How lucky am I? Well today I simply want to share with you how lucky I feel right now. In the past 12 months I have had a rollercoaster ride but when I look at my life now I am incredibly happy.
Lola and I do not have a lot of material possessions but we have each other and we have the experiences that we share every day. In addition, having spent many years wandering around the world I find myself back where I grew up. The thing is I no longer desire to look for something better; I can appreciate the countryside that surrounds me and in fact remind myself every time I am out driving just how fortunate I am.
What I have discovered is that I can in fact live a life that I love with very little. Wealth to me is to have family around and to be able to travel and educate my daughter.
I have discovered that if you put your mind to it, mountains can be conquered, goals exceeded; you do have to put your mind to it though.
Our trip last year was one which brought many insights and many challenges but it has only served to drive me to achieve more. Hard work and an enthusiasm for life enabled us to undertake our challenge despite it seeming like an unattainable goal in February last year.
Not a day passes where Lola doesn’t mention the trip, this only serves to inspire me to open her eyes further still. The world and the education it offers is worth so much more than a text book.
To sit on a beach and be asked
“why is sand so small”
“where does it come from”
“how”
“but what makes the tide go backwards and forwards”
is to be given the opportunity to share with your child and if you don’t know the answers, learn them together.
Lola on the day we she discovered where sand comes from
This particular example is one from our time away and it moved to talking about the tides, the moon, the sun, navigation, just to name a few. How can this be compared to a text book?
Lola notices the moon every time it’s visible at night, she knows that you can find you way if you get lost by looking at the sun and the shadows.
She is four.
So, how lucky am I?
I get the pleasure of seeing a wonderful child develop and flourish.
I get to see the beautiful English countryside that I never appreciated before I lived overseas.
I get to plan for our future, to set goals and share them with Lola.
I get to live a life I love, comfortable with the fact that it isn’t perfect but is pretty close.
I get to be me.
How lucky am I? Very lucky.
