A Different Year

This year is different somehow, I don't know how, but it is. I've been thinking and feeling different about my life since last October and it's a good feeling.

I'm not sure if you understand how this is, but it's almost as though all my stresses which annoyed and stressed me out last year, have suddenly lifted and I'm able to focus on the main things I have on my plate in my life.

It's a great feeling.

And it's a different year for me.

Last year was a stressful, hard year of loss, mourning and not having any money in my pockets. This year, I'm looking at my life and realising it's got nothing to do with money - it's to do with happiness; and happiness doesn't need money really.

I've got plans and they will take time to work out - a couple of years - and I'm easy with that. It's going to be a good thing for me to slow down, enjoy the path I'm walking for now and enjoy the scenery of my life for the time being. And that's a good change for once, because over the past few years, I've been rushing, running and working hard and fast - been stressed out - to get thing done; and it's not good for me physically or mentally. 
Now, I'm going so well, since I joined a gym and I'm starting to push myself a little harder each week there. I'm feeling so much better, suffering from less headaches and less problems. I'm thinking outside the box more, and it's good.

Seeing I'm looking forward to working away from my home and towards the plans in my life, I'm trying not to let anything bother me anymore - well, yeah, things bother me; if I didn't I wouldn't be human. But it's a learning curve for all of us. 

I'm still enjoying my painting, my reading, my writing, and my gardening. But I'm taking it all at a good pace. I'm painting more than one painting at a time, I'm reading well-written books, I'm eating only when I'm hungry and I'm not watching crappy television shows (let's face it, life is way to short for shit like that). 

It's a different year and I'm going to make it count. So, why don't you? Make your next year count. Do something different each month - each week - to keep yourself happy, active and working forward towards your goals of what you want to do in your life. I may have waited until I was 45 to get my butt into gear, but at least I'm doing what I need to do to get my dreams done. And it might take a year or two to get them off the ground? So be it... I'm a slow-burn kinda person anyway. I'm enjoying each day with vigor, seeing each day as a new way of getting in and cleaning out my house, making room, donating items to a charity, making sure I have thrown out another few bags of rubbish in the bin... yes, it's all working towards my goal, believe it or not. 

So, what's your dream, your goal, your whale? Write it down, plan for it.... and take the steps - not matter how small they start out to be - to walk towards your dream job, or dream achievement in your life. And what your dream may be to you, isn't the same dream for somebody else. So, the people who think your dream isn't good enough, isn't what they think is something you should be doing, well, they aren't the people you should have around you. 

Your dreams are your dreams. 

Plan them. Work toward them. Live them. 

Busy This Month

It's only a week or two into the new year and I'm busy as hell. I've been cleaning out the house on a really major scale - I've thrown out over 5 rubbish bags of just, well, rubbish. And I've gotten together on bag of items to take to the charity store. 

That's so far. 

I've posted off two parcels overseas in the past week or two and have written two letters for overseas as well. One of them is to my late dear friend, Hannah's Mum, Sue. She wants to stay in touch with me via snail mail; and I do as well. She still sees me as her 'overseas daughter' and I still see her as my 'overseas Mum'. 

But the garden is going well, even though we're not getting the amount of rain as we're supposed to be getting. And seeing Brisbane is a little dry right now, I've been doing laundry every moment I get a chance to and putting it out in the extremely hot days; which is good!

My little greenhouse is going so well, and I'm growing herbs and have to get rid of my tomato vine - as once it fruited in December, well, that was it! it flowers, but doesn't fruit anymore. I hate that. But I might try Roma Tomatoes next ... seeing how many I eat of those every year.
The rest of the garden is still a work in progress. I'm forever moving things, repotting things, throwing out plants I no longer need or buying new little ornaments. It's a ever-changing canvas of growth and I love it. It's most definitely not the same garden as it was this time last year.

I've been looking at selling my car and getting another car - one I can use as a camper. You see, I'm really getting into my landscapes and want to be able to get away and paint what I see. My brother and his girlfriend thinks what I want to do is a great idea! But my folks don't. They think I don't know what is involved in setting up a camper... but how do they know if they've never let me do something on my own? I want to do this and nothing will pull me away from what I want to do. I'm in no rush to get my car sold and to get another one; yep I know this will take time to find what I'm looking for. 

I've been working hard on my art series too. And I had a great win lately. I put out into the universe that I needed some big canvases - but I couldn't afford any new ones. So, I've begun saving up for them. The other day, I was contacted by one of my arty friends who offered up some canvases at their place - they were downsizing as they were moving house. When I got there yesterday, I found 2 big canvases! Woah! How cool was that? I told her about what I was visualising for my art and she said that positive thinking really does work! Well, I've now got enough new canvases to complete my series of work. This is one less stress on me now to do with this series. 

Well, that's me up to date. How has your new year started out? Busy like mine? Or humdrum with school holiday fun and pulling it all together for your kids to get back to school? Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

A New Year of New Things!

Happy New Year!

Well, if you think last year was a rip-snorter, just wait until you see what's in store for this year!

I'm going to travel... well, okay, maybe not this year exactly, but in the next year I will be. 

I'm planning on getting my car ready to sell and buying myself a Kombi/camper and traveling around around South-East Queensland and painting landscapes of my gorgeous state in every colour I can find in my oils palat! 

So, what do you think? 

I know it'll be difficult to do, and I'll need to be careful out there, but I think it's going to damned well fun as well!

And I've begun planning already... 

So, what are you planning and getting ready to do over the next year? I don't want to hear resolutions - I want to hear what you're doing this year.

Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here!