Celebrations, Presentations and Relaxation

Something happened to my post it seems so I'm reposting as I link up to The Tablescaper to celebrate Seasonal Sunday.  

 It was a wonderful week. It began with a celebration of my husband's 60th birthday.  He was born in the Year of the Dragon so he is convinced that the Chinese New Year Celebrations are part of his birthday celebrations. 

At work we enjoyed a special presentation and visit with Ken and Kathleen Powell.  Ken is a WWII POW and Kathleen is a Rosie the Riveter. 

Ken is holding the egg beaters he made while held as a prisoner using scrap metal. 

 Both Ken and Kathleen have amazing stories to tell and both are in their 90s so I was especially honored that they came to spend time with my workplace.   The egg beater Ken is holding is being fought over by two museums.  The detail of his handiwork is amazing but as he shared with the audience, "we had plenty of time on our hands."

If you are interested in learning more, you might be interested in the book that was written about Ken and his brothers,   Four Stars in the Window.

Tells the dramatic story of four brothers in one family during WWII who survived an Iwo Jima battle, a German POW camp, Omaha Beach on D-Day, and Army Air Corps cadet training.

I ended the week with a visit to a bed and breakfast that happens to be just around the corner from my house. 

 And so I enjoyed an afternoon tea with a dear friend in a lovely setting with a delightful hostess.

I hope you are enjoying the pleasures of the season.

Home is where the heart is

The Boy and I have spent much of the last couple of weeks preparing to move - we've been to see financial advisers about mortgages, we've scouted out some homes in the village we want to move to, we've had an early Spring clean to dispose of unwanted items, and later this morning we are having the energy certificate done for our flat so we can go on the market. We should get the flat valuation done in the next few days as well and once that's done and we accept the valuation, we are all systems go. We're in a strong position and seemingly there is demand from both the housing association and the open market for buyers for flats in our development.

I feel a real mix of emotions as our days in London town begin to draw to a close. I've lived in London for over a decade, first renting for 18 months and then as a mortgage slave. I've had some real highs and lows in this city, but it is incredibly special to me.

In this flat, I have mostly happy memories. I bought it as a single, independent woman over five years ago and as soon as I moved in everything began to fall into place for me. A few weeks after I moved in I began volunteering at the bereavement charity in Kentish Town where I still work on a weekly basis, and within a matter of months I had begun the job where I still am now (the longest I've stayed in a job by far) and I had met the Boy. Hence the flat has always been filled with love and light, and people comment on the warm and happy atmosphere when they come round for the first time.

There have of course been sad times here for us - the losses of last year were cried out inside these walls - but for the most part I've been happy in this flat. The Boy and I have had some wild parties here, some decadent dinner parties, and some silly nights together just us two. So I feel a little sad leaving this beautiful flat behind, as we begin to prepare for what will be our next home. I hope those who follow us will be as happy as we've been - and I hope our new home will serve us just as well as this one.

It's January....There's Still Time to Do It

Yesterday while skimming the headlines of the Huffington Post, I spotted the article titled the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, and while it sounded a bit morbid, I was intrigued so I clicked to read more.  The article came at a good time for me since I hadn’t made any resolutions for the year but was hoping to make some goals for myself. 

 

Bronnie Ware, author of the article, spent many years caring for dying patients and she has written and spoken on the life lessons she’s learned through her experiences.  Here are the top five lessons learned:

1)   I wish I’d had the courage to be true to myself instead of always doing what is expected of me.   How many times do we force ourselves to do things we really don’t want to do?  One of my doctors once told me that when he was young all he wanted to do was to be an architect.  He went off to school to major in design and in his freshman year his dad paid him a visit one weekend.  The purpose of the visit – to tell his son that he would not be an architect, instead he was expected to be a doctor.  That moment changed the entire course of his life.

2)    I wish I didn’t work so hard. Now this had my name all over it.  My work days are generally 11-12 hours long and it really bothers me but I’ve yet to figure out how to change the pattern. 

3)    I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.  Most of the time when I hold back, I do so to “keep peace in the valley” but is there really peace when internally I’m frustrated of feeling regret for not speaking up for myself?

4)   I wish I’d stayed in touch with friends.  I really try on this one but there is always room for improvement. 

5)    I wish I’d let myself be happier. 

A creative, fun painting class with friends

 As part of our professional development program at work I’m reading Stephen Covey’s, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (the workbook version) and it was the perfect time to ready Bronnie Ware’s article.   The first habit in Stephen Covey’s book is BE PROACTIVE and I was reminded of the saying “if it is to be, it’s up to me” so this morning I got up an emailed a small group of trusted friends to organize a vision board gathering so that I can create something visual to help remind me of the changes I’d like to make this year. 

 

When the calendar rolled over to 2012 several bloggers posted they didn’t plan to make resolutions because they rarely followed through with the resolutions during the year.  Yes, some years this is the case for me but I’m taking a different approach this year by giving myself a little more time to think about the resolutions, developing strategies to help achieve the goals and putting some accountability in place with support from good friends.  It may not have perfect end results but I have high hopes. 

Have you made resolutions for 2012 and what is your plan for the follow through?