What do you need right now?

16^th January 2018

Once you need less you will have more.

What do you need right now?

Now there’s a question, take a few minutes or longer if you have time to answer that question.  It’s a good question to ask yourself often, I’ll bet the answer isn’t food, even when you think it is.  Usually when we’re craving food, it’s masking another need.

When I asked myself that question at the start of my typing the first answer that came to me after sitting here for a few moments was ‘calm’, that’s my focus for everything these days.  When I’m calm everything is easier to handle.  To get to that place of calm, I need balance in my life which is why I’ve been working on finding it so much. 

Alzheimer’s is easier to handle when I’m calm.

Another thing that’s helping with the calm is being clear of clutter, we’ll leave my office to one side for a moment, but the “stuff” in the rest of my house is slowing disappearing and more stuff isn’t coming back in.  I actually have empty drawers in my kitchen and I’m in no rush to fill them.  The less there is in my house, the less messy it gets so the easier it is to tidy up.

Another way I’m working on the calm is with my decorating, I’ve got very calm with that too, thinking calm surroundings help with calmness overall.  I plan to do the same with my garden this year too, calm it right down.  Paint the purple shed brown, fence panels the same.  If I feel calm, mom hopefully feels calmer too, making for a lot less stress for both of us.

Are you struggling to answer the question yourself?  Okay maybe answering these questions will help you with the first one;

• What is going well for you?
• What areas seem to be a struggle for you?
• What is something you have learned lately?

It is a tough question to answer, especially as sometimes we don’t stop for long enough to figure it out, we think we know which is why we buy stuff, but the buzz of that stuff lasts moments.  I realised at Christmas I didn’t need anything when I was asked what I wanted.  It’s the same for my birthday, all I want is my friends company.

Stuff / Food, none of it usually gives you what you really need, so what do you really need right now?

Once you realise what that answer is, maybe as yourself “How much time and energy are you willing to put into achieving those needs” and maybe acknowledge how much time and energy you are wasting at the minute pursuing things you don’t actually need and don’t actually matter?

I’d already been working on finding the ‘calm’ in my life, last year was hectic in preparation, I know that sounds ridiculous, but there had to be upheaval to get the wetroom, the new kitchen, the decorating, the floor but now that’s done, it’s helped to bring that long term calm to my surroundings.

Since I found that quote ‘We don’t buy things with money – we buy them with hours from our lives’ on January 1^st it’s really had an impact on me.  I’m thinking before spending, not buying just for the sake of it.  Looking at what I spend my money on and keeping a track of it.  The less I spend the less I need or the more I can save to do the things that I do want/need and then there’s the future, as much as I try not to think about it, it’s a reality that needs some consideration.

Anyway, let’s change the subject, we haven’t talked about food for at least a day, yesterday I had a mushroom omelette because I wanted to use the mushrooms before they went beyond help, then I nipped for a loaf and bought this because it was on offer and I’ve been fancying wraps, plus I had chicken that needed using. 

It wasn’t mild at all, I wasn’t impressed, I just managed to eat mine smothered it with natural yogurt, mom couldn’t manage her it was too hot for her.  Since when had BBQ been spicy hot? 

I’ve got my cottage pie to look forward to today, plus the slow cooker beef curry which is alright but I wouldn’t buy again.  I will use up all the stuff in my kitchen bit by bit, the old stuff in the food cupboard is being used a bit at a time.  I haven’t spent half as much on food over the last few weeks as I usually do.

Right I better get ready for work, here’s to adding to the weight loss total. 

What do I need right now? 

Happy losers on my scales J

Have a terrific Tuesday BeYOUtiful.