Suradnički post:From Christmas stockings to taking stock in the New Year

Drage moje, kako sam najavila jučer : prvi post na engleskom jeziku na mom blogu :)))

Nadam se da niste pomislile kako sam tako brzo naučila engleski :D

Naime, iznimna mi je čast objaviti post moje čitateljice koja me prati iz dalekeee

Velike Britanije, divna žena koja je cijelo vrijeme mog bloganja veelika podrška i potpora.

Upoznajte :My Cup of Beauty  <3

First of all, a huge thank you to lovely Martina, whose blog I have been enjoying very much since I started following it in 2013. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with all of us. And thank you for this wonderful opportunity to be a part of it.

I’m a blogging virgin, and a bit shy about sharing my thoughts with anyone other than my nearest and dearest. So please bear with me.

My best wishes for Christmas and the New year to all the readers who celebrate it today (7^th Jan). I hope it’s a great one for you all.

Here is my My Cup of post-Christmas and post-New year ‘Detox’ Beauty.

After a really busy year (especially the last few months), Christmas and New Year’s holidays came and went. I didn’t write any cards or send any, although I bought enough for all the people on my list including the stamps. Just never quite got to writing them. Let alone putting up and decorating the Christmas tree. Never quite got in the mood.

That was the first holiday I had in ages. Where there were no deadlines, emails, phone ringing. I felt like the racing truck dust had finally settled inside my mind and I slowed down enough to stop safely. My husband and I enjoyed Christmas Eve and Day together, without any other family or friends. I really enjoyed visiting my in-laws in the middle-of-nowhere (Bogu iza nogu) in the Suffolk countryside, dinner with their lovely friends and an adventure on the way home – a ride on a lorry (lit up like a Christmas tree) with a flat-tyred car on the back of it and a chatty driver in a bouncing air suspension seat. ( link )

I actually enjoyed this Christmas (I would normally rather have slept through the whole thing; but that’s a different story entirely). I enjoyed the time with my nearest and dearest and I actually had a proper break.

For the first time in a very long time I could HEAR silence in my head. How can one hear silence, you ask? When you don’t hear the constant worries, questions, demands, etc. in your head; when all you are able to hear is ….. nothing. Nothing at all. When your mind is like a deserted castle. Not eerie and unpleasant, but calming and comforting instead.

And then you can think of the important things. A memory kept coming back to me then: my cousin and I (when we were children) trying to find a shop, any shop where we could buy some bread, milk, yoghurt and such after the New Year. When you could walk forever and every shop you could see had a sign displayed in their door or window, “Closed for Stock Taking”. Inventura.

So I started thinking about the past year. Taking stock. Thinking about the important things. What was the year like? Good, bad, fantastic, catastrophic, so so? How did I feel? Was I happy with myself? My achievements, my place in the world? My marriage, my family, my relationships, my job? Have I lived my life to the fullest? Did I get distracted too often, too much and forgot what really matters and what is important? Was I happy with decisions I had made, paths I’d chosen? Was I happy with my health, my body – the temple of my soul?

Life is too shot to get bogged down by the problems and lose sight of the real beauty, everyday beauty, beauty that makes us smile, giggle, sigh, laugh out loud, scream or cry with absolute, unadulterated joy and happiness. Everyday moments in life. The metaphorical roses. Or the real ones.

I took stock of the past year, the joys and the sorrows. I de-toxed my mind, unchained the invisible bonds and made a few New Year resolutions. Oh, nothing so common like: I’ll lose weight, I’ll exercise more, I’ll eat less chocolate, etc.

My resolutions are more of a detox-for-the-mind kind. Like:

·         Love myself more and not be so hard on myself. Listen to my body more.

·         Not give of myself where it’s not appreciated. Do we all do that occasionally?

·         Not set overly high goals for myself, outside of my limits; take small steps to reach my goals steadily with less (painful) setbacks.

·         Sleep more, because I will go to bed earlier. And then I can floss more! And have better skin! (Yeeeeey!!! J I WILL!!! I must!!! :-o ….. I’d better!

·         Nurture my talents more and let them grow. Express myself more in creative ways (not just through make up J). But not buy too much make up and skin care (is that even possible?!?)

Since I mostly (90%) cook nice, fresh food throughout the year anyway and drink lots of herbal teas of all good healthy sorts, I’ll just continue to do that. So I can have more energy to live better and enjoy myself more. I won’t be having any special detox diet or anything like that. Because I LOVE cooking. (Notice I said cooking, NOT washing up!) And I create something good and healthy and delicious (well, most of the time J; when I don’t do silly experiments). With and without my lovely husband J. And because it reminds me of my grandparents. The pleasure and passion they cooked with. Their conversations and laughter around the table at meals for an occasional weekend and during summer holidays. A freezer full of our favourite ingredients / meals – pasta e fagioli, black risotto, cabbage rolls (sarme) for each grandchild. … And a lifetime of great memories. …

Have you enjoyed your time at Christmas and New Year? How do you enjoy spending it most- family or friends?  What are your resolutions or ‘detoxes’?

Have a great year, everybody! <3