Day 14 – clarity

Writing into Life

The gears in my car are still not fixed so I’m taking it back to the garage again this afternoon.

I know it will get sorted, one way or another, sooner or later. I do hope it’s sooner though.

Some clarity of thought is coming through and I woke this morning with a lighter heart than I’ve had for a long time.

Even so, I revelled in being able to lie in bed until after 9am, before getting up, making tea for Trev and me, and then doing a short meditation before taking Lydia out for her walk.

Even just a five-minute meditation on a morning is making a real difference, combined with the group sessions that I take part in on a Wednesday evening and the additional occasional teachings at the centre. It’s a slow shift but a shift nonetheless. Yoga and Qigong also have strong meditative aspects to them, working at different levels.

It’s another warm September morning – we are still so blessed with the weather. I know we are blessed whatever the weather but I have enjoyed the weather this summer, moving into autumn.

On the way back I stop off to post a birthday card for a friend – the friend I mentioned in my post on volunteering a couple of days ago. https://gladabout.life/2025/09/06/day-12-volunteering/ She knows who she is!

While waiting in the queue at the post office I do a few exercises for my knees. They are so much better now than a few months ago and I’m not taking that for granted.

I then went on to buy a large unsliced loaf from the local bakery.  Two big chunky slices with olive spread and blackcurrant jam make a delicious breakfast for me while Lydia enjoys her food from her feeding ball.

I think back to when I restricted my food intake to such an extent that I used to do an eight-hour evening shift as a waitress, full on, on my feet and rushing round all that time, before I would allow myself a slice of bread for breakfast the following morning.

Even though breakfast for me now is usually late – today around 11.30am – and I rarely have lunch, it’s not because I’m limiting myself by willpower, it’s just because I don’t want to do things any differently. I don’t want or need three meals a day plus snacks.

I’m not thin, but I’m not heavily overweight either. I have Lydia to thank for that, at least in part.  Our regular walks every day give my system a much-needed boost.

Day 2

Continuing the story of Lydia and Me

I am the proud owner of two new front car tyres.

This may not seem like the most momentous achievement or purchase of the century, but for me, in the context of my life, it is.

It marks the point where I do, finally, know that I am in control of my life.

Over 40 years ago, I had a car but didn’t even have £5.00 to put petrol in it.

I’ve had a few car breakdowns since then but none as major as the personal breakdowns I’ve had to recover from.

There were times when I thought that my life was a write-off, and I had no insurance policy to fall back on; only a belief that I couldn’t give up, however hard it got.

And I didn’t.

My life’s journey has been about retraining my brain – to think differently; see things differently; do things differently.

So, today, I drive my car with two new front tyres and, though a little tired myself, feel a strong sense of relief.

I had a lovely walk with Lydia this morning, and a lovely afternoon with a friend.

I am no longer ‘locked in’, nor am I ‘locked out’.  I am free to be, and to be me.

That doesn’t mean I can or want to be complacent; quite the opposite. I want to make the most of every day: learn, experience, reflect, be open to possibilities, accept what I can’t change; appreciate what I have.

I have two new car tyres that belong to me.

Rules, Rhymes, Recovery, Recipe, Random – Glad About Life: https://amzn.eu/d/6Ptwe4S

Woman, a Dog & a Blog – Writing into Life: https://amzn.eu/d/63qIYzR