Who am I without a 'Label' or 'Identity'?
When and why, or even who started accepting the labels we seem to put on people? Did they do it to help themselves understand peoples...
Wrote this back on 26th Sept 19.
When I retired after just having a life of whizzing from job to family to parents to jobs, you know the score ...........so to have left the job I had devoted myself to for so many years and now have time on my hands is pretty difficult to comprehend.
In the time from leaving my career on 2nd Sept 17, we had an amazing 10 day trip to Bali, and a 3 week trip to Japan,(something I've always wanted to do since starting Karate all those years ago,) wow, we will come back to that, then it's been getting our plan into action for our house move to South of France.
Logistics of getting us here bad enough, but we also have 2 cats and 11 Birds of Prey to bring too. So after months of " anything and everything going wrong" as they do when you move abroad apparently, we finally had aviaries built and birds of prey happy weathering out in the meadow of our garden.
Life started to settle slightly..................................now I had some time to reflect what we had achieved.
And in between us making our final moves out, my mother sadly passed away too. Lots to deal with.
This was copied from my FaceBook page as written for my family and friends to read.
Maybe writing things down can act as a therapy for you too.
You can always press ....delete
Have a read ....
Taking time to notice .......
Woke early as usual..... hot water with a drop of lemon then sit outside to greet the new day is my norm these days. The stars (Orion belt) difficult to see as clustered in so many other stars. Not light until around 07:15 is today. Quietly waiting for nature to stir.
The little bats we have silhouetting the dim light in fleeting swoops just in front of me. The Tawny Owl sounding off in the wood echoing through the still air. The slight changes of light covering the light spectrum. The murmur of birds and our local Buzzard calling as he flies down the valley. Then the early Asiatic hornet. A duller tone than the European Hornet.
Stars fading and Orions belt much clearer.
Noticing so much more. Plants seem to give off more fragrance early mornings or is that I've just not noticed🤔
Golden yellow and hints of red rising as the sun lifts up from the East. The moon having moved from west to middle to now east of my sitting point, shrinking in size as it goes. Yet the circumference still faintly visible.
To now seeing the sun highlighting the contours of the mountains revealing its beauty and yet shielding its mystery.
Things I'm now having the time to acknowledge and notice and I guess appreciate more as not rushed off my feet juggling what was my controlled life. My choice of career and no regrets.🚒👍
In all this, I guess what I'm saying is .... be kind to yourself and have that 5 minute break. Stop and be still. Enjoy the drink or the sun on your face. The sights and smells.
Yes, this is not like me, but maybe I've just been too busy. Don't be too busy to look after you.
As I tell my kids....you can't help anyone if you are tired hungry or broken. Been there and given much to so many and no thoughts on my own health. Eating on the hoof and all the wrong foods to just keep going. Seeing and doing crazy stuff that you find difficult to process so we turn it into 'dark humour' to help ....it all takes it toll and accumulates.
So be kind to yourself.
We are here only a fleeting time. The magic can disappear far too quickly ......live well and be happy🤗❤
Just being reflective 😉👍
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Blog writing to help inspire and motivate others with outdoor exercise and connection with nature, based on years of Fire service and trauma and highlighting the effects on personnel.
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A mental health support group being open and honest about PTSD recovery and Stress.
Fireman's Tired Eyes