Today is a day of great breakthroughs. There are two major ones that come to mind first.
1. The reshaping of my sense of self.
Newsflash: I am more than one passion and they should all play together. Without judgement, without competition. Sounds obvious, but it wasn’t. Here’s why.
It used to be that I had my “Time Out” self and my Disney self. These were two opposite sides of the weirdness that I am. Whether it was an external or internal pressure that split the two parts of me, I am not sure. Regardless, fuck that. A few weeks ago I was hit with a little light bulb (more like a sledge hammer) wake up call. These past four months have been so rapid and confronting that I have not given myself the chance to reflect. To take a moment and think “Why am I in France? What do I want to gain from my time here?”. Pretty sure that is a natural situation to be in, but it has left me with an intense amount of pressure to “make the most of France” and to quickly remind myself where I have spent this time. That’s a lot! Not to worry, after a little freak out, I realised that it’s ok, I’ve got this. Now is the time to reflect. There is no need to catch up on the missing reflection, but to start today.
Without reflection I am not properly able to appreciate the who, where, when, what and why of this adventure. Can’t have that! Now it’s time to stop, reflect and think more thoroughly through who I want to be and how I want to feel. If you are up for it, you are welcome to join the ride.
Over the past few weeks I have been doing a bunch of thinking about “my truth” (thanks Oprah!). I have been talking with new friends, listening to new podcasts, including call your girlfriend and Oprah’s super soul sessions. These experiences have not necessarily given me earth-shattering ideas, but have reminded me of things that I already knew. It is as though hearing other people say them is the powerful part. Too often I don’t trust or value my opinions enough (a whole other issue), so simply hearing ideas of self-love and openness etc has been quite calming and relieving and thank god, because I was driving myself nuts with uncertainty haha.
Speaking of friends, it was with some kind hearted constructive criticism from a dear friend (you know who you are) that the questions of “why am I here” and “who do I want to be” quickly became unavoidable. Thank god!
2. The redefining of a magical moment.
Part of my personal reshaping is the redefining of a magical moment. The more I think about it, the more I realise that perhaps the inspiration to write about magical moments or Disney has been lacking because I have felt disconnected from Disney. Don’t fret, I am still a Disney freak (what my sisters call me), but am now enjoying so many other parts of life in Paris at the same time. Let’s be real, it’s a healthy development ha! Rather than deleting the idea, I have redefined it.
As I grow, magical moments do too.
Like most good things, magical moments follow a recipe*. Let’s take a little look at the ingredients and method. Keep in mind that these are developing and open to discussion. Can I also indulge in a “before” and “after”? Yes, yes I can, it’s my blog haha.
Ingredients (Before).
- 1 cup self care
- 1 pinch of Disney
- 1 bunch of healthy friendships
- 1 L of family balance
- 1 kg exciting plans
These ingredients are humble, tasty and certainly make for a delicious magical moment. However, this flavour of magical moment is perhaps too simple and too narrow minded. They are good, but there is so much more we can work with.
Ingredients (After).
- 1 cup self care
- 1 kg of new experiences
- 1 kg of challenges
- 1 kg of loving me (1.5kg is also good)
- 1 kg of supportive influences – family and friends
Note that the quantities have increased and varied in internal / external flavours.
Method.
Step 1. Acknowledge that you need change and are worth seeking change.
Step 2. Outline what is actually important and what can be let go.
Step 5. Pay attention to and conserve energy**
Step 6. Acknowledge that each day is new and up to you. Some days will be shit and that’s ok.
Step 4. Let go of it all and just say yes to the moment.
* A recipe that is growing, changing and so very open to input. Just like me.
** Energy can also be referred to as attention, time and emotional real estate.
I could talk for days about the new ingredients and method. If you want to chat, please don’t hesitate to reach out. For now, all I want to say is that I am trying to enjoy magical moments each and every day. I hope my blog will reflect that. That is, magical moments are so much a part of me that it only makes sense to write about all of the elements together. Get ready for my thoughts on:
- Mental health
- Disney
- Foodie fantasies
- Travel adventures
With magical moments sprinkled across each section, my new approach is a more wholistic one, one that feels right.
Magical Moments. 