I wrote a blog post back on 5th March this year that talked about living your life now and not putting things off or saving “stuff” up for a “rainy day” At that time the word Lockdown wasn’t part of our daily lives and, with hindsight, it was a very timely post.
Little did I know that only a couple of weeks later lots of activities which we took for granted (hugs with family and friends, family get togethers, big wedding celebrations, going to the cinema) would be taken away from us when the pandemic struck.
However I have to admit to having put off something which I knew would make me very happy for literally years. My “happy place” has always been the seaside. I don’t know if it’s because I lost my mum when she died, aged 45, and I have lots of happy memories of our caravan holidays, at Dawlish Warren, before we lost her. But whatever the reason I can always guarantee feeling better after some time at the coast. Since my husband retired we have made a point of going out for the day, once a week, and enjoying visiting the beautiful places we have access to down here in Devon. I’m never happier than when those outings end up by the sea.
There’s just something about the smell of seaweed, the cries of the seagulls and the sound of the waves breaking on the shoreline that evokes a sense of calm and peace in me. I’ve always dreamed of living by the sea and love seeing those beach houses on American films where the balcony has steps leading directly down onto the beach. However up until now I’ve never done anything about making my dream a reality and that’s something I wish I’d done earlier.
When I had my mental health breakdown and left my previous employment I took my employers to an Employment Tribunal and won some compensation from them. My husband wanted to save it for that “rainy day” so it sat in a bank account waiting for a day that maybe will never come. I now wish we’d used it to buy a little caravan by the sea so that I had somewhere to visit and spend more time in my happy place. However, twelve years later, I’ve finally done something about making that dream a reality.
My mother in law died last year and we inherited a nice little sum of money from her estate. Four weeks ago we used most of that money to buy a beautiful lodge, by the sea, at Shaldon, only 45 minutes drive from our current home in Tiverton. It’s much more luxurious than anything we could previously have afforded and we are so grateful to be in a position to afford it. I now spend 4-5 days a week here and am currently writing this post looking out over a stormy ocean view.
It’s a lovely spot with a view all the way down the jurassic coastline (on a clear day) and I can feel myself relaxing every time I turn off the dual-carriageway and head across the heather-clad moorland towards Teignmouth. As I drive over the crest of the hill I see the sea spread out before me. I sigh and say a silent thank you that I now have this little spot of heaven in my life.
I’m looking forward to getting back to doing more writing and am already re-energised and ready to do some more work on several of my current writing projects. First on the list is my book of guided imagery meditation scripts and I hope to be getting that published before summer 2021.
But the main reason I’m posting about this is to send out a reminder to anyone reading this. Take action and do something today to make some of your dreams a reality. Start off with some of the small ones (maybe enquiring about those art classes, using your “best” china now or lighting those yankee candles you’ve been saving for ????)
My mum didn’t know she only had 45 years on the planet. She spent most of her time doing things for everyone else and putting her needs last, don’t let that be you. She died before she had a chance to make some of her dreams a reality and that makes me sad.
This particularly applies to women. Often they’re so busy being mum, wife, sister, caregiver, worker….. they forget to carve out time for themselves. That’s not selfish, you have to look after yourself in order to be able to look after everyone else in your life.
And don’t wait to tell someone you love them, give someone a hug or just ring that friend to make a date for meeting for coffee. Live every day as if it’s your last. None of us know just how many days we have to live so make every day the best it can be. That way you’ll live a life with fewer regrets.
And if you’d like some musical inspiration to get you started then check out this amazing video:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm8ZzOt_1bs
Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Albert Einstein
Suzi Magic 