Be proud of the small things.

Be proud of every scar on your heart, each one holds a lifetime’s worth of lessons.

- Wallace Stegner

Life has a funny way of presenting itself sometimes. There can be a jumble of highs and lows. Periods in time when highs heavily outweigh the lows and vice versa.

We can be on course, and things inevitably rear up to set us on an alternate path. We can find ourselves stumbling along in the dark, arms outstretched. Seeking answers or validation from outside sources.

We are bombarded with negativity online, on television, on social media. Outlets pushing their own agendas, feeding fear and uncertainty. I sometimes stop and wonder, what kind of world is this that we are all living in? How did we get here? I find myself asking, ‘Can I hear some good news today?’

Despite all the overwhelming noise out there, there is so much beauty in this world when we take a moment to stop, breathe and look. It doesn’t have to be big. The smallest thing that can spark even a hint of a smile, and can dent the impact of the negativity.

Hearing ‘that’ song. Rereading ‘that’ dogeared book. Specific for me, hearing Alison Hammond laugh. It’s infectious, her laugh makes me laugh. If you don’t know who she is google her.

My mum is a wonderful cook, but unfortunately when I was a little girl neither my borther or I were interested in helping in the kitchen and my mum would never force us.

My brother miraculously has a captivating thirst of cooking and experimenting in the kitchen now that is inspiring. My culinary skills are very limited, however, I will go off piste and add marmite or throw in some chocolate every now and then. Me and my husband have started to look at ways to cut costs when food shopping, and with ready meals being a firm favourite, we are banishing them from the menu in favour of a dish that will provide multiple meals across the week. So last night, as a 42 year old woman, I made my first ever lasagna from scratch. It might sound strange, but lasagna is one of those dishes that has always intimidated me. I made it, and I was proud of myself. It is something so small. Something so insignificant to others. But for me, it was an achievement, and I was proud of myself. So much so that I am writing a blog post about it! But seriously, it got me thinking about these small things. Things that happen everyday, that we dismiss or don’t even acknowledge because we are weighed down with life. We need to stop. Breathe. Acknowledge. Be proud. Congratulate. Life can be hard, and the weight can be heavy at times. So it is really important to be a cheerleader for the small wins. It doesn’t matter if you are a silent self cheerleader who would shy away from external praise, or a backflipping attention seeking cheerleader. Just cheer. Recognise and celebrate your wins no matter how small, and stop and look for the beauty in the world. It is so very easy to see the dark, so be someone that brings the light to each day, no matter how small you may think it is. Because light spreads.

There is so much beauty in this world when we take a moment to stop and look

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