All Work but Lots of Play

I KNOW I’ve been far too quiet on the blog front recently. The usual excuse: I need an extra five hours in the day! I got lulled into a very false sense of security during Ramadan; my hours weren’t massively reduced but I definitely managed to leave early more often than not which meant a whole new world of socializing was available to me…..how things change back in the daily grind. Oh – and remember boot camp? Well somehow I thought it was a good idea (correction, my arse thought it was a good idea) to sign up for a month long programme where I have to go twice, yes twice a week. That means I have about hmmmmm one night to myself each week, throw in a few 12/14 hours days and I’m not much use to anyone! Anyway, rant over. It’s all good. Thank god for beach club at the weekends! Somehow memories of every insane week are erased as the white wine hits the glass, a celeb magazine is opened, and the sunlounger is flattened.

I don’t seem to have a free weekend until January – how did that happen? What with numerous overseas weekend visitors in the next month (you know who you are!), a music festival (more to follow), the small matter of my LUXURY ONCE IN A LIFETIME SAFARI TRIP (with our own private butler, just in case you’d forgotten that bit) then parents, then Cathy and New Year – where did the year go? I’m genuinely not complaining, you know me, I love being busy and like nothing more than a very full diary - especially when work is so unforgiving and all-consuming in the week. I’m not one for philosophy but there was a philosopher on Chris Evans this week who said: we worry about wasting time, wasting money, when the only thing that we should worry about wasting is our life.

I think I can safely say I’m wringing the absolute best out of every moment….

Emerging Victorious

As I was trotting home last night after leaving the office at far-too-late-oclock I became a little reflective. I'm normally so busy running around that I don't do too much of this - I'm quite a live in the moment kind of gal. Anyway if you research what the most stressful experiences in life are, I realised I'd been through a fair few of them - and all in the last year....

Move house: check
Change jobs: check
Death of a loved one: check
End of a relationship: check

Moving halfway round the world isn't on the 'official' stress list but I'm prepared to wager that this amplifies all of the above by, like, at least 100%. On the last point, throw in the fact that it all happened in an underhand, deceptive, cowardly and just plain shocking way, and again, the stress chart begins to go up massively.

But here's the thing: I don't feel stressed. Au contraire, I feel the happiest and most settled that I have in years. I can't explain it, given all of the above, especially when I live in a very transient city, that you could arguably describe as one of the most 'fabulous but difficult' places to live in the world. I'm well aware that happiness isn't about money and possessions, but friends, family, and being content in yourself. And I'm definitely there. Thank the lord for being a simple soul! Anyway, that's enough reflecting: back to the moment.