2024 is almost done & dusted ...

... and just like that, another year winds down quickly & it is always a time to just take some moments to reflect on the year & how it has been. Do you find yourself evaluating how your year went? I think it is natural to review your year, mentally at least. After a year of highs & lows, striving & surviving, breathe & sit with the passing year.  

Resist the urge to hurry this year out before its time, let it linger a little longer while you think about all the lessons it has brought with it; at least 365 lessons, which is only one a day in the greater scheme of things.  Take note of the missed opportunities, the challenges, the things that did not go as planned.  

It is important that you weathered the storms with resilience & fortitude. Life will always be a series of adventures & misfortunes & none will define us indefinitely, they are just natural bumps & delays requiring adjusting to the unexpected. 

Life is meant to be experienced, not controlled so it is in the quiet moments when we catch our breath that we learn. 

Some chapters don't need revisiting, you don't need a reason for everything that happened, you don't need to untangle it all - just let it go. 

I will once again enter the new year with intent  rather than resolutions, to invite growth & knowledge in to the coming year, to ease gently in to it all.  There is no rush, it does not have to be hurried along, just a little movement towards a new day. 

As time marches on, I am aware that I have less time ahead than the time I have already lived to it is natural to guard my time & energy more.

There is a need to make sure that friendships & other relationships are on even keel & that you are not always giving more than you are receiving.  Carry the ones forward to those who loved & stood by you, who believed in you even when you didn't. They are your people, your tribe. 

Let the others go, release what no longer serves you out of courage not defeat. 

Life is never perfect, it is not meant to be; no one has it all figured out, we are all just making it up as we go along so don't let comparison be the thief of joy in your life.  Carry only the lessons forward, not the weight of them. 

I am joining a daily journaling group to give focus, reflection, & curiosity to another year, hoping it will bring clarity, freedom, purpose & understanding to my life.  Some chapters will end, because they are done, the lesson is delivered & not every thing is meant to go forward with you each year.  

Make peace with the year that is ending & look forward to the new year, trusting that you will figure it out, one day at a time ... 

Thank you to each & every one who visits my blog, however briefly & for whatever reason. May 2025 be good to you, 

Dee ⏳🕰️🥳⏰

Ready for 2024

 The New Year is knocking at the door, the rollover from one year to the next imminent.

Our festive decorations are still up, I like to keep them up till Twelfth Night, as Epiphany is an important time.

TIME & clocks feature prominently in our home - a reminder of the passing of time in our lives & how things move on .. 

The handbeaded South African ornaments a reminder that my heritage spans several countries & continents; their simplicity reminds us that life can be simple too & that we all bring different life experiences to the table, our roots hold different things ... 

Festive snow & warmth from the reds, golds & greens. The handmade (by me) foraged front door swag a sign of my connection to nature. Cookie cutters in the bowl in the kitchen window are always used as baking is part of our lives ... 

Our clocks mark the time with their steady tick-tock, all having their own sound & beat. They remind me that TIME is different for each of us. It is also the one thing that we cannot buy, store or know how much we have.

I wish you & yours a blessed & peaceful 2024. Send out ripples of kindness in your world.

Dee 🥳🎉🥂

Enter 2024 with Intention

We stand at the cusp of another new year. The time between this year & the next is good to ... 

Reflect on the year we are leaving in 2023 

What did I do well? What challenges did I overcome? What lessons did I learn? What brought joy to my life? What is on my 'must do better' list? What were the highlights? What do I want to leave behind? What drains my energy? What things am I most proud of? 

Do not move from one year to the next without letting go of things which no longer serve you. 

Let go of old fears, habits, clothes, labels, tasks which no longer resonate with you. 

Do a digital declutter - inbox newsletters that no longer serve you, delete old emails, files & photos - back up the rest.

Do a physical declutter - clothes, shoes, post, books, magazines, bedding etc Organise the space & time 

This makes space for new intentions. 

What feelings, situations, people am I making space for & welcoming in? These provide a sense of direction through flexibility & adaptability. What are my priorities & motivation? 

Set intentions: I intend to improve my life  ... 

Physical - improved sleep, better food choices, self-care, health benefits of small changes

Emotional - saying NO without guilt, saying yes to people who value you, not being a listening post 

Financial - effective money management & savings 

Social - quality time with my tribe - people who make me feel valued & seen, 

Spiritual - time in nature & spaces that give me peace, deep conversations  

Personal - more time reading, hobbies, perfecting skills, more family time 

What are my visions for 2024? 

More time? To do what? Set an intention of how I would use that time. What I don't want life to look like? What quotes that inspire me?  

WORDs to inspire 2024 -  I AM words to inspire & provokes change?

This time is also just a good time to ... 

Thank you for stopping by & spending time with me. What I AM words would you use to describe yourself? It is quite hard to think of but please share ... 

Dee 🥂🎉🗓️

TIME for a new year …

 I live with several large clocks & love their reassuring heart beat; each sounds differently, they chime differently & they look differently- what is not to love? 

Clocks also remind me of the passing of time - the one thing in life that we do not know how much we have of it, the one thing we cherish. 

I usually set a TIME themed sideboard & table but this year we are all laid low by flu & so no entertaining. 

However, I look back on 2022 with satisfaction - our long awaited trip across Bulgaria, the Balkans, Romania & Transylvania was everything we hoped for & more. 

I took a solo Holocaust tour because it is something that I am passionate about. That period of time has always captured my attention & because many of my ancestral lines lived in those regions & some are known to have perished according to dna matches. Sometimes I genuinely think you have to follow your heart & just do it. 

The third trip is as many of you know, a return trip to Southern Africa to fulfil my Dads last wish, to revisit special places & to catch up too. 

As 2022 ends, I send good wishes to you all. 2023 will be what you bring to it so think carefully - bring love, thoughtfulness, kindness, truth, compassion & hope. 

Be blessed, thank you for stopping by, 

Dee 💕🕰️

TIME for 2016

I would like to thank you all for your support & comments this past year again. It is a real joy to read your comments & visit your blogs in return.

As this New Year begins, the sideboard changes to reflect T I M E

That precious thing we all take fore granted

Ralph Lauren pocketwatch plates,  all different times, symbolises that time is different for all of us

This one will stay up all year as motivation ...

The large charger plate ready to receive the New Year

Celebrate the New Year, celebrate the TIME you are given

Star light, start bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might

Have this wish I wish tonight 

I wish health & happiness to all my nearest & dearest  & all others.  May you have what you wish for yourselves in this New Year

Precious TIME of another New Year - use it wisely & appreciate the gift you are given. Thank you for stopping by & blessings for you & yours for 2016

Dee ~♥~

“Do one thing every day that scares you”

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

I was with friends recently, having a relaxing after supper drink, sitting around their fire & I shared this quote. 

This is going to be my mantra for 2013

For me the quote means to step out of the comfort zone often or we become too complacent.  We have an in built 'fight or flight' reaction to situations & this is what we need to learn to control.  

We all need to confront our fears if we are going to grow - we need to do things that scare us enough to make us do things that we think we can't. Once we do them, we realise that our fear was not as great as we thought & so we grow just a little stronger each time.  

By confronting our fears, we are willing to do more & we break down the barriers that hold us back - one fear at a time.

And so I leave you with words of wisdom from another great lady 

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie

My resolution for 2013 is to take the advice of these two ladies. I hope you will do so too - conquer one fear at a time!

Thanks for stopping by,
Dee ~♥~