Reflecting in December

Reflecting in December

Wow! December 1st. Time to face the fact that another year has almost finished and we’re on the downhill run. For many of us it’s the final burst, wrapping things up at work and at school before taking a break.

December signals that a new year is just around the corner. More time has passed. Can’t it be bittersweet! I love it and yet …. sometimes I don’t love it 😊 I do look forward to throwing routine out the window for a short time, eating food I wouldn’t normally eat, watching shows, reading books, writing and staying in house clothes (and my bubble) as long as I choose to… Mmm. It also comes with lots of free time to be reflect and plan.

There is no better way to take stock of your life than to look back at the last 6 or 12 months and see how far you have come and what you have achieved, and we have ALL achieved something. The measurements are different for everyone and each of us defines for ourselves what it means to be successful. There is no value in comparing ourselves to others. Despite the numerous updates on social media, we never really know what someone else’s reality is. It is also an exciting time to realise how much more we still want to experience and achieve and to start making a plan for it.

I realised recently how important it is to also find the thing(s) that truly make us come alive and feel joy. I realised how valuable this could be when we need to and do draw on it deliberately. Sometimes it is the simplest of things that don’t cost anything and almost always the things that we can experience in the moment. I am a big fan of planning and I love it, but it is also easy to forget to live in the present and to be grateful for what is now.

I had a tradesman out recently to evict some ‘squatting’ pigeons and do some work on my roof and some of the roofs around me. It was 30c and I could see he was feeling the heat up there. I invited him in to cool off for a few minutes and kept him topped up with cold drinks. He came back a bit later and asked ever so politely, if he could fill his water container. He was incredibly grateful and so appreciative I wondered what he had encountered in the past jobs. We chatted casually and knowing he had children I asked how old they were. He seemed a little uneasy at first and I noticed him glance over my shoulder at Ben’s pictures on the fridge.

In that moment, I couldn’t help feeling I had brought something up for him. A memory or a feeling that caused him to be momentarily sad or pensive in some way, and I noticed his energy change. We continued chatting and he told me a bit about his relationship and his 2yo twin girls. He shared some aspirations for his future and some experiences of his past and all in just a few minutes. There was so much that he didn’t say out loud that was also clear just listening to him. As he got up to leave, he looked me straight in the eye and said one of the most heartfelt ‘thank you’s’ I have heard in a while. He had a huge smile and he left knowing nothing at all about me.


You just never know what goes on in peoples’ lives.


For those of you that have not read the book The Present – by Spencer Johnson, it is fantastic! For the non-book readers out there, it is super short, just 104 pages and large print 😊 You’ll be done in one sitting and SO worth it. It tells the story of a man’s journey learning about The Present. It highlights so simply how to: Be in the Present – Learn from the Past and – Plan for the Future.

They say that people are motivated by a strong goal or a big nightmare. They are either running away from something or running towards something. I believe in whatever motivation works as long as the outcome is a positive one.

I looked at Ben’s photo’s on the fridge later and couldn’t help asking him, ‘What do you know? What was that all about? Did he recognise you? Did we make a difference?’ The instant joy I felt and the knowing inside confirmed my answer.

There is so much we don’t know, (or that we do know but haven’t yet tapped into) and so many ways we can impact another person’s life. How often must this happen without us even realising it. We truly are the toddlers of the universe 😊

Much Love

Dalya xx 💙

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *