Bubble news with Mia
Our lovely Upper North Island Programme Delivery Lead, Mia, has written a blog for us this week, sharing how lockdown life is in her bubble and what she has taken from this experience so far.
Here is my first blog entry of the year - yay I am excited to share some of my bubble news with you. Where to begin… Well let’s start off with how a normal day would look like for me. I get up between 4.30 and 5am. YES even during lockdown. Sure, I am honest with you there was the odd moment where I was tempted to sleep longer. However, I know that keeping my routine is very important for my wellbeing. I meditate and set my intentions for the day. I journal early in the morning as this helps me to start my day with positive thoughts filled with gratitude. Gratitude is an abundance magnet. My body might be tired but my mind is wired :) This self care time is essential to me and is part of my life like brushing my teeth. Then I would get ready for my first training session of the day which usually consists of running or HIIT work. For those who didn’t know - I love boxing. Before the lockdown, I was meant to have my first Amateur Boxing Fight for the year on the 4th of April. I have worked very hard the last 8 months. Was I upset when it got cancelled? Absolutely! It didn't take me long to put this into perspective and realise I am upset about a “First World problem”. I just had to get my mindset right and be grateful for the fortunate situation I am in. I still can work, I have a little space to myself and I am living in a lovely area. Despite this, I set myself challenges for the next month to improve my cardio, my speed and agility. In that way I keep myself accountable and committed to my training. I am determined to keep myself fit and ready for the day when I can fight.
Continuing with my day. After my workout I get ready for work as if I would leave the house. At least the top half of myself and the other half - well you can imagine. On sunny days I take my laptop out in the garden and work under a tree - what a great “office environment”. It is very important to get up, move around and shake up the body in between. These are the moments when I also take a deep breath and soak in my surroundings. There is this energy of peace and silence (apart from the occasional screaming neighbour kid). Everything seems to stand still and shine in a different light. It wasn’t until then, that I realised what a blessing it is to have this time. Mother Nature is one of our greatest role models and she needed a big breather from all the pollution, the noise and the hustle and bustle. We do need a breather too. Unlike Mother Nature we needed to be somewhat forced into that. Adapting to change is a must in life. One thing that is certain, change is always happening whether we recognise it or not. The only way we can grow is by change. Whenever I feel some fear crawling up within me, I take a deep breath in and out and look at Nature. I was observing what Mother Nature does. And there it was the epiphany: As long as Nature is keeping calm and steady then there is absolutely no reason for me to be full of fear.
What do I miss the most? The ocean and the boxing ring! And of course seeing my friends and having real face to face interactions. This time has made me aware that making time for family and friends is crucial and it is not worth it to always be “too busy”. I want to take that message away with me as a reminder.
There is one more “aha-moment” I would like to share with all of you, that happened to me a while ago.
I was going for a longer run on the weekend around the countryside. I was very focused making some speed and challenging myself. Then I saw this big cow, I mean like a really big one and the head was massive. It was all by itself in the paddock. The paddock was full of juicy green grass, I swear it looked more green then outside the paddock. I could not believe what I saw. The cow squeezed her big massive head through the fence, I was not sure how she managed to do that in the first place, but only so she could get to the grass on the outside which seemed ridiculous.
There was an OH and then a WOW! I realised what that meant for me and us humans in general. Here I was in the neutral outsider perspective - the silent observer, I could truly see how the grass inside the paddock was much greener then outside the paddock. The paddock was massive and had so much grass in it that the cow easily could eat for a whole week. Why did she reach to the grass on the outside? Is it a matter of not seeing what we truly have? There is so much inside us that we can discover one lifetime is far too short to explore it all. And there is the human EGO not seeing any of it, only looking to the outside focusing on everything we do not have. There goes this saying: “The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.”
Wow the Cow! Well, that experience made me truly think is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? Or is it just a reflection of where we stand - and looking from the outside we would realise there is no difference at all. What if we are the cow in the paddock right now? I leave the answer to that question up to you.
For now stay IN your bubble and OUT of trouble!
Would you like to share with us what life is like in your bubble! Get in touch with us to be featured on our blog.