Rasita My Family, My Animals, My Food

One thing I have been thinking about a lot lately was material goods and wealth. The stuff we can see and touch, that can get destroyed so easily and replaced just as easily.

During the recent floods, we got off pretty lightly with only a few things flood/rain damaged and this was because of the lay of the land and how the water flowed. It flowed onto the patio and partially into the garage/office. Out of the things that got damaged and need to be thrown out, I am not overly worried about. They are, after all, just things. Things we have wanted but not necessarily needed. Some of the reptile enclosures/stands need replacing, and this is annoying, but as we have discovered, we have been able to do without these extra things.

We also have boxes of things which have been unopened since we last moved (almost 4 months ago). How much of them do we need? How much of those packed things have we actually missed and would continue to miss? I must admit to wanting to use my food processor a few times but not wanting to unpack it because there is no where to actually store it. There have been a few other things also that I would have liked to use but haven’t been able to because we haven’t had the room.

How much of this stuff that we carry from house to house, do we actually need? Wouldn’t it be easier to just get rid of a lot of it and live a less cluttered life?

Rain, it is inundating QLD at the moment. It started out west with the flooding and now it is coming closer to the coast. People are having to evacuate their homes, and their towns. Leaving everything behind. Cars have been swept down creeks turned into wild rivers. People have gone missing in the flood waters. So much of normal life has come to a halt. Everything is wet.

We have survived pretty well where we are and have only lost a few things in the rain. All of our animals, stinky ones included, are now residing in the house as even the patio is flooding when it rains hard. We are unable to keep the water out despite the ditches which have been dug. And we are the lucky ones. We have electricity still, running water (from the taps) and a dry inside of the house.

Despite all of this rain, the sunflowers are blooming and bringing a bit of beauty to the grey of the constant heavy rain. They are the only thing which has survived in our flooded garden beds, and for this I am happy. They provide a light and bright focal point among the drizzle and wet.

My New Years resolution is to just be me, a better me, then the year before.

This past year I felt like I wasn’t being who I could be (especially in the last few months when life was hectic and upset) so I made the decision to be a better me. To improve my health, strength, weight and personal stuff.

-----

I want to not be restricted in my creative abilities and find time to pursue it.

I want to study nutrition so I can perform better and those around me can perform better also

I want to cook healthier, more often

I want to be a better teacher to my kids and encourage them more

I want to run better and for longer, or at least finish a long trail run comfortably, even if I have to walk some.

I want to loose weight. Ideally 10kg would be nice, but 15kg would be even better. (I don’t want to be a skinny person though, one in the happy medium area)

I want to wear what I want to wear and be comfortable in it

I want to settle into a house for a few years (at least) and de-clutter

I want to wear skirts or dresses while running

I want to create more, design more, and tackle a project bigger then I have done before

-----

I was thinking today, after reading facebook, that we all have some selfish thing that we do. Whether it is obvious or not, it doesn’t change the fact that there is always something we do just for ourselves.

Some friends go the obvious way with things like getting nails done, hair cuts, the latest and cutest accessory. Some go the less obvious way with outings with friends (and their kids), getting fit, getting up early to avoid the family and have quiet time.

The more I think about it, the more I realise that we all need some little selfish thing to indulge ourselves in. If we gave all our time and energy to others then how could we look after ourselves. If we don’t look after ourselves, how can we give to others?

Last month we had an art display at our local library. We being the group of women, and their kids, who belong to a small homeschooling art class. Last month was the paintings display and all 18 pictures/paintings adorned the walls and were admired by many. One painting was even bought by the head librarian there (an amazing rose painting by one of the mothers).

This month is the cabinet display with things like sculptures and handmade toys. Unfortunately there wasn’t as much in this one which resulted in the kids and I doing a clay sculpture weekend a few days before it was put into the library and the borrowing of some of the kids toys which I had previously made them (and were still in good/clean condition).