The lost art of letter writing

“To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart”. Phyllis Theroux

I was deep in my morning meditation when I heard the post drop onto the mat. I was in no rush to collect it. It had been a long time since I received anything other than a bill or statement in the mail. 

Imagine my delight therefore to receive a beautiful hand written letter from one of my closest friends. Crafted on proper stationary I was touched by her heartfelt words and also by the time and effort she had taken to let me know how much she appreciates our friendship.

When I was at school I used to eagerly await the postman every morning. I had numerous penpals and savoured every word written to me eagerly replying as soon as I could. Gradually as I got older, and became more reliant on technology I somehow, sadly, stopped writing to people properly.

Texts and emails are a quick, easy way of keeping in touch but there is something special about receiving an unexpected letter in the post. I am going to make a conscious effort to do my bit to resurrect the lost art of letter writing. Here are five reasons why you should too: - 

Letters can be preserved - the letter I received this morning is now safely tucked away inside my gratitude journal where it will bring me joy each time I reread. 

Letters form a connection - the writer really connects to the recipient. It’s like love in an envelope.

Letters are a mindful way to communicate - emails and texts are easily sent without thought and often regretted afterwards. Taking the time to find stationary, write a letter, buy a stamp and walk to the postbox gives you plenty of time to reflect on your words.

Letters are personal - you know the writer has sat and thought about you specifically. Totally different to being copied in on an email or being sent a mass text.

Letters will survive - ever felt the wonder of looking through your grandparents old photos and letters; discovering who they were and the world that existed before you were born? Letters preserve a sense of history that technology can never recreate.

So whatever your weekend plans are - why not incorporate writing a letter to someone you care about? This small gesture could really make their day.

What I learned from meerkats

"The moment is always Now".

Nothing makes me happier than spending time with my family and experiencing new things in life so I was more than a teensy bit excited yesterday to get to hang out with the (allegedly) tamest  meerkats in Britain.

I was preempting my gratitude journal that evening would be full of family, love and laughter (which it was) but I had to add an entry to the meerkats for a great reminder on how to approach life with complete wonder.

My youngest son had velcro trainers on and the curious animals spent huge amounts of time investigating how this worked, undoing them, doing them back up and moving aside to let others have a go. The joy as they played together and jumped onto our laps for cuddles was contagious. When their food came they stopped what they were doing and totally absorbed themselves in the task of mindfully eating, savouring every mouthful. No chance of them automatically consuming their food, not really noticing the flavours while multi tasking as humans often do.

I went to bed last night thankful for the chance to observe these cute creatures living in the moment. It is something I will never forget.

Little lights

“We’re born with millions of little lights shining in the dark

And they show us the way

One lights up, every time you feel love in your heart

One dies when it moves away”

Passenger

I love listening to music, even more so when the lyrics really resonate with me.

One of my favourite albums this year is Passenger’s Little Lights - (watch on Youtube)

The title track is beautiful. It refers to ‘little lights’ we are all born with in our hearts. When something negative happens to us or because of us one of the lights will extinguish but through love and living a good life we are always igniting more.

I love the image these lyrics instill. It’s true we are born with infinite love, our lights shine brightly with no judgements or expectations in place to diminish them. As we grow and develop a belief system we begin to lose our connection to our inner stillness and we may not shine as brightly as we once did.

As life progresses it’s inevitable we love, we laugh, we cry, we grieve, we feel hope and disappointment, but no matter what life throws at us we always get the chance to light a new light. Each moment is a new beginning, a chance to ensure we are never in darkness. 

How brightly are you shining today?

A lovely surprise

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you”. Princess Diana.

I received a fabulous surprise this morning when I woke up and checked my emails. The lovely traveling couple we had the pleasure of meeting at Sweetheart Abbey had sent us the photos they had taken of Tim and I on our wedding day.

The quality of the images are phenomenal. The thing with eloping meant the majority of the photos were taken with my iphone. I had thought they were ok until I saw how vibrant and sharp Wendy and Geoff’s (as we now know they are called) pictures are.

I am so grateful they took the time to do this. They have edited each photo and sent them via individual emails as the file size is so large and they thoughtfully didn’t want to diminish the quality. As they apparently have 9000 of their own photos from their trip to get through I am really touched they did this for us. 

Anyone who knows me (and many of you who don’t)! know I am a huge advocate of pay it forward. I believe the way to change the world is by one act of kindness at a time. A simple act, a thought, being shown compassion and kindness can be life changing. It’s not solely about making someone feel good in the moment. Such acts can provoke huge feelings of gratitude and joy we recall again and again. When you pay it forward you could be creating a memory someone will draw upon during their darkest days; how phenomenal is that?

Maya Angelou said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Many of us have a positive effect on someone most days without consciously realising it. Imagine if we all consciously tried to carry out an act of kindness everyday too, it’s possible whatever your circumstances; a smile is the easiest way to start. Who knows how far the ripple effect will travel?

It’s fast approaching World Kindness Day (November 13th 2013). What can you do for someone on this date? The warm fuzzy feeling of kindness is too good not to share. Happiness is contagious - be a carrier.

Why I ran away to get married

"All you need is love, love is all you need".

I have to be honest I never thought I was the marrying kind. I was always slightly in awe of those who made the ultimate commitment to each other. I was a great believer in the sanctity of marriage but I wasn't sure it was for me. Although I could be certain of what I felt in the present moment, the next 10, 20, 30 years was a different matter and right now was all I thought I could ever guarantee. 

When my partner Tim proposed however, I had no doubts about our future. I treasure our relationship where I have total freedom to be myself. There is no judgement and we love each other unconditionally. We have found mutual support and our lives together are fluid enough to have coped with unexpected change and I am certain, if we maintain our level of communication, together we can face anything life throws at us. I wanted to honour our relationship and become his wife and therefore didn't hesitate at all in accepting. 

I am not the sort of girl who has spent years visualising her wedding, imagining the dress, the flowers and everything else you are supposed to want for your special day. I wasn't sure what I wanted but I was certain of what I didn't want. I didn’t want months of planning and stress, putting everyone else’s wants and needs before our own. I also didn’t want to be paying for it after the event. If we couldn’t afford it we would go without. We were adamant the most important part of our day would be our love and if wedding favours and table decorations didn’t feature it wouldn’t take anything away from our unwavering commitment to each other. 

It was with a feeling of trepidation we decided to sit down and pick a venue. We are no different to most couples in that we have some family complications and limited funds. Our families are based in two different locations (3 if you count us) so the first dilemma was always going to be where should the ceremony take place.

Approximately 5 minutes into the first tentative planning conversation I’d had enough. The wedding should be purely about us. We joked it would be easier to run away and get married without telling anybody. We laughed, and then we looked at each other, and then we weren't laughing anymore. Could we? Should we?

It wasn't a decision we took lightly. People have expectations when it comes to weddings. Was it selfish to put our needs first with no compromises?

We were undecided and subsequently kept our engagement secret. What would be the right thing to do? Was there such a thing as the right thing? We decided to individually make a decision then reveal them to each other and hope they matched.

Ultimately I had to ask myself two real questions.

 What did I really want?  

Used to a lifetime of following my heart I knew this was so huge my head needed to be part of the equation. I made a pros and cons list. Although I wanted to share my day with my loved ones ultimately I wanted to be Tim’s wife in a stress free, debt free, least amount of planning way as possible. 

Could I stick with my decision and be happy with it?

This really simplifies any big decision. Generally only one option (at a time) works. To acknowledge a decision has been made and it is the right one for you eliminates lots of angst. It is easy to half heartedly make a decision and then wildly yoyo between “it’s right” and “well should I? could I?”. Accepting I am happy with my decision eradicates any future “what ifs”. 

Eloping seemed the perfect choice and thankfully that was the conclusion Tim had also come to. So, we were running away then.

We called Gretna Green in Scotland to see what planning a wedding there entails and came off the phone 20 minutes later having booked the venue, registrar, hotel, florist, photographer, witnesses, a dvd and discussed our music options. Half an hour after this we had ordered wedding outfits online and that was pretty much that.  Wedding booked. Now exhale and relax.

Our wedding was beautiful in its simplicity. when Etta James sang “At Last” the words took on a whole new meaning. Not only could we apply them to our day, our love, it was also probably one of the only times either of us have wholly put ourselves totally first. Doing what we wanted rather than adapting and compromising to suit others. That in itself should be celebrated.

I don’t feel I have missed out not having a traditional day. We are all individual and what suits some would be another’s worst nightmare. For me though I had all I needed on the day. My best friend was there. I was marrying him.

You can read more about my wedding week here.

Ahoy there Comfort Zone

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. Neale Donald Walsch

Earlier this year I decided to train as meditation teacher with Sandy Newbigging who Yoga Magazine hails as “one of the best meditation teachers around’. 

I am passionate about meditation, and having trained with Sandy a couple of years previously in the Mind Detox Method I knew that Mind Calm Meditation would fit beautifully into my practice. Both use astonishingly simple but life changing techniques that I have benefited from on a personal level and was eager to be able to share these. 

I have spent the early part of the year completing the coursework, case studies and exam and then came the attendance week. (Pause for dramatic effect). Dum, dum, dummm.

Knowing that this course is aimed at people wanting to teach groups I knew that it would entail vast amounts of public speaking. I had previously believed that I would rather gauge my eyeballs out than stand up and talk to a group, and, with a week of doing just this in the pipeline I had deliberated long and hard about whether to attend.

My desire to spread the love and have others join me on the peace path outweighed my sheer terror and with trepidation I packed up, hugged my children like I might never see them again and headed off with a heavy heart.

When I got to the course venue I realised I was so far out of my comfort zone I couldn’t even see it. But you know what? Contrary to the voices in my head informing me of a million possible outcomes I didn’t faint, vomit or indeed die. 

In terms of personal growth this course was invaluable. In stepping out of my comfort zone I have expanded into a place of quiet confidence. Have I conquered my biggest fear? Who knows? I have three public talks booked in the next few weeks and I will use the techniques I have learnt through this course to enable me to detach completely from the voices in my head telling me I can’t. Umm I think I have just proved that I can thank you.

I am optimistic that I will rise to each challenge as it presents itself and slowly the unknown and frightening will transmute into exciting and exhilarating before settling into the familiar.

For me, as always, it’s the knowing. The reassuring knowing that I have a choice. I could have chosen not to do this and that would have been ok. But I did do it and that was ok too. I am now happy to remain on the periphery of my comfort zone while I wait for the next challenge to show itself, to which I will say “Bring it on” and jump in feet first.

To find out more about Mind Detox, Mind Calm or to book a coaching session with me (also available via Skype), contact me.

10 reasons you should be K-I-S-S-I-N-G

1.  Kissing increases the body’s level of ocytocin (a natural calming chemical) which reduces anxiety. 

2.  Kissing can equate to a surgery free face lift tightening 30 muscles each time you lock lips.

3.  Kissing can burn off 2-6 calories a minute; not much? Depends how long you smooch for.

4.  Kissing makes us feel desirable thus increasing our self-esteem.

5.  Kissing can boost immunity, the bugs swapped from mouth to mouth makes our immune systems more resilient.

6.  Kissing increases endorphins which fight pain, along with making you feel happy.

7.  Kissing relieves stress by lowering your body’s stress hormone (cortisol).

8.  Kissing creates adrenaline which causes your heart to pump more blood around your body making it great for cardiovascular health.

9.  Kissing for thirty minutes of reduces levels of IgE (an allergy antibody) increasing your body’s resistance.

10. Kissing, as all the best things in life, is free :-)

Kindness breeds kindness

"A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money".  

John Ruskin

You may have heard the story last month of heroically honest Billy Ray Harris. Billy Ray had been living rough in Missouri when Sarah Darling accidentally dropped her precious diamond engagement ring into his donation cup.

Although Billy Ray was broke and slept under a bridge every night he never considered selling it, and when Sarah returned 2 days later to ask if he had seen it he handed it back without hesitation.

Sarah and her husband Bill were so grateful they set up a donation page on give forward.com hoping to raise some money to help Billy Ray out.

To date the fund has received a staggering $175,000 with people all over the world donating. Kindness really does breed kindness.

Although Billy Ray is touched by the generosity he has been shown he admits that the best part has been his sister Robin being able to find him after looking for him for 16 years. He has also now reconnected with other siblings and numerous nieces and nephews.

Doing the right thing isn't always easy but if Billy Ray hadn't been so honest the family may never have reunited and you can't put a price on love.

A happy ending all round.

Be kind. Always.

10 reasons to LOL

"A day without laughter is a day wasted"

Charlie Chaplin

I watched a silly movie last week with my seven year old son. At one point he was rolling around the carpet, clutching his stomach, while tears of laughter rolled down his bright red face. 

In contrast to this I went to the cinema last night to see a new comedy with my partner. I found one part really funny but noticed when I started laughing out loud I immediately toned it down. Looking around I could see I wasn’t the only one stifling my natural urge to exude a huge belly laugh. My fear of drawing attention to myself sadly outweighed my natural instinct to nosily share my happiness.

I am not sure when I lost the ability to unselfconsciously roar with laughter but now I am aware of it I am claiming that right back straight away. To be able to express pure joy without any inhibitions is not only our birthright but is also darned good for us. Here’s 10 reasons why: -

1)  Laughter releases feel good endorphins into your system which can help to relieve pain.

2)  Laughter contracts your abdominal muscles and gets your shoulders moving giving you a mini-workout. 

3)  Laughter increases blood flow and improves the function of blood vessels which can help protect the heart. 

4)  Laughter has a relaxant effect on the whole body for up to 45 minutes afterwards. 

 5)  Laughter initially raises blood pressure but then reduces it leaving a lower blood pressure than normal. 

6)  Laughter can be contagious increasing happiness and intimacy thus enhancing relationships. 

7)  Laughter speeds up metabolism and heart rate which could help you lose weight. 

8)  Laughter expels more air than usual breathing which has a cleansing effect on the lungs. 

9)  Laughter reduces anxiety and helps relieve depression by reducing stress and releasing pent up tension. 

10) Laughter increases the number of T cells (antibody producing) giving your immune system a boost. 

 Wow. Next time I won't be afraid to publicly acknowledge my amusement :-)

Coffee and a hug

"If you can dream it you can do it'.

Walt Disney

I remember once when I received some really horrible news I couldn't stand to be alone. I needed to get out of the house immediately and surround myself with my fellow man. With friends and family at work I headed out to my nearest coffee shop. I looked around at the other customers, some chatting, some reading, in groups or alone and although I was amongst a substantial amount of people I felt so incredibly lonely. It was a vast, impersonal place to be and leaving my cappucino to go cold I bolted for the sanctuary of home as fast as I could.

I was thrilled therefore to read about Tim's Place recently, the diner that offers Breakfast, Lunch and Hugs. 

Tim Harris was born in 1986 with Down Syndrome. His list of incredible achievements include receiving the highest margin of votes in his school's history to become Homecoming King, the accolade of being Student of the Year, attending University and winning dozens of gold medals as a Special Olympian.

Working as a host in a local restaurant Tim had a unique ability to genuinely connect with people and seeing this his family decided to sign a lease for their own diner.

The menu is simple, the most popular item being 'The Tim Hug', a fat free treat destined to make you feel better than any cream cake could.

I love this concept and can quite understand how Tim is building up such a loyal customer base; I only wish I lived nearer!

Be your own Valentine

"I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line."  Lucille Ball 

It’s that time of year again when for every girl sat at her office desk swooning over a bouquet so large the delivery driver scarcely managed to pick it up, you bet there will be 10 other girls glowering with envy.

What is it about Valentine’s Day that can have women shivering with expectation and men shaking with fear (or vice versa)?

I have friends who totally embrace the romance and celebrate whole heartedly but also know of couples who have such wildly different ideas the day inevitably ends with one, or both parties sulking in a corner. When people can’t communicate honestly regarding their ideals and expectations is it any wonder their needs aren’t met?

I used to be the worst at this. “It’s too commercialised for me; another way of extracting money by mass producing cards and novelty gifts” is what I historically said out loud in the days leading up to the 14th. 

In reality though, when it got to the actual day I would virtually be wrestling envelopes out of the mailman’s hands searching for cards. Every time the office door opened I would pray it was a florist with flowers for me.

“You expect me to cook?” I would cry in the evening. “You could have made an effort.”

Yes, I know I was unreasonable but I wanted to feel special. Growing up in a family that never mentioned the L word, I wanted validation that I was lovable through overpriced red roses and heart shaped chocolates. What I didn’t realise was that the love I was actually lacking was self-love and no amount of cuddly bears holding balloons was going to fix that.

The first year I spent Valentine’s Day as a single adult was a revelation to me. I spent half an hour on the phone listening to my friend tell me about the love letter she had received from her boyfriend listing all the things he loved about her. When I came off the phone, fighting back tears I decided to write my own love note; to myself.

I found it painfully hard but ultimately so liberating and it is now something I do every year regardless of my relationship status. I no longer place pressure on anybody (including myself) as I know I am loved (especially by me) and worth loving. These are all signed and dated and really lovely to look back on from time to time.

This is a small excerpt from last year’s letter. 

“I love myself even though I am perfectly imperfect. I love myself even though I feel down from time to time, it’s ok to not be ok. I have total trust that I can support my own emotional and financial needs and will always take care of myself. I love the way I always try to be kind to others without sacrificing my own needs.”

Why not give it a go? If you feel really uncomfortable at the thought of doing this then it really is the perfect exercise for you.

I'm not ok (and that's ok)

Happiness can only exist in acceptance". George Orwell 

I woke up this morning, went to get out of bed and the pain was so great I virtually couldn't move.

"Are you ok" my partner asked? 

"Ummm, actually, no".

There was a time such a flare up would really have impacted upon my emotional well-being. I would be flung into a complete blind panic picturing myself never moving again resulting in my neglected children half starving in dirty clothes. 

Analysing over and over again what could have caused the set back, resisting the situation and worrying about how I would cope was absolutely the worst thing I could have done to my poor body. Heaping extra stress on already tense muscles merely exacerbated and prolonged the period of increased pain.

I would berate myself for being a burden, blame my body for not being 'normal'; not offering myself the extra love I needed to recover as quickly as possible.

Today I am perfectly calm. The timing is terrible with it being the school holidays but flexibility is paramount for a harmonious life. Realising that things happen beyond my control and it's ok not be be ok was one of the biggest lessons for me to learn, and one which took a huge amount of time.

Instead of listing all the negatives that will surround my flare up I have focused only on the positives. 

Today I am grateful for:-

1). My partner who loves me very much unconditionally.

2). My children who won't complain at a change of plans and will be happy with a day at home today.

3). To be able to do something I love (writing) without it affecting my pain levels.

4). To have money in my purse to be able to order a pizza later if needed.

5). To be sat in a warm comfortable chair looking at the snow outside. 

There is always, alway, always something to be thankful for.

6 year old sacrifices presents to benefit stray dogs

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” Dalai Lama

There has been some awesome pay it forward stories this year that I have loved sharing but this one about six year old Finlay Brooks really formed a lump in my throat.

Turning six last week he decided his birthday was too close to Christmas to possibly need anymore toys. After seeing an advert on TV for Cheshire Dog’s home he was adamant that he wanted his family and friends to all give to the dogs rather than buy him birthday presents.

His parents set up a Justgiving page for him and requested that his classmates either donate money or give dog food or blankets to the shelter.

To date this awesome youngster has raised more than £260 for the shelter and has been thrilled to be given a guided tour.

Not only was this donation phenomenal for the dogs Finlay has also shown his school friends a true selfless act of kindness. Now that’s something you can’t teach in a classroom. 

Prisoners save lives

"If you judge people you have no time to love them".  Mother Teresa.

Three brothers fell into a raging creek last week with a current so powerful they couldn't get out. 

Three inmates from a prison work crew assigned to the area jumped in without hesitation to rescue them. 

The rescuers and the boys were taken to hospital where they were treated for hypothermia, with the children thanking the men over and over again as they shivered, frightened and scared.

One of the inmates has said., “You see three helpless kids in a river, you help. That’s what you do. Just cause we’re incarcerated, doesn’t mean we’re bad people. We made some bad choices in our lives, but we’re still, we’re just like everybody else. We’re just paying our debt for what we did wrong.”

We all make mistakes in our live's; we wouldn't be human if we didn't and I'm a great believer that you shouldn't judge people by their past as they don't live there anymore. Without the actions of these three men those children may not be alive today to tell their tale.

Estella's brilliant bus

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others". Dalai Lama

I loved the recent news story of Estella Pyfrom, the retired teacher who has poured her pension and retirement money into a $900,000 mobile classroom.

Estella, from Palm Beach has driven the “Brilliant Bus” to underprivileged areas to enable children to connect to technology and help them with their homework.  Many of these children do not have access to computers at home.

“Have knowledge will travel” is Estella’s awesome strapline.

It is phenomenal that these children, who might otherwise have slipped under the radar, are being given every chance to work towards qualifications and whatever goals they may once have thought were out of reach.

This selfless act is sure to change the paths of many young people. What a beautiful lady.

Get your creative on

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” 

Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

I love it when I stumble across something that makes me go “wow” and want to take a second look. The 3d faces that Andrew Myers creates using screws certainly did that today.

California based artist Andrew takes a plywood panel then paces pages of a phone book on top. He then draws out a face and pre-drills between 8,000 to 10,000 holes by hand. Sculptor Andrew drills in the screws all at different depths using instinct rather than any computer software.

Finally he individually paints over each of the screw head so the sculpture looks like an actual portrait.

Creativity is such an awesome outlet from the stresses and strains of everyday life. Whether you can paint, write, sculpt, bake, collage etc. it is vital not to push these urges away but to honour that part of you. Ultimately this will quash any pent up frustration and lead to an energised sense of purpose. Writing a short story always gives me a sense of achievement and well-being. What’s your creative outlet?

Embracing the challenge

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough”.

Og Mandino

When a crisis hits most of us react in one of three ways. There are those pessimists among us who roll over and give up (the glass is half empty), the optimists who keep believing that everything will be ok (the glass is half full) and the opportunists who embrace change and spring into action (they drank the contents of the glass while the pessimist and optimist were arguing it out).

13 year old Shelby Grebenc is definitely one of life’s go-getters. At the tender age of 9 her Mum Nancy was diagnosed with MS which became so severe she had to go and stay in a nursing home. Shelby’s dad Jonmichael tried to keep the family afloat despite the loss of Nancy’s salary and the mounting medical bills but sadly bankruptcy loomed.

Shelby offered to help and Jonmichael, not wanting to dampen his young daughter’s spirit, told her to do what she could.

This enterprising school girl had an idea to start selling eggs, borrowed some money from her grandmother and bought chickens.  Four years on Shelby has 135 birds, turns over $15,000 per year, her family home is safe and she became the youngest farmer in America to win the Animal Welfare Seal of Approval. The icing on the cake is that Nancy’s health has improved too.

It’s amazing how resilient the human spirit is and what can be achieved when we stop resisting what life throws at us and work with it instead. Then, and only then, can we put all our energies into sourcing a positive outcome rather than wasting valuable time wishing and hoping the situation had never happened.

One of my favourite quotes is “it will be alright in the end. If it isn’t alright, it isn’t the end”, and you know what? it’s absolutely true.

Lessons from a robot

"Once you have learned to love you will have learned to live".

My dad, who is 66, is so conscientious he has never had a day off work (other than annual leave) in his whole life. Even if he feels under the weather he goes in as he worries about letting people down.

I was really shocked to receive a phone call from his boss this lunchtime to say he hadn't turned up and they couldn't reach him on the phone. Naturally they realised this was really out of character and were worried. Thus commenced a frantic half hour trying to trace him (he is fine) but my heart rate is still returning to normal.

I had watched the Transformers movie not long ago with my son and Optimus Prime said "the greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how they love them while they're alive". I instantly loved this quote and it made me wonder when I had last told my family and friends how much they mean to me. I mentally resolved to remedy this as soon as I could. With some people it was easy to have a hug and tell them how important they are to me, but with other, non tactile friends, I have to admit I didn't say anything as I felt, well, slightly ridiculous. What this afternoon has taught me though is that it is ridiculous not to express how you really feel while you have the chance, as ultimately we never know when we may get another opportunity.

So if any of this resonates with you please seize the moment and be honest about how you feel. If we are lucky enough to feel love and gratitude we should shout it from the rooftops.

The Poorest President

 “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature”. Socrates

President Mujica could be living in a luxury home that the Uruguayan state provides for its leaders and living a privileged life of wealth that many of us can only dream of. Instead Jose Mujica chooses to live on a tumbledown old farm where the only source of water is an outside well and give away 90% of his salary (equivalent to $12,000 (£7,500) to charity.

By donating this amount to good causes he lives on the average Uruguayan income of $775, £485 per month.

"I've lived like this most of my life," he says.

Mujica spend 14 years in jail after spending the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Uruguayan guerrilla Tupamaros, a leftist armed group inspired by the Cuban revolution. 

Most of his detention was spent in isolation, until he was freed in 1985 when Uruguay returned to democracy.

Those harsh conditions helped define Mujica. 

"I'm called 'the poorest president', but I don't feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more," he says.

"This is a matter of freedom. If you don't have many possessions then you don't need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself," he says.

"I may appear to be an eccentric old man... But this is a free choice."

The Uruguayan leader made a similar point when he addressed the Rio+20 summit in June this year: "We've been talking all afternoon about sustainable development. To get the masses out of poverty. But what are we thinking? Do we want the model of development and consumption of the rich countries? I ask you now: what would happen to this planet if Indians would have the same proportion of cars per household than Germans? How much oxygen would we have left”?

"Does this planet have enough resources so seven or eight billion can have the same level of consumption and waste that today is seen in rich societies? It is this level of hyper-consumption that is harming our planet."

Mujica accuses most world leaders of having a "blind obsession to achieve growth with consumption, as if the contrary would mean the end of the world".

Like many leaders not all of his policies are welcomed and supported but I think we could all learn an awful lot from this selfless and inspirational man. 

It's snow joke

Where I live in the UK today there is heavy snow and ice. Beautiful to look but it can severely affect the lives of many.

It’s not just the elderly we need to be mindful of in adverse winter conditions, (although we should care whatever the weather), anybody with a physical impairment can find themselves housebound. Prosthetic limbs do not cope well on slippery surfaces. Wheelchair wheels cannot grip. Sufferers of lung conditions struggle to breathe in the cold air. Walking sticks become unstable. The list could go on and on.

Driving back from my physiotherapy today we passed a lady struggling to self-propel in her wheelchair. We stopped the car and offered her a lift which she accepted. It didn’t take long to fold up her chair and drive her where she needed to be.

To encourage my children to think of ways they can brighten someone’s day we now have a book in the kitchen where they can record any random acts of kindness they carry out.  They have volunteered to shovel the snow from the drives at the old people’s bungalows near us.

I don’t want it to become competitive but believe awareness is the first step towards a better world. All we can do is pay it forward one step at a time. Kindness is contagious. Be a carrier. 

Louise xx