I’ve been caught up in life’s whirlwind, which has shown no sign of slowing down.
And so I’ve booked off some time to focus on self-care and self-discovery. This is also the perfect time for writing, reflection, and a touch of gratitude.
Here are some of the things I am grateful for right now:
Love
I’ve experienced a lot of highs and lows lately. Well, more lows than highs, but who’s counting, right?!
That is why I am especially grateful for love – for both receiving and giving love.
From a beautiful message left on my message bank by a former client-come-friend to walking into the house to a warm heater, glass of wine and hearty meal prepared by my fiancé on what was the shittiest day I have had in a long time, to grieving for a colleague whom I had only known for a little over a month, to finally being able to open up and start expressing how much people mean to me. Oh, and then there’s the wedding planning.
I never thought I could feel so much love. But to be honest with you, I had closed myself down to it following a series of hurts (in mental health land, they call that ‘numbing‘).
Opening my heart again scares me, and I feel very raw. But my heart is also swelling with the feeling.
Autumn
Even though I hate the cold more and more each year, the few hours of warmth and sunshine in the middle of the day are a blessing, warming up my hands and body as I move around the backyard with my laptop, following the sun. And there is something about the trees as their leaves slowly dry and fall.
I took this photo at the Fremantle Arts Centre a few weeks ago. The scene caught my attention as the sun filtered through the leaves of these stunning trees. Inspired, I grabbed my phone to capture it. I miss photography, and this was a welcome reminder of why I love it so much.
Mental Health
Last week I spoke at a Youth and Family Mental Health Forum. I had a wonderful time after the initial surge of nerves and was surprised at how natural the microphone felt in my hands (I didn’t see that one coming!), as well as how alive I felt afterwards.
At the night’s end, I also sat on a panel, fielding questions from the audience on all things mental health. One of the questions from an audience member on the night was this:
If you could go back in time, would you change it…would you NOT have a mental illness?
I surprised myself by quickly grabbing the microphone to respond without a second thought and said something to the effect of:
“I can genuinely say that I would not change it. Sure, I’ve experienced some crappy things BUT I would not change it for the world because it has made me who I am today, it has allowed me to see how special life truly is, and it has provided me with the opportunity to give back through sharing my story, for if I can help just one person then it has been worth it.”
janine defontaine
And I meant every word.
