There are a few activities that can make me lose track of time.
I can lose track of time when I take Lily for her morning walk.
I can lose track of time in the company of good friends, particularly when there is food and good conversation involved. Chatting over a good meal is a way of losing time. Good times spent creating good memories are a great way to lose track of time.
Definitely reading a good book is another way that I lose track of time.
Definitely, writing this blog and my other writings are the main ways that I can lose track of time.
Watching a good movie or YouTube clips is a way I spend a lot of time.
Cooking a nice meal is also an activity I can spend time on and shopping at ALDI or shopping for pleasure 🙏🏽 is another activity that I can lose track of time doing.
There are a few things that bother me. Obviously, things like man’s inhumanity to man and evil behaviour in general are a big concern. .
I am concerned when people show a lack of empathy and compassion to one another. People who think they are doing the right thing but interfering in another’s karma are actually just generating bad karma for themselves as we all reap what we sow.
Discrimination in its many forms concerns me and injustice as well. People who are judgemental are also a concern.
People who are cruel to animals are another thing that worries me.
A lack of peace in this 🌎 world is something else that bothers me.
1. Change is inevitable. The only constant thing in life is change, so expect it and know nothing stays the same forever.
2. You will experience loss and grief in your life. Death is part of the cycle of life, and you will experience the loss of loved ones on your journey
3. Have faith in a higher power. I know God exists 🙏🏽 in my life because I have faith, and there have just been too many things happen in my life that could not be coincident.
4 Be an optimistic person. Seeing things through a half glass full attitude helps you in your everyday life in your dealings with the 🌎 world. It pays dividends to be an optimistic.
5 Wealth isn’t necessarily financial. Like me you can be wealthy in terms of quality of relationships and life whilst not necessarily having a vast amount of money.
6 Save for a rainy day. We all must, at some stage, learn to live within our means, and it is wise to learn to save for the special things we want in life. There is pleasure 🙏🏽 in delayed gratification, and we learn to appreciate what we have more.
7. Being grateful 🙏🏽 for what we have. This goes hand in hand of saving for a rainy day. Learning to be grateful for what we have is something that you would hope we all learn as we age.
8 Honesty and loyalty are important. This speaks for itself. A lot of pain is caused for us when people are not truthful or dishonest. Being genuine and authentic is important and helps to live life without pain or suffering
9 Live life without regrets because we can’t change the past, but we can change how it affects our present and future. Don’t lament what has happened in the past,because that can’t change so don’t invest precious energy feeling bad about things that have happened in the past, instead invest energy in making the future good.
10 Unconditional love is bliss 😊. The unconditional love of a child or pet is one of the greatest gifts in life. I may not have children of my own, but the unconditional love from my nephews and nieces and, of course, from my loyal little dog Lily is the absolute best thing in my life. I know from experience how enriching and meaningful having that kind of love is, so if you have, it enjoy it because it truly is a gift from God.
If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?
If I were to have a dinner party and whoever I invited was sure to come, I would invite Sam Neill, Scott Aplin, Russell, Adrian , Liz, and Lani
I would love to share a meal and a wine with Sam Neill and just chew the fat with him, as I know he would make an interesting dinner guest. I would love Scott Aplin to come and play the piano for us. He is just do lovely and talented, and again, he would be interesting to talk to about his career.
Amongst my friends, I would invite Adrian and Russell because they are interesting conversationalists. I would invite Lani because she is my soul sister, and I would invite Liz because she is delightful. I am blessed with wonderful friends, and Sam Neill and Scott Aplin are two people in the world that I would like most to meet.
I think a couple of things get better with age, the most significant is that of good friendships. Like fine red wine, friendships that are true and lasting become more beautiful and precious with age.
Obviously, fine red wine 🍷 gets better with age as do our memories of a life well lived. I think of Susanna, whom I painfully grieved for when she passed. With the passing of time,the pain healed, and now, when I think of her, I feel a warm inner glow and cherish my memories of time spent with her. So, grief to changes with time and is a part of life we all experience.
I think our wisdom grows and gets better with age. Wisdom is something that some people develop as they age and is something to be grateful, savoured, and 😍 loved. I know experience has made me wiser and a better person, and passing on my wisdom is something I find myself expressing more as I age.
I think our appreciation of the simple things in life gets better as we age. Enjoying life’s simple pleasures 🙏🏽 are something that have more meaning as we grow. Life experiences don’t have to be expensive. Often, pure pleasure can be found in life’s moments that are free. Simple pleasures and gestures are often the most meaningful.
I tend to go to bed around 9.00pm and wake up around 6.00 am. I get out of bed usually between 6.00am and 7.00am. I am a morning person and feel at my most alert and productive in the morning. I also walk Lily in the morning around 7.30 am onwards .
What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?
There are a few strategies I use to increase my comfort in my day to day life.
The first is the practice of mindfulness in my everyday life. This is something I try to work on on a regular basis. It is a skill that I am developing. For instance, last night I woke up around 2.00am. not feeling well, so I deliberately made myself think of something positive, in this case Lily. I made myself lie in a comfortable position, and every time I felt distracted and unwell, I would think of some memory of Lily and try to control my thoughts in that way. It wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.
Actually Lily plays a big part of my day-to-day comfort because there is nothing I like more on these bitterly cold 🥶 winter’s days than curling up on the couch with Lily on my lap cuddling in, watching television or reading, writing my blog or listening 🎶 to music. Lily is so soft and cuddly and is an affectionate little soul, and having her close is the most enjoyable way to spend these cold wet, Melbourne weather winter days.
Having a coffee ☕️ in the morning 🌄 is another thing that I do for comfort. I feel ready to take on the world once I have my coffee ☕️.
The thing that excites me the most about the future is my writing ✍️ both of this blog and my other writings. This blog is progressing nicely, and I feel proud of both books 📚 I have written, those being God Bless Our Dogs and The Dance Of The Emerald Dress. I plan on collating all the blog posts 📫 that Susanna has inspired into a collection for her family and friends, and then I plan on writing more for children. These prospects excite me for the future. I’ll keep you 📫 as to my progress on these.
My favourite genre of music is Australian music 🎶 🎵 from the 80s and 90s. It was the music 🎶 I grew up with. Not surprisingly Crowded House are my all time favourite, but I see also love Hunters and Collectors, Mental As Anything, Cold Chisel, Inxs, Split Enz, Noiseworks, Moving Pictures, Goanna Midnight Oil and the list goes on, including all types of music from that era. It is the type of music that brings back memories of my teenage years, and I treasure these memories. Different songs bring back different memories.
I couldn’t answer this blog topic straight away because I really had to think about it. After discussing the topic with friends I now feel ready to answer it.
I am an authority on my own faith in God. I have a strong faith in God and know he looks after me. An example of this is yesterday. I lost my little white gold cross pendant from my necklace, which had come undone. Occasionally, I lose this pendant, and yesterday was no different. I knew that although it was lost , I would find it, and I found it inside my bra when I went to change into my pyjamas. I prayed🙏🏽 to God to enlist the angels 😇 🙏🏽 to help me find it and had faith thst I would. I also have hsd dreams recently that both my Dad and Susanna have been in. I believe in angels and know that they both watch over me.
The other thing I am an authority on is my beloved little dog Lily. I am so bonded to Lily and know exactly it is that she communicates non verbally to me. She is a happy, contented little soul because her every need is met. She is the thing I love ❤️ most in the world 🌎 💕 and I do think I am an authority on her needs and welfare
Kaye's Life and other gems 