Have a good life mantra!
There is an old Tibetan proverb that’s says; eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure…
Is this the key to living well?
I am really good at two of them, working on the third and in this chaotic world I make as much time as I can for laughter, and I’m optimistic! Since first reading it, the proverb has sort of become my mantra, my watchword and motivator all in one and I try to fulfill it every day. Not as a religious persecution, or punishment, but as my invisible guide and if I can go to bed and feel that I met most, then it was a good day…
I really try to eat as healthy as possible and probably on average we do as a family, but it does help if you grow your own food! Yes, we have crisps and chocolate bars in the cupboard, but only because some of life’s little emergencies need sustenance and solace times!
Eating healthy is cool with me generally, but, eating half? It seems initially like a weird sub text from a slimline advert to be honest, but there are positive and real benefits from doing this. Who else really hates that feeling of being bloated or overstuffed, so, I’m trying! And I don’t mean half a bag of crisps and half a Yorkie either!
So, why are these words important to me, well it’s a step guide routine and, well, it’s easier! Routines mean I need less planning, makes me more efficient, reduces stress, breaks bad habits, gets important tasks done, build momentum and confidence, save money and the most important commodity of all TIME…
My daily routine starts by getting up early and out of bed at 6:00 every morning… I should point out that my second mantra is; bed is best! Lol ! and there is a backup 6:15 alarm , just in case. So you can see the internal struggle and why my getting up early is more a victory of mind over muscle! Anyway, once up there are no second thoughts, no caving in and in no time I’m set! Having a routine is essential for me living well.
Workouts! 45 – 60 minutes in the morning and I’m charged and ready,the morning chores are quickly ticked off, Jamie’s own list of ‘to do’s’ is neatly stuck on the fridge door, I’m ready for whatever the day has in store for me…..
On the farm, every day is different for us and everyday brings its own challenges. As we’re running our business as well, we are never short of some drama or other and probably why I just love living well in the countryside! It’s my escape and my reality of the life I want when a normal day calms to a pace at home.
Walk double! Yes, I do, I really do, I love walking and try to walk as much as I can, so with 70 acres, animals to be fed and the multitude of minor chores that need done I am pretty good at getting the daily walking fixes, so box ticked. Walking is great for living well and we all could do with a double helping it!
Laugh triple needs practice! Not that I don’t like to laugh. We often end up in fits of laughter about simple things, but modern life is sensory bombardment! Set out as a military campaign from a multitude of sources who’s goal seems to be to remind us all how perilous our lives are and how we live in a planet on the verge of annihilation, so if anybody is also struggling with this one, your not alone!
But…life is what you make it and we make a point of finding things that make us chuckle. Like making small aeroplanes out of the to do lists I give him definitely without reading them or drawing faces on the vegetables, or scaring me from round a corner. OK, so the laughing is sometimes more one sided on that one, but you get the message, so make your own.
The fourth one is easy,but just don’t keep the news to yourself…
