“There are times in life when people must know when not to let go. Balloons are designed to teach small children this.”– Terry Pratchett
I do love a Terry Pratchett quote and this one jumped out at me the other day. In the run up to the New Moon later this week it’s quite common to think about releasing things, letting go of habits and thoughts that haven’t served you well. Paving the way for some new intentions and goal setting at the start of a new moon phase.
But it struck me that the hardest bit is knowing what to keep and what to let go.
Perhaps more so than New Year, September can feel like a great time for fresh starts and new challenges. The perfect time to start a new exercise regime or a new course or learning opportunity. But sometimes, in the midst of embracing all the new possibilities open to you it’s good to reflect on what you’d like to keep. After all, we only have the same 24hrs in a day and in a rush to do all the new things, something has to give.
It’s good to reflect a little bit on what you don’t want to give up, every bit as much as it is to think about what you’d like to start.
For me, my non-negotiables are a minimum of half an hour silence (and 2 coffees) before anything else in the morning, followed by a walk in the fresh air -however short. Once I’ve got those 2 things under my belt I’m ready to face the day.
What are your non-negotiables? The things that you want to keep you, come what may? Once you’ve identified these, however small, make sure you plan time in your day to actually do them and enjoy them.
I have to have coffee and book time/knitting time every morning. I call it romancing the day, and for me it is a must.
Oh, I'd love to have a bird feeder but we are yet to find one that doesn't result in snack time for our cats. I love to watch the birds, especially since I downloaded the Merlin app on my phone and I can learn to identify their songs.