Day 47 (Monday 16th January 2017)
Today is my father's 86th birthday. Yesterday my sons and I went to a Burgundy and Bangers party that he hosted for 28 friends. Great fun. I'm looking forward to next year's event and hope that he has a brilliant day today.
Denise Sanderson-Estcourt, the author of today's post, is an HR, OD and Learning specialist, working at the Royal College of Physicians. Denise describes her interests as Family, Fashion, Faith and Football. She is been a fearless campaigner, raising awareness of and funds for breast cancer, and has even been a glamorous Calendar Girl for the cause. She is also a fashion stylist and image consultant with her own business, Damson Belle - advising individuals on colour, style and cut (hair and outfits) to ensure that they look and feel their best. She is a loving and proud mother of a gorgeous son. Denise is an active blogger with various sites to cover her interests - work, fashion, and health. She lives in London.
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| 47% of UK children eat confectionary at least once a day, only 1 in 10 has 5 portions of fruit and 20% have no fresh fruit or vegetables at all on a daily basis. Nearly 40% of Millennials surveyed my Mintel said that cereal was inconvenient for breakfast, because they had to wash up after eating it. Less than 60% of suppers in the UK were cooked at home last year, compared to 75% 30 years ago. A 2014 survey by Braun found that 82% of parents used to do household chores when young, but of those parents, only 28% of them required their children to do chores. |
Today is my father's 86th birthday. Yesterday my sons and I went to a Burgundy and Bangers party that he hosted for 28 friends. Great fun. I'm looking forward to next year's event and hope that he has a brilliant day today.
Denise Sanderson-Estcourt, the author of today's post, is an HR, OD and Learning specialist, working at the Royal College of Physicians. Denise describes her interests as Family, Fashion, Faith and Football. She is been a fearless campaigner, raising awareness of and funds for breast cancer, and has even been a glamorous Calendar Girl for the cause. She is also a fashion stylist and image consultant with her own business, Damson Belle - advising individuals on colour, style and cut (hair and outfits) to ensure that they look and feel their best. She is a loving and proud mother of a gorgeous son. Denise is an active blogger with various sites to cover her interests - work, fashion, and health. She lives in London.
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The blog that it
became!
This is not the blog
I'd intended to share. That one (drafted weeks ago) will for now, remain a
long, disjointed reflective letter to self.
Instead this is the blog I can write right now. The one that I feel I can share, that talks about where I'm at in this moment.
Writing about the highs and the heart stuff wasn't that much of an issue.
At work, we've had a focus on celebrating success, so thinking about work highs (brand, putting OD on the map, some great training organised and training delivered that was well received) was no issue.
Thinking about life's highs was also a nice experience - the family holiday, re-learning how to ride a bike, most of the time with my son (parenting isn't always a joy!) and seeing the lantern exhibition - an unexpired pleasure, with said son, would all be on the list. Such things also speak to the 'heart' bit - family time, downtime, fun time, bright things, learning and creativity for example.
The writing about the "hollows" however was a different story - as a usually open person, the block felt like an odd, self-challenging situation. Somehow I just can't get the words around that theme so as to make sense from my head to the page. In truth, I'm not yet brave enough to go into the memory of the heavy hollows that I found myself in last year.
I've struggled therefore to write on all three aspects of the title (and that was feeling like a bit of a cop-out to me), and so I nearly submitted nothing at all.
But thanks to kindness and patience from Kate and a bit of a talking to (by me from me), here I am, sharing something written on a long train journey home.
The hollows piece may show up at some point, but for now I'll just share what I knew was the summary point of my previous attempts to write on the hollows part of the original blog:
So there you have it.
The blog that wasn't going to be is now this blog, you see!
And finally, the lesson for me in finally submitting this is...
Doing something over nothing = Feeling like a failure averted!
Instead this is the blog I can write right now. The one that I feel I can share, that talks about where I'm at in this moment.
Writing about the highs and the heart stuff wasn't that much of an issue.
At work, we've had a focus on celebrating success, so thinking about work highs (brand, putting OD on the map, some great training organised and training delivered that was well received) was no issue.
Thinking about life's highs was also a nice experience - the family holiday, re-learning how to ride a bike, most of the time with my son (parenting isn't always a joy!) and seeing the lantern exhibition - an unexpired pleasure, with said son, would all be on the list. Such things also speak to the 'heart' bit - family time, downtime, fun time, bright things, learning and creativity for example.
 |
| Magic Lantern Festival at Chiswick House, West London |
The writing about the "hollows" however was a different story - as a usually open person, the block felt like an odd, self-challenging situation. Somehow I just can't get the words around that theme so as to make sense from my head to the page. In truth, I'm not yet brave enough to go into the memory of the heavy hollows that I found myself in last year.
I've struggled therefore to write on all three aspects of the title (and that was feeling like a bit of a cop-out to me), and so I nearly submitted nothing at all.
But thanks to kindness and patience from Kate and a bit of a talking to (by me from me), here I am, sharing something written on a long train journey home.
The hollows piece may show up at some point, but for now I'll just share what I knew was the summary point of my previous attempts to write on the hollows part of the original blog:
- Sometimes your heights are swiftly followed by your hollows - I think to keep you grounded.
- Sometimes your hollows lead you to heights (of sorts!) for example how, for me, attending a funeral last year lead to reconnecting with much loved but long (emotionally) lost family.
- Sometimes your hollows lead you to your heart's needs and dreams and other such things.
- Sometimes your hollows lead to you seeking help and finding the heart in others.
- But always, always the heart will get you through the hollows and to your heights, if you'll go with it.
So there you have it.
The blog that wasn't going to be is now this blog, you see!
And finally, the lesson for me in finally submitting this is...
Doing something over nothing = Feeling like a failure averted!
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