Another Chapter

I believe that the discovery of who you are is a journey not a destination. 

It's a puzzle and with each new chapter in life, each challenge each success, each relationship creates a new piece to the puzzle. The thing about puzzles is that as much as pieces can be put in, they can also be taken out, perhaps moved around and replaced, and you can probably expect that at the end you won't have all the pieces you started with, but unlike jigsaw puzzles the end consequence of the lost pieces might not be so catastrophic.

But, we must take care about who and what we let define us, because if we're defined wrongly it would be like having the piece of the jigsaw facing down blocking the true picture from view.

Today I'm leaving London, I'm turning the page, closing this new chapter of my life. It's been a year of discovery, a time to grow, to strengthen and to learn.

And now it's time to move on, to move forward, this isn't the end, but neither is it the beginning, it's quite simply another New Chapter.

Londoners

One of the things I discovered within my very first weeks of being in London (which now feels like such a long time ago) is that Londoners are thoroughly misjudged.

There is this stereotypical perception up North (by that I mean anywhere above Watford of course) that the further south you go the more reserved, cold and unhelpful the people are. However, in my year here I have found very little evidence to support that claim. True, when you go into a shop you don't get the shop assistants entire life story as you might expect to in somewhere in Yorkshire, but that doesn't say that people in the Capital are so inward thinking that they don't talk to each other. 

I can't deny that life certainly moves at a speedier pace in the Big City and there are definitely certain social protocols applied when on public transport, however, I have found many Londoners who are incredibly caring, helpful, approachable and nonjudgmental! The way someone would offer a tissue to a crying person on the bus, or call after them if they've dropped something, or help parents with a carrying a pushchair, or simply remembering you. These may seem like common courtesy to some of you but you 'd be a amazed at how little you spot them nowadays, the attitude in our culture too often seems to be, if it's not essential, I won't do it, but when that personal connection is made, that support is offered, the change in mood is so rewarding.

The other fantastic, thing about London is the Weird and the Wonderful, one thing that cannot escape anyone's notice if they spend time in this city is how accepting London is of who you are and whatever you want to be or do, whether this is juggling or doing yoga alone in the park, or doing the conga through the tube station, or walking round in onesies, or your determination to make it in the world, the attitude seems to be be exactly who you are, the crazier the better! 

This is just my observation from being a Londoner, and yes, I do consider myself a Londoner as I believe the term describes, not where you were born or where you have lived for a substantial amount of time, but all of us who have found a place where we can be who we truly are, a place to belong, in London.

Do You Give Up when the Doors are Closing and the Bus is Driving off?

After nearly a year of being dependent on Transport for London alongside the many million other Londoners I've have definitely noticed   the absolute  determination to catch the bus or the train, because waiting up to 10 minutes for the next one just simply isn't an option (and I say that only half sarcastically - but the fast-paced lifestyle here isn't my point).

I've observed different people at different times judging at what point they realise they are not going to get on that bus/train:

Situation 1. You see it pull up to the stop and you're still a good distance away, you could run and maybe catch it but it's probable that you would still miss it and then you would have looked like a fool in front of everyone, so you give up and accept that you're not going to make it...the problem with that is that it might then spend a long time at the stop, causing you to regret your decision because if you'd run you definitely would have made it!

Situation  2: You arrive at the stop just as the doors are closing and it's about to drive off...

    a) do you accept that you've missed it?

OR

    b) do you try to jump through the doors just in time, or chase after the bus and bang on the door pleading with the driver to let you on?

At what point do you give up? I've discovered that the key is confidence in any eventuality; confidence to believe in your decision to wait, confidence to run like a fool in front of everyone, confidence that you're not going to get crushed by the closing doors, confidence that the driver will let you on and above all confidence to hold you head up high even though despite your best efforts you failed. 

I'm confident that those of you reading this will know that I'm 'metaphorically inclined' and will therefore understand that I am not merely commenting on the manner or means that Londoners catch public transport, but rather on the way that we ALL go through life when we face the decision of whether to give up or continue the fight or the race to the very end, and whatever our decision do we have the confidence to believe fully in our conviction?

Latte Lunedi

Good morning my lovely readers! 

So the World happiness 2015 report was published at the end of last week and now we all want to live in Switzerland eating their wonderful chocolate!

However, this got me thinking about what it really is which makes us happy?  (Other than chocolate) I'm assuming there's the main things that we all would say make us happy... However if it were just those surely our country would feature higher on the report, which makes me think that the smaller, more personal, maybe more abstract joys in life, things that we perhaps, having everything we need, frequently take for granted, that have a larger impact, and maybe the reason we aren't as high on the table isn't because these things aren't available to us or potential possibilities for us but because we don't recognise or appreciate them.

I've been trying to think over the things that make me happy, so hopefully I can recognise them more easily when they're around and really appreciate them. The next time that I feel angry or sad or down, rather than counting all the crap things in life, I can recount all the wonderful blessings I've received! 

I know that's a slightly cheesy message but I feel it's an important one! 

You could try making a list of what it is that makes you happy, do it now don't wait until you feel upset to do it because it's much harder then!

I hope you have a super week!

Latte Lunedi

Good morning my lovely readers! I know it's been a while since my last post, I hope you all enjoyed a nice relaxing Easter break, I definitely did, but, as I was trying to explain to the boys I look after, holidays don't last forever and it's good to be back in routine. (I'll be impressed if I'm still saying this next week!) 

It's only going to be a very short post this morning, just to say hi I'm back, and to have a super week! Whether you've been back in routine starting last week or your back for the first time today, good luck, have fun, and just in case you're tired already; Summer is just around the corner! ☀️

There's No Rule Book for Working with Kids

Good morning my lovely readers I know I haven't posted in a while but life's been very busy and I've not really had the time! 

I tweeted last night "there's no rule book for working with kids" this is something I wanted to unpick a bit more...

No matter what relationship you have with children, whether your parent, teacher or carer, it's not an easy job, it's not sitting around drinking tea and playing with Lego as some people seem to think, raising the next generation is in no way a "doss", it's blood, sweat and tears (quite literally)! However, having said that, it also has the potential to be incredibly rewarding! 

It's such a different style of work, in that there's no beginning and no destination, you're always on the journey and it's always going to take time, time to gain confidence and time to build trust and respect, and time to get to know the children, their personalities, behaviour traits, what makes them laugh, what makes them cry.  

I've often wished that children came with instruction manuals explaining the Dos and Don'ts and how to win, but the truth is: there is no one formula, the only method is constant trial and error. A tactic that works with one child won't work with another, an achievement one day, disaster the next, and when you finally think you've got through to a child, the next day they have a massive tantrum, won't do what you say and you're back to square 1! It really is like a very long monopoly board game, you go round and round, every day you face new challenges, take risks,  sometimes you loose out and sometimes succeed beyond your imagination!

I can't give a solution because the truth is there isn't one. All you need is patience, love and courage to get up and try again and confidence to know that no matter how the day is going, you're doing great! 

Latte Lunedi

Hello and Happy Monday (bit of an oxymoron but it's worth a try)!

I hope you've had an enjoyable weekend, filled with lots of giggles! 

It was Mother's Day yesterday and I hope all you Mothers got spoilt and felt very loved and appreciated, and I  hope that everyone made their mothers feel like this, whether you were with your mother or from a distance! 

There are different types of mothers, not just the ones who gave birth to us but also to the ones who give life to us, often one can do both (I know my mother has), but it's also surprising to look at your life and see all those others who have at some point mothered you, or perhaps all those who you have mothered. I've not given birth myself, yet I already feel very motherly towards the children I look after!

A mother, biological or emotional, is such a important and special role and one that should be cherished. It's a unique desire ingrained in our very beings, the yearning to be loved and cared for and to love and care, and it's a feeling that never leaves us. 

It's sad how often we forget to thank our mothers and show them how grateful we are for everything they do. We get this one day a year to spoil them but it doesn't feel like that's enough! 

My Dad always teases me for dragging out my birthday celebrations every year, but maybe that's an idea; drag out Mother's Day, don't wait for next year's Mothering Sunday to show your mum or any others who care for and love you, how much you love them in return! 

No Yorkie Friday

Good morning my lovely readers I hope we are all well! 

You know working with children does have it's perks, like those funny moments that make you laugh out loud or when they snuggle up to you to keep warm or when they insist on brushing your hair plus all the children's stories you get to read. Because, well written children's stories don't just have an impact on the child but also affect the adult, whether it makes us laugh or cry or challenge us in some way! Some of my favourite stories when I was young and one if my favourites to read to the children now are the Mr Men / Little Miss series! They are so brilliant whether it's Little Miss Contrary (the kids said hello whenever I said goodbye for a week) or Mr Strong (eggs are now back on the menu) we always have a laugh at bedtime! 

The other night I was reading one of my favourites, partly because it was a nickname I was given at school by a lot of teachers: Little Miss Giggles! 

Now for those of you who don't know the story, Little Miss Giggles ALWAYS giggled, until one day when she lost her giggle! She was very sad but fortunately Mr Happy helped her find it again in the end (spoiler alert sorry). 

It made me think, have I lost my giggle? And if so how do I get it back? It's so easy in the stress of life to loose that child-like joy. But that's wrong! We need to retain that free-spirit that allows us to giggle. Laughter is a beautiful thing, (it burns calories as well) which shouldn't be lost, even in the hardships of life!

So I'm going to find my giggle and look after it, how about you, have you forgotten that child like joy? If so get hunting for your giggle! 

Have a giggly weekend!

Latte Lunedi: the 6 month mark

Good morning my lovely readers, I hope you all had a nice weekend! 

So today is the 2nd of March, therefore 6 months since, I moved to London! That's half a year, I can't quite believe it, it's gone so fast! 

Yet at the same time, a lot has changed in those 6 months, including me. It's very strange to look back, and not recognise yourself, almost as if what's happened in the past is from another life, I don't know if you've ever experienced this or how you felt about it. Change is often very tough to cope with, even if it's a good change. But when it happens gradually over time sometimes it's not obviously noticeable until you look at your past, your present and picture your future, and you spot the shocking differences. 

Though there is a slight sadness, and maybe an uncomfortableness, at change there's also an inexplicable inner peace at knowing that you're where you're meant to be, and I don't think those 2 things contradict each other.

What do you think, look at your 6 month younger self, have you changed? If so how do you feel about that?

Have a great week! 

The Perks of Reading

Hello my lovely readers I hope you're all well and happy!

I'm sorry I haven't posted for a couple of weeks but I've been to engrossed in reading the 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' which has taken up my free time (aka bus journeys). However I finished that this morning so I can post a lunch time blog! 

That being said I'm not done being obsessed with this novel yet! I love finding books that do that for me, books that I hate having to put down (which I have to do otherwise I can hardly tell the boy I look after to get his nose out of a book and eat his supper). 

I would thoroughly recommend reading The perks of being a wallflower (I should really choose books with shorter titles to do a blog post on) to any of you who haven't already read it and thank you to Alicia Keenan for recommending and giving me the book! 

I love the way it's written in a series of letters making it all 1st person past tense narrative, which is a perfect perspective for the message of the story! 

It took me back to my time at high school; time, place or even fiction doesn't change teenagers. It reminded me of all those uncomfortable feelings over the years and the importance of always being your true self and not changing for anyone.

An absolutely amazing read for anyone who's ever felt a bit out of place, like they're a bit different, observing the rest of the world wondering how they fit into it, or anyone who has ever kept he fullness of who they truly are hidden.

I wish I could quote the entire book but I'll jut choose one to end with as it's the part I've most focused on:

"I'm going to be who I really am. And I'm going to figure out what that is." 

Need a Yorkie Friday

Good morning my beautiful readers, Happy Friday! Well kind of... Tomorrow is the top most dreaded day of the year for those who single! I personally I have started the festivities early by breaking my chocolate ban! And I have a date with my 2 favourite guys tomorrow: Ben & jerry!  

It's quite common for single bloggers on valentines day to write about how love doesn't exist or some other depressing thing about life but I don't want to do that, I know love isn't just a myth which is why I'm going to spend valentines day with the people I love (including Ben & Jerry) and hopefully the day will actually be a happy occasion. For those of you who are also single why don't you think of doing the same, (you can play hit the piñata if necessary!) The important thing is to make sure you smile! 

Did you know that 14% of women send themselves flowers on valentines day, now some people may deem that as "sad" but I think it's empowering! Why shouldn't we get ourselves flowers it's important to love yourself and allow yourself to feel special!

And it's okay to feel like crap tomorrow surrounded by happy couples and maybe enveloped in memories or longing, but at the same time you don't have to feel like crap, the day is all about celebrating love, so find someone you love and have a great day with them or else love yourself and enjoy the day rather than loathing it! 

For those of you who are happy couples I hope you have a great day making each other feel special and loved! 

Latte Lunedi

Good morning my lovely readers! I'm very proud to say I started off the week by going for a run early this morning, such an amazing way to wake up, and eventhough I had to get up half an hour earlier I feel much less tired! And I definitely feel like I've earned my latte and pain au raison! 

I wanted to think today about the real importance of simply spending time with the ones we love.

It's so easy in our busy hectic lives to only make time for our friends and family when there's an specific purpose or occasion maybe or there's something that needs doing and we forget to just spend time with each other, getting to know one another, having a laugh together without an added agenda! 

This last week I had plans with 3 different people, and with each there was a specific reason we were meeting, but with every single one we canceled those plans and just spent time together chatting, catching up, learning about each other and generally just having a good time, enjoying one another's company! I hadn't pre-planned that and I don't believe in coincidence so the message is quite clear and I feel I  should pass it on! So this week, I'm not saying you should cancel your plans but, consider making time to just spend quality time with the ones you love for  no other reason than enjoying their company! 

No Yorkie Friday

Well hello my lovely readers I've decided that I need to do something about my chocolate addiction and a Yorkie every Friday isn't helping so I'm not having one today! 

It is a glorious day here in London (I hope it is for you too wherever you might be) and on my way to my class this morning I couldn't get 'it's a beautiful morning' out of my head (which for those of you who did drama A level with me will know that it's another Friday morning tradition!) 

So I was wondering how you've got on this week and if any of you have actually taken that first step to keep moving towards your dream, I'm very excited to say that I have (though I'm not going to say what at the moment). 

If you have I hope you're also experiencing the thrilling exhilaration of running after your dreams! 

If not, I wonder what it is that's stopping you, maybe something to think about yourself. Something that I found really helpful this week was admitting my fears about taking that step and then working through them. Some, I realised, weren't actually worth stressing over, and certainly not worthy of standing in my way. Others I knew it would take time and courage to get over but it wouldn't hurt to start pushing those doors, in fact it would help confront those fears! And finally there were those fears about things I actually had no control over and so even-though they're scary, is there any point turning my back on a dream that could be possible and therefore spending the rest of my life asking "what if?" 

So how about you, I hope that's helpful, consider what it is that's stopping you and maybe try to confront it! 

Enjoy your weekend! 

Latte Lunedi

Good morning my dear readers! It's the start of a new day, a new week and a new month! (But not a new year, we're well and truly into 2015 now) 

I can't take credit for my thought for this week, however it made such an impression on me that I thought it should be shared! 

We all have a dream, a goal an ambition of some kind, something that we're searching for, reaching for but it's, for whatever reason, still out of our grasp. When we can't achieve our goals we either give up or we hold on to the dream but stay where we are waiting for the dream to find us, what we need to do is hold tight to that dream but keep moving, not just standing still. 

So my question to you, which really we each need to ask ourselves, is: what's my next step towards my dream? 

And my challenge to you is to take that step, maybe even this week, start pushing some doors. 

Don't be afraid of success just because it means change. Don't get comfortable when and where you're not satisfied. Don't stop moving just because you feel like you're not getting anywhere.

Have a good week and start taking some steps towards success. 

(That was a really cheesy line I apologise!) 

We Are Not Just Labelled Boxes

You know it's amazing how we pick up on different things at different times, I was wondering this week, what to blog about and not coming up with anything that felt right or genuine but 2 things that I've watched this week formed a connection in my mind and my pen started to flow (or type). 

The first was 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' A film I've wanted to see for a long time and finally got to see that (it's a fantastic film for any of you who haven't already seen it!) The second thing was the Gillette advert called 'UseYourAnd'. 

These both got me thinking about the labels we put on ourselves and on others, and I wondered why is it so important for us to fit in, or fit into a mold that our stereotypical society created for us?

Why do we let just one label define us? And why does one choice limit us? Why can't someone who enjoys being pampered also enjoy sports? Why can't someone be smart and be fun.? Why can't someone be "academic" and "creative"?  Why do we have to be one thing or another. Who set the social laws on incongruent personalities and lifestyle choices?

This is something I've been rebelling against my entire life and will continue to challenge until I won't be labelled as the 'boring Christian' or the 'slut' or the 'swot' or the 'failure'.

I don't want to be squashed into box and labelled, I don't know who I am yet but I know I don't fit under one title. There's so many things I want to do with my one chance that I'm given on this earth and so what if they might not fit into what society deems to be a compatible match. This is me. Deal with it. 

We're all different and one label, meant to categorize all of us, can not define any of us.

Yorkie Friday

Morning my dear readers I hope you're all well wherever you are! I can't believe it's Friday already the week has once again flown by! In fact the year has flown by; tomorrow I turn 19, it seems like only yesterday I turned 18! But so much has changed since then, however, I've already spent too much of this week looking back so this morning I'm going to look forward, to a good birthday weekend and hopefully a fantastic 20th year. 

It always seems to shock us how much can change in a year, at least it shocks me, but I suppose we should be used to it by now, more than that actually, we should expect things to change, I'm curious for this time next year to discover where I am by then!

Latte Lunedi

Good morning I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

I found a beautiful place, quite by accident, while I was looking for something else and discovered a wonderful park on a hill which has a fantastic view over the city, a brilliant place for a walk! 

The fact that I hadn't read about it on the internet, or heard about it from someone else but actually found it myself made it quite special! 

It made me wonder what else I would find if I went looking!

The internet is a wonderful thing (obviously otherwise blogging wouldn't be possible) but sometimes it steals opportunities from us.

So maybe next time, if you can, rather than doing all your research online, actually just GO and discover it for yourself, you never know what else you might stumble across! 

Enjoy your week! 

Yorkie Friday

Well good morning my lovely readers, it's Friday again, the weeks are flying by fast we're already half way through January! 

Yesterday was a very special and important day for anyone involved or interested in the film industry: it was of course the Oscar nominations! 

All those films, all the varying awards and all those individuals and teams of people that were nominated. Behind each nomination, is the story, most probably quite a rollercoaster of a story, of how they reached this point. A lot of dreams came true yesterday, sure it's not the actual Oscars yet but to be nominated is itself a great achievement and will change each of their lives forever partly because before their name it'll now say "Academy Award Nominee" at the very least, but mostly because they know, they have the real experience of seeing that hard work does pay off, dreams can come true! Even if its been 12 years in the making like 'Boyhood' or they've have to go through times of constant rejection as the majority if not all the nominees will have done at some point during their strife to reach this stage! 

They, then, can be an inspiration and example to us all, whether you're like me and your dream is to one day be among those nominees or whether it's something completely different. We each have our own different shaped Oscar that we're reaching for! Every single nominee will have at some point questioned the worth of what they're doing and wondered whether it would be better to simply give up. But yesterday they received their answer, and so shall the rest of us if we keep persevering down the road that leads us to our own individual Oscar!

Latte Lunedi

Good morning readers and welcome to the beginning of a new week! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend's. On a suggestion from my Grandpa I took a trip to St. Paul's cathedral for the first time, I would definitely recommend going. I climbed all the way to the top (my work-out for the weekend) the views over London are absolutely amazing! It made me realise the sheer size of this city! 

So my thought for this week is this:

Is there anything that we as individuals are holding onto that is stopping us moving forward, or stopping us fully being the person we are meant to be? With the start of a new year (I'm going to keep using this excuse/reason till the end of January) comes an opportunity, a chance to let go and begin to move on. 

What we need to let go of will be different for each of us and I'm not saying it'll be easy, cause letting go is rarely easy, and it's also likely that we'll slip up but the best way to do it is to make a decision to say "I don't want to hang on to this anymore" and then stick at it. 

It may be that while reading this that thing you need to let go of came to mind immediately or it maybe that you need to mull it over and decide if there's anything holding you back that you don't want to have with you in 2015! 

Think of it as a new year detox!

And to link back to my trip to St. Paul's with a Hannah Montana quote "the climb is tough but the view is great"! 

Have a good week!

Yorkie Friday

Good morning, how are we all? - as my geography teacher used to always say! 

I'm back into routine now, and back on yorkies, thanks to all those who gave me yorkies for Christmas I'm well stocked up for the new year! 

We're over a week into 2015 now, and I'm wondering how you're finding it so far? 

For me I'm very excited for the things I have planned over and after the summer but up until then it's more of the same as how I ended 2014. With this in mind something I'm trying to focus on, a New Years resolution if you like, is to enjoy the moment, to live in the present, not to wish and waste it away dreaming only of what's next. There's nothing wrong with dreaming of tomorrow unless it makes us miss the opportunities of today.