxious and yes I worry...and sometimes these issues take on a life of their own and I feel worse. But amidst all this there are moments when you realise that there are good and happy things too, if our eyes are wide open and we are receptive.
Enjoy the lead up to Christmas
Till next time...xxx
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