Changes can, generally speaking, be unsettling

The saying, " a change is as good as a rest" isn't always as restful as one might imagine.

We human beings are creatures of habit, of rituals and routines. We like to know what the day or event has in store for us. At least have some indication of what we might expect. And of late,  that isn't always as clear as we would like it to be.

Take changing jobs for instance, shifting house, country or lifestyle. In this changing world where most things have become unpredictable as far as long term is concerned. Where marriages hardly last the distance, where gold watched are no longer handed out after 25 years of faithful service, where shops come and go, there isn't much that holds promise for longevity - except for us humans. We live longer in a more unstable world.

Events world wide are splashed on screens and in newspapers and reach our ears sometimes before the storm has died down, dust has settled or embers are smoldering. And before the news is old and cold- a new disaster reaches our ears and eyes. And I haven't even mentioned political unrest and abhorrent offences against human beings.

My last blog was about TRUST- the trust we have lost in so many instances. In people close to us, in friendships, in promises, in politicians, in those who have been elected to guide and protect us.

What I would like to see happen, is that we ourselves become that reliable factor in the lives of those around us and in our own lives. That stability and the comfort and security that it brings those around us, also ourselves, helps restore some of this unrest in us as a people. That we know that we can count on ME, YOU and the OTHER PERSON.

Somewhere, some how we have become restless, insecure and indecisive. It has become harder to hold onto a decision we have made - we dither in uncertainty. This reflects in all we do. Our 'leading examples' our ' heroes' from yesteryear have vanished or at best have become invisible or unreliable to many.

Time to turn the tide. I am an Optimistic Realist/ Realistic optimist. I believe people CAN bring about the right sort of change of which we all can benefit.

I believe we are more resiliant than we believe ourselves to be.

It is January 2017. Let's make it a TOGETHER and TRUSTWORTHY year! Let's fulfill promises, offer assistance to those needing our support and reach out from within.

How I shape my world- and how you can help to reshape yours!

It doesn't take the brain of a rocket scientist to understand that there are many issues being faced in today's world, that give cause for concern, sadness, unrest and insecurity.

One only has to read the paper, watch the news, go online and at every turn the 'news' reveals another sad tale of pain, destruction and hardships.

There are ways of 'dealing' with this daily overload of information, mostly negative rather than positive, and I am trying to alter my way of looking at these events in the attempt to better 'handle' the effects it has been having on me of late.

You see, I was becoming more and more concerned and slightly pessimistic about the world my grandchildren are growing up in. The youngest being only 3. I felt a sadness and gloom taking hold. The 'what-ifs' danced in my brain and the doom scenarios paraded it's film in my mind's eye as I struggled to get to sleep at night.

Did it help? NO!

Did things change? Of course not! 

Was I well rested in the mornings? Not on your nelly!

So why did I allow myself to slide down this tunnel of mire and sludge? What difference had I made by allowing my downward spiral of defeatism to take charge of my mind, my daily activities, plans hopes and dreams for a happier, better and safer world?

You see, in my optimistic self I have always known, it isn't up to 'others' to change the world in which I live, but for me to do my utmost to be the best tenant I can be. Somewhere in this fast changing society I had lost sight of, let my grip loosen and failed to act so as to be the person I need to be to change my own space. In doing that I know for a fact I will be able to cause my own ripples in life's pond with every intention of bringing about positive acts of kindness, of smiles on faces,  happier moments and more positivity not only in my life but in that of those I love and whose lives I touch.

Somewhere somehow, the balance between expecting things to go well, and bringing about good deeds and shared responsibility needs to be reinstated in me, in us, as a people. We are all in this together.

I do not believe in coincidences but believe things happen for a reason. And just 10 minutes ago I read this article online: Woman looking for her hero! And it put a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart. I cannot explain more clearly how my/our world can be a safer and more enjoyable place, that the events in this article can.

My dad's and for many years also my motto to strive to live by;

To Live justly

To love tenderly

and to walk humbly with my God.

(Micah 6:8)

Smile, YOU are worth it. 

Laugh and the world will laugh WITH you.

Share your joy and help someone

- see the light at the end of their dark tunnel!