Eyes to the front!

As a young girl playing outside in the 1970's my Dad was always keen to reiterate that I must, "Watch your step! Watch where you're going!" The primary reason was to avoid the amount of dog mess on the pavements because in the 70's it was everywhere!
Not literally, but it seemed that way.
Forty years later and his words still leap into my head when jogging along the pavement I unwittingly stand on a dog poo cunningly disguising itself as an autumn leaf.
I'm not going to stop going out for a jog just because I might stand on dog poo! I have a route planned before I leave and I will stick to that no matter what.
If you have an idea about where you want to go but find yourself watching your every step - just stop for a moment.
Remember that you may well go through messy areas en route to your destination, in fact to be more blunt about it you may have some shit to contend with.  However, if you know - even roughly - what you want to achieve and you have an idea of how to get yourself there then do not delay!  Please just get on with taking the necessary steps towards your goals because none of us knows how long we have left to put on our running shoes and get out there!
"Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road." - Dag Hammarskjold 

Appreciation of today

There's no doubt that I'd rather be the adult I am today than the confused struggling girl and woman I was in the early 80's through to the early 90's.  
A life pebble dashed with sores so deep and yet invisible to the untrained, uneducated eye.  No-one's fault of course as back then I was an expert at hiding and camouflaging the roughness cutting into some edges of my life.
Today I have a contentment about who I am as a mother, a wife, a friend, and of course as the person I am to the hundreds of clients I have been privileged enough to teach and encourage back to health.
And yet, as time does the inevitable and change happens to those I love I can feel that panicky feeling rising.  Like a stubborn toddler demanding not to be taken from the party, I'm digging my heels in and refusing to accept that change is inevitable...I want things to stay as they are, and I'm not budging from that stand point!
However, there is a reluctant acceptance washing over me, gently reminding me that I'm not in control.
A tough call.
As I take stock of where I am right now I can see quite clearly that my life is overwhelmingly good, and unrecognisable to how I felt thirty plus years ago; so I must learn to lovingly let go of the fight to maintain the status quo.
Neither you nor I have that power.
What we do have is the ability to appreciate the good, cry at the bad, love those we love and literally embrace each day as it comes and deal with whatever comes our way with our feet on the ground and our hearts wide open.
Written with love and appreciation for a life filled with amazing people! Kathleen x
"We are so often caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey, especially the goodness of the people we meet on the way.  Appreciation is a wonderful feeling, don't overlook it." - Author unknown