I want you to think about this first and foremost before you read this blog post, and throughout the post (should you make it to the end without losing interest) so that I don’t annoy you too much or come across as a giver of UNWANTED ADVICE….ick!
For me Life is pretty bloody GOOD at the moment! Not just ‘Good enough’, I’m talking ‘GOOD-GOOD’. In fact I’m finding it near impossible not to smile, feel happy, blessed and grateful. Our gorgeous baby girl Thea arrived on March 20, my dream Art Studio commenced construction the very next day and was completed two weeks later. I had my Husband Matt at home with us for 32 whole days and the weather has been incredible. So good!

Another thing that really pings me off (yes I said ping) and has for a really long time now, are the ‘Oh you are so lucky’ comments in reference to me seemingly having stumbled across all of this ‘good fortune’ and ‘circumstance’ (PLEASE detect sarcasm).
Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not for one second suggesting that I’m not lucky, because yes I am very lucky! Lucky to have had this beautiful baby girl and even more ‘lucky’ to have found a partner who I can depend on for endless support and who is actively and ably raising this child with me each and everyday, in equal partnership, without having to work distances away. Mind you, I would like to point out that he (being Matt) wasn’t gifted to me! We chose each other and so far we have both stuck with that decision.
I am also exceptionally lucky to have been genetically gifted my artistic ability. Yes I’ve worked at improving my skills and I have sought further knowledge and higher Education to keep my creativity alive and thriving, but certainly and undeniably this creative ‘genetic gift’ runs in my family, so yeah that makes me lucky. What I would, however, like to draw attention to is the fact that all of us are essentially lucky, in a number of different ways and often we are far more lucky than one thousand million other people that walk this Earth (if they in fact have able legs to do so).
One can argue ‘Experience’ plays a vital part in the equation of a ‘Good Life’ and it certainly sets a number of us apart from the pack. I would argue however, that experiences are not always sought after and in fact some are very hard to get over. Some of us have great experiences, some of us have disappointing experiences and too many of us have tragically horrible experiences. In many ways the latter comes down to being in the wrong place, at the wrong time often with the WRONG people (again these are factors that are out of our control)…this is what we actually refer to as UNLUCKY and UNFAIR! It is important though to remember that no good comes from judging others for not having had the same experience as us. Good or Bad. So leave envy, resentment and arrogance out of it.
A wise friend of mine shared this thought provoking meme on Facebook just a few days ago and it really left a long lingering thought in my head (long lingering enough I finally decided to write a new blog post…yes long overdue I know).
So back to this discussion of LUCK…. are you feeling lucky yet?? Well I sure hope you do. Luck is out of our control, so don’t go chasing it (well you can if you want, who am I to give unwanted advice. Go on then keep buying your weekly lottery ticket. You’ve got to be in it to win it right?!?).
It is true for most of us that we have the choice to have children, or not to, and yes babies and children come with their added challenges BUT you have the choice to view this time as a ‘crisis phase’ or as a ‘fleeting phase’ in your life (that will come and go so quickly you will soon be considered an ‘Empty Nester’ and wondering what to do now that your children only call you once a fortnight…if you’re lucky). In the five and a half weeks since we officially became parents (that still feels weird to say) we have learnt to carry on, cherish it, stay positive, make our own rules, trust each other, trust ourselves, trust our decisions, trust our child, RELAX and trust our instincts! Baby Thea has certainly made the transition pretty smooth for us so far with her chilled ways, solid sleeping and her undeniably cute self. Is that LUCK? Maybe, PROBABLY! Whatever it is, I for one am grateful. I also realise there are many more days of Parenthood to come for us, with many more hurdles and obstacles to trek through so please do not assume that I'm thinking I know it all or that it's going to always be manageable. I'm NOT I promise you. that's Life though...it's always unpredictable.
What I really want to shout from the rooftop is this:
So here it is! The end of my blog post…thank goodness!!!!
My equation to a ‘Good life’ looks like this:
Be thankful for all that I have, all that I can do and all that I am
+ SMILE
+ Share what I know and can do with others
+ Give back
+ Celebrate aging…it’s a privilege
+ Give my heart and my time to the right people
+ Remember that this LUCKY life is not a race or a competition
+ Make the most of my down time…turn that TV off!
+ Look after my body
+ Feed my mind
+ Seek knowledge
+ Spend wisely
+ Make plans and see them through
+ Keep my word
+ LOVE + ACCEPT + CHERISH
+ Basically I promise not to take a single day of my LUCKY life for granted.