Creative Calm Connected: I'm back!

I have just come back from a week away and that’s how I feel. Once again, I am convinced that I have my Core Desired Feelings right (if you want to read my post about Core Desired feelings go here). Our holiday had all the elements there - time for being creative, plenty of connecting with those i love, and lots and lots of calm. The combination of those three things make me feel how I want to feel every day. When I get all those elements together, I am at my best. Have you thought about what your Core Desired Feelings might be? Honestly, since I've worked it out, I feel like it is much easier to live the kind of life you want to live. To be honest, nothing much has really changed in my life, but the focus of my life has. And I like it!

We took the kids and my Mum and Dad to Merimbula for the week, and had a beautiful time together. I didn’t feel rushed, but we did plenty of fun things. I really enjoyed spending our time together. The kids were pretty well behaved, and the weather was great. It was so much warmer than home, and even though it was a bit windy some days, it was really nice to get a break from all the rain we’ve been having.

I love the special bond that my children have with my parents, and it was so special for them to have Grandma and Poppy on holidays with them. We are lucky to have my parents living so close by. The whole reason for our trip was to take Mum and Dad away to thank them for all they do for us. They look after the kids for us so that I can do my Pilates shifts. But more than that. They are only ever a phone call away if we need them and love spending time with our babies. They are supportive, offer us all unconditional love and we all love spending time with them. I also love the way they love and accept my husband as their own.

It was also special to take them away because my Dad has had a couple of years where he couldn’t travel. Before he got sick, Mum and Dad used to travel around this beautiful country on their motorbike, seeing lots of different places and having adventures together. But that silly little “piece of meat” (as our son used to say) put a pause on that for a while. Now though, Dad is almost fully recovered and has the all clear, so it was wonderful to see him excited to go somewhere different again.

At the beginning of our week away, everyone nominated some things they would like to do/see while we were away. We worked our way through the list and made some beautiful memories together. Here’s some photos I took of us:

And here's some of my more creative pics:

It is amazing how just a change of location can reset you. I found that without the demands on our time that exist at home, I was able to be more calm and present. It was nice to slow down a little and prepare for the last school term of the year. Wouldn’t it be great if we could maintain that feeling of holiday calm for a lot longer when we return home? I am going to try really hard to hang onto it this term – we are going to be busy, but with some special things to look forward to between now and Christmas. I’m glad that we have those things to look forward to; I think they help lessen the blow of the post-holiday return to reality!

I have come home determined to make the most of this fresh start, feel ready to make some positive life changes in terms of healthy habits, and am excited about what the rest of the year has in store.