Spidey’s Serene Sundays | But I Smile Anyway...

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 324 – New Beginnings

23 May 2021 39 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, new beginnings, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“Every story has an end, but in life every ending is a new beginning.”
Anon

Thanks Spidey, for those little pearls of wisdom.

It’s true that in life there isn’t just one beginning, and one ending.

Yes, we are born, and yes, we die. That is the ultimate beginning and ending.

But we need to think of life as a series of chapter books. We aren’t just one book. We are a whole set of them.

Each new part of our life starts anew, and when that part ends, we begin the next.

Babyhood, childhood, new schools, college, university or work, relationships, marriage and/or children,and so on.

They are all the different books in our life series.

Similarly, I like to think that every day is a new beginning. Each morning I wake up and thank God for giving me another day. Sure, the problems or issues from the day before won’t have gone, but you can bring a fresh perspective to what you are doing.

New beginnings are on the horizon for me… Huge new beginnings… that’s why they’re on my mind. I’m nervous, but excited, too. Big changes, but a lot the same, too.

Sorry, I know I’m being cryptic… but soon, I promise, my blogily, I will tell all!

So, tell me, do you believe in new beginnings?

Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps.

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 323 – Shh! It’s A Secret!

16 May 2021 49 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Secrets, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“I’d learned that some things are best kept secret.”
Nicholas Sparks

Shhh!

Spidey, don’t! Not yet!

See, we have a little secret… And I am really trying hard to keep it…

I’m sorry I can’t tell you, yet, but soon enough, all will become apparent!

Til then,I need to keep some mystery around it all!

So, tell me, are you good at keeping secrets?

Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps.

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 322 – Declutter Your Mind

09 May 2021 30 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Declutter, Mindfulness, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind, too.”
Ivan Nuru

Thank you, Spidey, for the thought provoking quote, this week.

Going through all this house decluttering, in readiness for whenever we do move, has made me ponder upon the amount of emotional baggage we carry around with us, too.

Now, emotional baggage is different to memories.

Memories are those things that can be the light in a dark time – but, I know the opposite can happen with less favourable memories. (I try and lock them away as far away as I can, so they can’t impact upon my life too easily.

They can also be thought of as emotional baggage, along with those thoughts that can cloud our minds about issues we are unable to do anything about.

Sometimes, precious emotional energy, and mental strength is used up on things that are out of our hands, or not destined to be in our paths, at that time.

Let them go.

I’m not saying forget about everything that is hard, or issues around the world that you are not necessarily immediately affected by.

No.

Empathy is needed there, and if you are in the position to, then support by all means.

But, it’s that worry about things you can do nothing about.

Take a house move, for instance. I think, if you are familiar with moving, you’ll know what I mean. Once things are in the hands of the solicitors, aside from the chivvying along that we can do, there is nothing else, but to wait for all the dates to align… Sitting there, fretting, is not going to move things any quicker, is it?

Or, again, a little example from my own work life – I have to stop myself worrying about next academic year, and the children who will be joining us. I am already aware of the high level of Special Needs that are destined in our class, but I can do nothing about it. Worrying will not magic the need away. I have a current class with enough to keep my mind filled with stress! At least, I can be prepared for any eventuality… but for now, I’ve freed those thoughts from my mind.

I’m generally pretty good at identifying the things that it is no point in losing sleep over, but I live with people who have a hard time doing this, and stress eats away at them. No amount of my trying to convince them to try and relax actually gets them to let go. This is probably more frustrating for me!

So, tell me, are you able to let go of the things you hold no control over?

Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps.

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 321 – Clear Out

02 May 2021 32 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Clear Out, Marie Kondo, Spark Joy, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“Clutter is not just the stuff on the floor, it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living.”
Peter Walsh

Thanks for this, Spidey.

Timely, since I am, on my weekends, trying my hardest to do exactly that, clear out material things, as well as sort out my mental storage too, and all that clutters lifee, sometimes unnecessarily.

You think clearing out the attic is the toughest thing to do?

It is a bit of a slog, I grant you that. I actually had a massive clear out about three years ago, so I knew what was up there, more or less… and I am the only one who goes up there, yet, still, I am convinced there are attic gremlins… I swear there was less stuff the last time I went up there!

No, I jest. It’s not that bad. There is definitly a few piles of things that will be able to be donated or skipped, especially since it hasn’t been touched, since we moved into this house eleven years ago!

But what will be more fun is bringing it down, dust and all, because when we do finally move to that ‘forever home’, the removal guys don’t touch the attic. You need to empty it yourself.

Going back to my initial question, the attic, and all that stuff, is the least of my worries. It is most definitely Marie Kondo-ing my life that is tougher.

When you have a physical clear out, you keep everything that sparks joy, and if it no longer does, you thank it for its use, then say goodbye. But that’s not quite the same for everything that goes on in your day to day life.

There is an awful lot that won’t spark joy, but you still have to do it. Like cleaning, and ironing. Washing dishes, mowing the lawn. Going to work, paying bills… Adulting, basically.

In fact, it is often important to find what isn’t making you happy, and working out why it isn’t, and then finding ways to make these tasks more manageable, if not enjoyable.

Because, when you clear out your life, it is more about making the time to do the things that actually do bring you joy.

Finding that work/life balance, learning how to not just parent, but also be yourself, too.

We have a life to live, and even though there are plenty of responsibilities we cannot shirk, we also have our hopes and dreams.

So, have a think about what you are doing, every day. Where are you wasting time, doing things that could be done faster, enabling you to have a life worth living?

So, tell me, have you ever Marie Kondo’ed your house and life?