Monday 10 February 2014

Accept the Good


Last week was TOUGH.

My littlest is finding the transition to school pretty hard going.
This comes as no surprise to me- he is a highly anxious child.
Step by step we will get there but for now it is hard yakka & pretty sad.

I also had a car crash on the way to school- my kids were in the car & another car came hurtling around a blind corner at eleventy million miles an hour on my side of the road.
I had to swerve hard & in doing so sideswiped a parked car.  The offending car drove right on away taking no notice of what was happening as a result of his recklessness.

Sheesh.
Not a great start to the day.  No-one was hurt & the damage was superficial. But I couldn't stop thinking about how close it came to being really nasty.

The next day my eyes sprung a leak and I couldn't stop crying.
I felt swallowed whole.  Things had gotten the better of me.
I got on my treadmill ran and ran and ran.
And then meditated.
And then concentrated on all the good in my life.

I don't want to not acknowledge the bad but I am trying really hard to focus on the good.
I have some really exciting things going on and am working hard. This is GOOD.

At the end of last year I had the most wonderful weekend with some beautiful people.
On one of day trips around town with one of my guests I found this print.
I had to have it in my home.
It totally resonated with me.

I think it is so important to acknowledge what is going on around us.
To stop and really notice things.
Stop comparing ourselves & feeling envious of others & instead find joy in other people's happiness & then work at creating our own.
Be grateful for small wonders.
Take notice of shonky & ooky stuff and instead of hanging onto it and letting it burden us, acknowledge it and make changes to turn it into something good for ourselves- even if that means doing some things that feel hard & a bit uncomfortable.
This is a little reminder that it is up to us to find and acknowledge the good.
Yup.
Accept the Good.

This week I am making 'Accept the Good' my motto.

I really want to work hard at having a positive week.
I posted a picture of this print on Instagram and one of my followers told me a saying her Nanna always told her.

      "Good, Better, Best.
Never let it Rest.
Until your good is gooder, and your better is best"

Nanna's are the best aren't they with their sage words and tea cosies!

Do you want to 'Accept the Good' too?


This week instead of a song I am sharing a video from Emma Dean (winner of Masterchef 2013).
I LOVE it.
It's soooo GOOD!
take a look.....

20 comments:

  1. Everything about this post is spot on.
    I am glad you guys are ok, above all.
    Accept the good will follow my 'and this too will pass' mantra
    Off to make that pasta dish from last week, while the weather is reasonable.
    Take Care.

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  2. I hope you have a great week Ruth. And how cute is that Nanna, best quote ever! xx

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  3. Gosh Ruth I hope you have recovered from your crash...how frightening. That would be enough to bring me unstuck too. Gosh, I need to hear and remember these words. Accept the Good...very wise isn't it? Good luck with your little man, the school thing can be so wrenching. I have had a taste of this and when my boy cried I just wanted to whisk him away from that noisy school yard, buy him a hot chocolate and make him happy. But, life is not like at that is it? Have a great week x

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  4. A few years back a friend said to me " life is full of dark & light. How can we see the light if there is never any dark?' and man has it stuck with me.
    I too try not to dwell in bad/negative/dark side of life- I am the eternal optimist, always glass half full, always with my face to the sun- but sometimes it does seem like the bad stuff wants to engulf us. It'll pass Ruth but take it easy. Let your emotions run their course. xxx


    I'm so glad you are all safe after your crash- & so not cool of the driver to stop! Whats wrong with people?!

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  5. GourmetGirlfriend10 February 2014 at 16:08

    isn't it great! always trying to be better. love it.
    x

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  6. GourmetGirlfriend10 February 2014 at 16:09

    thankyou for your kind words.
    yes- i love the 'this will pass' too.
    enjoy your pasta!
    xx

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  7. GourmetGirlfriend10 February 2014 at 16:12

    it was frightening but we are ok.
    he doesn't cry because he is unhappy- it is just his anxiety. i think children cry for lots of reasons and not always sadness.

    i just need to give him the tools to help him overcome his anxiety.
    it's a day by day thing.
    yup.
    accept the good.
    so so good.
    thanks for you kindness.
    xx

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  8. GourmetGirlfriend10 February 2014 at 16:12

    she's a ripper. so happy she won.
    x

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  9. GourmetGirlfriend10 February 2014 at 16:15

    YES.
    all the YES!!!!
    it is SOOOOO important to acknowledge the dark.
    him not stopping was just a symptom of his overall 'eyes closed shut' thing. I mean who drives at that speed through a school zone at ANY TIME?!
    but so good we weren't hurt- and the person whose car i hit was very empathetic. nice.
    xxx

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  10. What a positively fabulous blog to begin my Monday with :-)

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  11. GourmetGirlfriend10 February 2014 at 16:16

    oh yay!
    all the GOOD!
    hope the rest of your week is GOOD too.
    xx

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  12. Ruth, thank you for sharing emma's video. i love it and i love her love of the garden, the food, the sharing of the food and the joy of the big table. She seems pretty much like you. isn't it interesting how our youngest can be such anxious little souls when they have been surrounded by loving older siblings and loving parents who just cherish them. to be with them on their journey is all we can do, talk with them, listen to their concerns, offer wise?! counsel, empathy and guidance.
    My happy go lucky baby come anxious high achieving 16 year old daughter certainly lives that life full of dark and light and as I listen to her analyse, and try and rationalise her life, i give thanks that i am here letting her grow but so often with a hand placed on her shoulder telling her how proud I am of her achievements, efforts and journey.
    Life is as Reannon says. i love that simple insight.
    Your good fortune out of last week was you all emerged unscathed from the car incident. And that you used the powers of meditation and exercise.
    Cooking , back in that kitchen where we all can share and chat just keeps everyones spirits a little saner. Isn't it lovely again to have a cooler day for a minute or two to cook a little more. In fact its times like this we all should go out and help those that are struggling in these awful fires around our town.
    Take care. you are such a good person.

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  13. GourmetGirlfriend10 February 2014 at 16:24

    we can never assume that our children will handle anything the same as the others.
    all individuals. and i like it just like that.
    yes i LOVE what Reannon said too!
    thankyou so much for your lovely comment.
    xxxx

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  14. That crash sounds awful. No wonder you were a bit leaky the next day. Hope week 2 of kindy goes a little smoother. x

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  15. my lovely , you are great!

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  16. So sorry to hear about the crash. Man. Scary stuff...but thank goodness everyone is safe. Phew.

    So love what you wrote here.

    Accepting the good has been my life lesson for the last few years. After years of fertility issues, we had our son. Miraculous! And then we thought "we're on our way to building the family we dreamt off'...but alas, after more years of trying, lots and lots of tears and bandaids over our continually breaking hearts, we have had to accept we are a little family of 3. Accepting the good of 3.

    He started year 1 this year. It was tough...not so much for him, he was fine. It was me. I find it tough having my 'first and lasts' all in one hit, simultaneously. It's a lot to process...and for a while, especially, that first week of school, my mind was in the land of comparison and self-pity. Not a great place to be. But now, week 2...I'm not there so much. Not in that ugly land of feeling the loss, but again, looking out for and accepting the good. Thankfully, my return to accepting the good seems to be getting quicker each time (probably the years of practice)...but there's nothing like the peace and settledness it brings.

    I hope your week has been one where the good shines bright. So love your thoughts and philosophies and recipes...off to do another batch of salt and pepper spice mix. That stuff is not just good...it is BRILLIANT!

    Thanks GG...again.

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  17. Amy {The Misadventurous Maker}12 February 2014 at 13:40

    Aw man, that IS a tough week. Running, meditating and accepting the good is an awesome way to fight back. I'm here visiting to garner some mama strength from you. My eldest started school this year too and he's not one of the pack. He's always shone brightly which I think is awesome. Turns out some 5 year olds pick on kids who have long hair and aren't the same. I don't want my kid's spirit being broken. I know you have some awesome posts about your boys. I remember one specifically that I'm off to find. I hope this week is great for you. Thank you for being someone I can turn to for guidance. You might not know all of the answers, but you sure do shed a lot of insights that I appreciate.xoxo

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  18. Ruth! I can't believe that car didn't stop and what a way to start a school day. No wonder you sprung a leak. I thought the way you dealt with that was tremendous.

    Accept the good. I love it. it's gratitude made possible. Acceptance is a beautiful thing. x

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  19. I am so sorry that you had a tough week and your poor little one is finding it hard to adjust to school my children were anxious ones as well and some days it broke my heart to make them go to school and having an accident on top of all that no wonder you cried....delayed reaction Big hugs!
    I have been having a crappy year so far my dad had a heart attack and my sister was rushed to hospital with a serious infection just days apart on top of all that I have to see a rheumatologist for some issues I am having but I have decided to stop worrying and accept the Good and to meditate more xx

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