What a waste!

Today, my shopping was delivered and the young lad said 'Your potatoes are on their date today, do you want me to take them back?'

I looked at the spuds. They were dry, clean, weren't sprouting or mouldy, so I said 'They'll be fine for weeks yet.'

He gave me an odd look and said 'Well OK, if you are alright with eating them after their date.'

I asked him if he would eat them and he said no, he wouldn't because they would be past their date, he would throw them out.

It got me thinking about how much perfectly good food gets thrown away just because of a date printed on the packet.

I was born before best before dates and use by dates were printed on products.

We used our common sense back then. If the bread wasn't mouldy, if the milk smelled OK, then it was fine to use.

Dad grew fruit and veg, and after it was harvested, it was stored in the shed and was used throughout the Winter and into the next year – no best before dates there, either. If it was firm and not mouldy, it got eaten.

These days we are urged to do more to lessen food waste. So why are people still throwing away food that is perfectly good to eat?

Maybe it is time that producers took best before dates off of their food, so that people go back to using their eyes and nose to see if things are still good, rather than relying on a date.

So before you throw away that fruit, veg or bread that is past its best before date, check it, feel it, sniff it. If it looks good, smells good, feels good, then go ahead and eat it, rather than throwing it away.

Make a difference today, both to the planet and your purse.

What is fear?

What is Fear?

Is it facing death?

Is it jumping out of a plane?

Is it ousting a spider from the house?

The truth is, fear can be dealing with all or any of these things and many more.

Fear is different for everyone, it comes in many different disguises.

Bravery is facing your fears and conquering them.

Bravery is learning how strong you are, how you are able to face your fears.

It doesn't matter if this fear seems large or small – facing it is what is important.

For me, my greatest fear is facing the dentist. I feel like I want to run away, I feel sick! I sweat, my legs feel weak.

But I know that I must face my fear, I must do what scares me – I must have courage!

I know that once the ordeal is over, I will feel great.

Conquering that fear, being courageous makes me feel good about myself.

I know that the next time, I will still be afraid, but I know that I can do it and each time gets just a little easier.

Whatever your fear, big or small, rational or not, face it.

Use that inner courage that you have, that strength that is within.

Take small steps, pushing yourself a little more each time.

Learn to control that fear bit by bit, be strong.

Be brave, conquer your fears, and grow.

Life is fragile

Yesterday, I received the sad news that one of my friends had died suddenly.

For him and his family, it was just a normal day. He went into work as usual – and died of a massive heart attack.

It made me realize just how fragile life is. How we don't know which day will be our last.

We don't know what the future holds, how long we will be on this Earth. Hopefully it will be for many years to come, but it may also be only seconds, minutes or days.

We rush through our busy lives, concentrating on deadlines, making money, where we have to be next, rarely thinking about the important people and things in our lives.

We may never have that chance to say sorry, or to say I love you.

We may never see another sunrise.

We may never laugh or cry again.

This may all sound very bleak and dark, but it is not meant to be.

It is about seeing what is important right now, who is important right now.

Don't forget to say I love you, don't forget to kiss, don't forget to cuddle, don't forget to enjoy.

Remember what is important – remember to live!

Fighting for peace

I got up this morning to the awful news that there has been yet another terrorist attack in my country.

People are justifiably angry about it and most are blaming religion as the cause.

But is this really the case? If there was no religion, would war and conflict cease, would the world be at peace?

Sadly, I believe that it would not. Man will always find a reason to fight, to start wars.

We will always fight for what we think that we deserve, what we are owed.

Without religion, we would fight over land, food, money, to name but a few.

We would fight over small things that in the grand scheme of things don't matter at all, but we feel it is our right to do so.

Animals fight over the same things, and at the end of the day, as much as people dislike to hear it, we too are animals, with the same instincts to fight for what we want and need.

But here lies the difference. We have the gifts of compassion and logic. The ability to compromise for the good of all.

We can negotiate, we can put ourselves in the shoes of others, we can see things from their point of view.

All wars and conflicts start with a disagreement between two parties.

Instead of killing each other, we should use these human abilities to find a peaceful outcome.

Maybe this sounds simplistic, but if more people used these uniquely human abilities, then the world would be a kinder, more peaceful place for everyone.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone, the world over who has suffered and lost due to war and conflict.

Let us hope that one day our humanity will triumph and our beautiful world will be a haven of love and understanding rather than one of death and destruction.

Get it done!

When you have a job that has to be done by a certain deadline, what do you do?

Do you get on with it straight away, giving yourself plenty of time to finish, or do you leave it to the last minute and then rush and fret?

It is always better to get started on something as soon as possible in order to do it to the best of your ability, to take your time.

That way you have the time to research, learn and finish in good time without becoming anxious and rushed.

By starting as soon as possible, it also gives you better control of your time, as there will not be that all encompassing rush in the final hours.

Once you have finished your job, then your time will become yours once more, free to be filled with what you desire.

By having this freedom, you are more likely to stay calm, collected and productive.

What are you waiting for? Get up and get going. Get it done!

Be your own advisor

If you were on the outside looking in, what advice would you give yourself?

Giving somebody else advice is easy, because it isn't us that has to follow it through, but advising ourselves is harder, because we don't always want to follow our own advice.

Being our own advisor starts with knowing who we really are, our strengths and weaknesses. Our hopes and fears.

Although we may have many problems in our lives, our lives are not the sum of those problems.

We all have within us the ability to see clearly what we should do to solve these problems.

But first we must listen and be honest with what we need to do.

It is easy to advise ourselves, to take the easy way, but that is not always the best way to solve things.

We should rise above the temptation of the easy route and advise ourselves in a clear and objective way.

By doing this we are much more likely to overcome and learn from our problems.

Be strong, be clear, be your own advisor and thrive.

Inside and out

How we feel about yourselves on the inside has a great deal to do with they way that we deal with things going on around us.

When all is well on the outside and our lives are going well, we will naturally feel better on the inside.

But we should not forget that we have the power to change how we feel on the inside to a great degree.

By feeling good about ourselves and having confidence in our abilities, we can greatly influence how the world around us appears.

By staying positive and happy, things will seem nicer on the outside, which will make the inside feel better too.

It is a never ending cycle, the happier we are on the inside, the happier we will be on the outside, even when life does throw us lemons.

A positive outlook really does help when things are not going so well.

It makes it easier to cope, easier to shrug off things that would otherwise upset us.

Being happy inside is a powerful thing. It makes us see the best of things, helps us to get on with life, rather than let it defeat us.

Be the best that you can on the inside, and the world around you will seem much more fulfilling place.

Admit your mistakes

We all make mistakes. Sometimes small, inconsequential  ones, sometimes monumental ones!

But it is how we react to these mistakes that matters.

Mistakes are a gateway to learning. Without them we would never learn and grow.

Some people will blame their mistakes on others and run away from them. But this can hurt those around you, causing them to turn away or resent you.

Blaming others may seem to be an easy way out, but it accomplishes nothing, as we cannot learn if we do not accept our mistakes.

Mistakes will always have consequences and dealing with these will be a source of learning, of bettering ourselves.

Dealing with and admitting our mistakes will not only makes us stronger, but can also gain the respect of those around us.

By admitting to our mistakes and taking responsibility for them, we are allowing ourselves to improve, to find better ways of doing things.

Admit to your mistakes, take responsibility, grow, learn and become stronger.

Overwhelmed

There are times when our lives become overwhelming.

There just seems to be so much to do that we don't know where start.

We feel stressed and anxious and feel that we will never come out of the other side of this confusing, overwhelming place that we have found ourselves in.

At times like these we should take a step back, take a deep breath and allow ourselves to calm down, because whilst we are feeling overwhelmed, it is almost impossible to think clearly and objectively.

Once we feel calmer, we should look at what we have to do. Do we have to do it all?

The answer is usually no. Over time, our lives become cluttered by habits and actions that we have accumulated over the years.

Often they are of little or no use to us at the present time, but we just go on doing them, because we always have.

Now, when we are so overwhelmed is a good time to let go of these habits, to clear the way forward for what is important right now.

Once we have de-cluttered and feel clearer, we can see what is important, what really needs to be done.

We can prioritise clearly without all of the clutter getting in our way.

And now, with a clearer mind and life, we will feel lighter, more in control, ready to take on the world once more.

So what are you waiting for? Prioritise, de-clutter and take back control.

It's impossible!

It's impossible!

How many times have we said this when things get tough?

But the truth is, things are only impossible when we stop trying.

No matter how difficult something appears to be, if we are determined enough, we will often find a way to succeed.

Sometimes we will walk away, to think, to clear our minds, to research a different way to proceed, but if we really want something, then we should return to the task.

It will be hard, there will be trials and tribulations along the way, but we should just keep going, one step at a time, towards our goal.

Before we know where we are, the impossible has become the possible. The goal has become closer.

So instead of saying that something is impossible, tell yourself that it is possible, you just have to find a way to make it so.

Keep strong, keep trying, make the impossible possible.

What are you going to do today?

What do you going to do today?

Do you intend to tick something off of your to do list, or is it your intent to spend the day doing as little as possible?

Do you intend to play, or to work, or maybe a mix of the two.

Whatever you intend to do today, make it count.

If you do nothing, then you will achieve nothing, learn nothing, will not grow.

But if you fill your day with wonder, learning and enjoyment it will be a positive day that you can look back on with satisfaction.

So commit to doing something special today.

It may be something small, or it could be a life changing decision.

Once this day is done, it is gone forever and cannot be changed, so make it the best that you can.

Whatever you choose, make it count, make today count.

What does technology mean to you?

What does technology mean to you?

This may seem to be a strange question, but think about it for a moment.

For some people it means the latest and greatest gadgets - fun, games and entertainment.

For others it is just a means to an end, a way to get things done more quickly and efficiently.

There is no doubt that technology has made our lives better in many ways, helping not only to entertain us and keep us connected, but also to live longer and healthier lives.

Whatever it means to you, the certainty is that technology is taking over more and more aspects of our daily lives.

It has got to the point where society would struggle if all technology suddenly broke down.

We all rely on it daily, even if we feel that we don't.

Even just cooking a meal usually relies on the technology of our microwaves, ovens and hobs.

Washing our clothes, watching TV, hoovering, ironing - they are all made easier by technology.

However we use technology, and whatever it means to us, we should always remember that it is just a tool.

Technology can bring its own stresses. The stresses of always wanting to be available, to always keep up with what is going on in the world.

We should remember that we don't need to be constantly connected, constantly entertained.

Every so often, it is good to go back to basics for a while, to switch off and enjoy ourselves without our gadgets and gizmos.

Going for a walk and leaving our phone at home is a very simple way of doing this, or how about being brave and camping out under the stars, with nature as your companion.

So how about taking the time today to disconnect, de-stress and enjoy a few technology free hours.

What will you choose?

Our lives are full of choices, from the tiny right up to the life changing.

What we have chosen to do up until now has shaped us into the person that we are today.

What we choose to do from now will shape our future.

Whether we succeed in life or not is mainly down to the choices that we make along our way.

All of our choices matter, even the small ones can have consequences that we cannot foretell.

Each choice is like a crossroad, and the next choice is yet another crossroad, and so on.

These many paths can lead to an infinite amount of possibilities, some good, some not so good.

Some choices are easy, some are very difficult, but each has it's own set of consequences.

So it is wise to consider our choices wisely, to make them work for us and to help us become the best that we possibly can be.

We should take our time, consider our actions, get the most that we can from our choices.

So what path are you going to take today? Choose wisely, grow and learn.

I am strong!

How do you define being strong? Does it mean being physically strong, or does it mean mentally strong?

Whichever way we perceive it, we have the tools to increase that strength.

If we do nothing, do not challenge ourselves, take those first steps out of our comfort zone, then we will never get stronger.

But with each small step we make, our strength will begin to increase.

As we push ourselves a little further each time, we teach our body and soul to become stronger.

With steady progress we will become stronger than we ever thought that we could.

Or lives and happiness, our very confidence in our own abilities will grow along with our strength.

Only when we push the limits of comfort will we truly know how strong we can be, and how much we are capable of.

So take that first step today, use your body and mind, challenge it, grow strong.

Celebrate

As we go through our lives, we enjoy many celebrations.

These can come in the form of birthdays, anniversaries, marriages and all manner of other important occasions.

But does it really need to be a special occasion in order to celebrate today?

Just being here to enjoy the day is a good enough reason to celebrate.

This day is special, there will never be another quite like it, so we should celebrate it.

Indeed we should celebrate each and every day as we go through the journey of our lives.

The sad thing is that one day, hopefully far into the future, it will be our last day.

So instead of drifting through life, just going through each day without marking it, make a point of celebrating it.

Mark each day as special. Embrace and recognize it. Celebrate and enjoy each and every day.

Super sunshine

As I sit here and type, I am bathed in the warm glow of today's beautiful sunshine.

It's amazing how much better the sunshine can make us feel.

It brings with it feelings of happiness, it makes us feel like life isn't quite so bad after all.

It's warmth and energy can make us feel happier and more positive.

It gives us the urge to go outside and enjoy it whilst it lasts.

Sunshine makes the world seem a brighter, more interesting place.

It makes us more sociable - after all who wants to stop for a chat, or go to a barbecue when it is raining and cold.

We can enjoy spending more time outside, gardening, walking, reading, just relaxing.

Some of these effects are psychological, but some are backed up by science.

The sun on our skin triggers our body to produce Vitamin D andsunlight helps us to maintain our wake and sleep cycles, so can help us to sleep better.

It is always important to remember to protect our skin against the sun with sunscreens, hats and clothing.

That way we can enjoy the benefits that the sun brings, while still protecting ourselves from damage.

So if the sun is shining wherever you are in the world, embrace it's energy, enjoy it, live life, enjoy.

Stepping forwards

Sometimes life goes exactly as planned and everything feels great, but at other times, it seems to throw a spanner in the works at every opportunity.
 
When we feel knocked back by life, it is very easy to just give up, because everything just seems to be so hard.

But if we give up, we will also be giving up on attaining our dreams and goals.

Even if things are difficult, it is better to take a slow and steady ramble then to just stand still.

Feeling sorry for ourselves doesn't achieve anything. It just makes us feel that our goals are all the more unattainable, it saps us of our self worth, our inner spark.

Despite what has happened to us, we should continue to look forward, to strive to keep stepping out on our journey, learning and growing.

So what are you waiting for? Put on those walking shoes and step forwards.

Sort it out!

How often do you put off things that need doing? The chances are that it is quite often.

Sometimes it is because it is a task that we don't enjoy, and at other times it just never seems the right time.

By getting things done as soon as possible, our life feels clearer and brighter, more organised.

Not doing things can cause stress, as they are forever on our minds - that room that needs decorating, that dripping tap!

These are examples of simple things, but annoying and stressful all the same and can be easily sorted out.

Other things are harder, more problematical, but ignoring them will not make them go away.

So why not deal with it right now? If you don't, then it will still be there, taunting you, waiting to be done tomorrow.

Instead of obsessing about how difficult or time consuming it will be, just get on and make a start.

The sooner that you start, the sooner it can be finished.

So sort it out, get it done - don't wait a moment longer.

I wonder!

We travel through our days, often doing exactly the same thing, seeing exactly the same things and rarely do we stop to think about them.

We just take them for granted and accept them as they are.

But what if one day we didn't. What if we thought about them, examined them, saw them in a different and new light.

Just a simple thought can change our whole perspective on things, lead us to new and exciting things.

Instead of taking them for granted because they have always seemed the same, we will see them as new possibilities, new ideas.

Our day will become different, more exciting, new and fresh.

So instead of just accepting that things are just the way they are, think I wonder what would happen if I did something different, looked at things a different way.

Look around, add some sparkle to your day.............wonder.

Love everlasting

Today marks our 30th wedding anniversary. How the years have flown.

It doesn't seem that long since our wedding day, and here we are, still together 30 years later!

It made me think about love, in all of its many guises.

When we are in that first flush of love in a new relationship, it is all encompassing, it fills our very being to the brim, leaving little space for anything else.

But over the years, that raging fire dies down into a more consistent warmth.

But that does not mean that the love has died, it has merely changed character.

It is at this point that many couples feel that they are growing apart because the love is not as strong.

But that is not always true, it is just that we have grown and adapted to that love as a couple.

We still love and care about each other, still hold hands, cuddle and talk about our hopes and fears, just as we did all of those years ago.

Love changes as we do. As we grow to know each other, we feel more comfortable and at ease in each others company without feeling the need to have such flamboyant gestures to prove our love to each other.

Love has many faces: Looking after each other when we are ill, dropping other things when we are needed, laughing and crying together.

Love has many faces and guises which are eternally changing.

Love should be cherished and kept alive today and every day.