A Pause For Thought – Time To Re-evaluate Life?

A discussion from my forum, that I thought made for a good blog!

I was watching newsnight last night and they had three guests (on video link) talking about life, and a re-evaluation.

The one lady had got more into proper food and fitness. An actress was enjoying not running all over London to meetings and what not, and having some ‘me’ time and some ‘quiet’ in life. The press guy had come to the realisation he was doing things in life because he felt he had to, not because he wanted to. That was especially the case with him going to public receptions, a room full of a few hundred people, he had no real interest in but went out of duty. He said he was absolutely certain he was no longer going to do things like that.

I have touched on re-evaluation a few times. I’m going to ponder and post my own answer separately.

Villan57 posted in 100% Covid thread:

So I guess we are talking about

1) Have you come to any realisations about how you were living before?

2) Is your life going to be different after all this?

3) Anything you did that you won’t do, anything you want to do more of?

Or do you think, as the newsnight section asked yesterday, if this will all become like a New Years Resolutions list, you start off with good intentions and go back to life as it was before?

I answered:

Mine is an odd one really. I would love some great revelations but I was already going through a big period of change. Writing the book brought some thoughts into my head, but also the way the business/industry was going, we have a deal in place that was going to free up my time. It should have been an exciting time but this current situation took over from that (not a whinge, just a reality).

I am more used to working from home,I have a gym at home, a lot of time alone with the obvious health flair ups. I think I understand the true value of life because of that, which is what many (?) are learning now maybe?

I do plan and had started to get out into nature more. Some of the not doing that has, over the years, been health led. But my plan to get into the woods, chill, enjoy the (hippy this) trees and just ‘be’ was happening, and will be done more and more once the restrictions are over.

I have a great relationship with my parents and do all I can for them, so that isn’t a major change either, I’ve been doing their shopping and now we have a system, I’ve told them as the weather gets worse, or when they don’t feel like it (80 and 81) I am more than happy to do that for them. So easy, I take two boxes, put them in the trolly, and off I go. No more bags for me, this is a great system! LOL Especially in Sainsbury with the mobile phone app scanner.

I was already cutting back, doing Aldi, plan to do more of that sort of shopping around, as I am at the stage now where if I am careful, I can be semi-retired, or pretty much retired full stop.

The focus on food was underway, the last 2 years my flair ups kept getting in the way, it is difficult to think straight when exhausted. But doing the Musclefood DTU plan (in the fitness thread) has got me back in the right frame of mine and vibe. And my training is a constant, when my body allows.

There are other small things that I can do, but I can’t say they are covid related realisations. Twitter for instance, and the Vital Villa facebook, I grew to hate and was moving away from. I like this forum (apart from when someone like the last few days wants to ignore the point you are making and just stamp over it, but that is far worse on social media) and enjoy the company. But twitter is a nasty angry place, I don’t need it in my life and I’m going to be at best, arms length. I have the fear conquers all part, I must use that for the book etc, but I might just be off. The VV facebook bit, I have put at arms length and my own facebook, even more so through this virus, but even before due to Brexit, I have so many people unfollowed, it is more people that are close, don’t post doom all the time, then training, nature, the national trust, the woodland trust, bbc nature and so on… it is a more peaceful and pleasant place.

All in all, I think I was heading in the right direction, this has just firmed up I am more than happy in the moves I was making and has re-enforced I don’t need to chase wealth and business pressures now, I’m happy where I live, I own it which is magic, no more debt and mortgages etc.

I do want to give my parents a hug, mom especially.

Most special thing to happen during all this, was dad (we are men, we don’t talk feelings) on his birthday texted me that I was a great son and said he loved me. Mom and me always express but men don’t usually do they, so that was a major win.

The one thing I am wondering about, is the football. I hate the PL, I despise the way people like Jack are worshipped and how they act (and now he’s auctioned something, all of a sudden he’s a god again) and how they are allowed to. I don’t like the greed, the money, and so much more. I don’t like the way some of the fans are so vile to each other and towards players, refs etc either. And my tie was really stretched when I was moved, because big money told me I had to move (my seat situation). I have enjoyed, once I got over the shock (I don’t take well to change unless it is a planned change, can’t help that, it is part of my dna) corporate, but the money is a lot and so I have a decision to make, depending on if there is a deal to be done to accommodate me and to satisfy the club, whether it is my time to break and watch from the armchair. I don’t know with that. I do know I can’t go where fans stand, at times it would be ok, at other times it would be agony. And I won’t now go back to my old seat, I do realise how wet and cold I used to get and I’m not getting any younger.

So that is the main bit for me, the habit might have been broken, at the very least, I know I am no longer a slave to it. The ‘I must go, it is what I do.” is no longer valid. I’ll go if and when I want, and not when I don’t.

Oh, and I really need to get up a mountain!

I do need to keep reminding myself of the ‘don’t argue with idiots’ thing in life, and also my mantra that I got from my life journey in Malaysia in 2017.

I accept what is.
I let go of what was.
I have faith in what will be.

Peace !