Pots of Love & Kindness x

Sunday 15th December
Wrinkles are just antique smiles.




Another very good day inthe Longsden household, mom was mostly on form, any sign of slipping and I managed tocajole her back, we had a giggle over her tins, she obsessed withsaving tins as storage, two the night before she'd put in a bag to take upstairs with her handbag, I told her I'd bring her stuff up, then when I did she asked where her tins were, I said oh I left them downstairs, they'll still be there tomorrow. I was hoping she'd forget, but no dementia don't work like that at all. When I got home from work we're sat there and she shows them to me, said Anne had tried to put them in the bin but she'd been and got them out lol, I'd actually put them in thekitchen and even without communicating my sister knew the score and continued to follow out my cunning plan, but we both failed because we will never be a patch on the one who created us in the first place. It did make me chuckle and to be honest if a row of empty tins make her happy, well why not!

I carried on listening to my 'Tao of Pooh' book whilst walking, it's full of clever bits of wisdom, one Imentioned in my workshop on the morning was;

A saying from the area of Chinese medicine would be appropriate to mention here: One disease, long life; no disease, short life. In other words, those who know whats wrong with them and take care of themselves accordingly will tend to live a lot longer than those who consider themselves perfectly healthy and neglect their weaknesses. So, in that sense at least, a Weakness of some sort can do you a bigfavour if you acknowledge its there. The same goes for ones limitations, whether Tiggers know it or not - and Tiggers usually dont. Thats the trouble with Tiggers, you know: they can do everything. Very unhealthy.

But after walking Alfie when I got back, this was the bit that hit home and stayed with me, the bit that I wanted to share with others to give themsomething to think about, I like to think I make others contemplate stuff! Oh to be a very, clever bear...


What do you like doing best in the world, Pooh?
"Well", said Pooh, "what I like best______" and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.

The honey doesn't taste so good once it is being eaten; the goal doesn't mean so much once it is reached; the reward is not so rewarding once it has been given. If we add up all the rewards in our lives, we won't have very much. But if we add up the spaces between the rewards, we'll come up with quite a bit. And if we add up the rewards and the spaces, then we'll have everything - every minute of the time that we spend. What if we could enjoy it?

The Christmas presents once opened are Not So Much Fun asthey were while we were inthe process of examining, lifting, shaking, thinking about, andopening them. Three hundred andsixty-ice days later, we try again and find that the same thing has happened. Each time the goal is reached, it becomes Not So Much Fun, and we're off to reach the next one, then the next one, then the next.

Thatdoesn't mean that the goals we have don't count. They do, mostlybecause they cause us to go through the process, and it's the process that makes us wise, happy, or whatever.

I like to think that if we can keep this in mind, we could enjoy the struggles of our weight loss journey, I've always said if I could be naturally thin but not enjoy food, I'd take being overweight and struggle with it instead thank you very much, some things aren't worth having if you have to lose something in return!

Having a tidy houseyesterday wouldn't have been worth losing those lucid hours with my mom, nah, but I'll try not to use that as an excuse this morning to ignore my office, I'm going to give it my best shot, surely it can't take that long, if I start the minute I finish this blog, it'll soon look something like an office again instead of an episode of hoarders!

Anyway (I do know I type that word a lot by the way ;) I noticed a post by a lovely lady last night talking about her work with the Walsall Street Ministry and I thought let's get themsome stuff to help, so I posted asking my Facebook friends and members to help me make a Pot Noodle Pile! (Pooh would like that I reckon) and I'm hoping that over the next week, they will all bring in pot noodles, biscuits and hot and cold drinks.

Someone did ask how the homeless would get the hot water for the pot noodles and as Trudi explained, theyhave a gazebo and access to an electricity point at the side of St Paul's Church. It's good to know they are there for anyone who needs a listening ear, hot drink and pot noodle. However many of the homeless visit us. If they have a surplus of goods they also share with Walsall night shelter.

If this Christmas our biggestproblem is we're scared we'll eat too much food and gain a few pounds - how lucky are we! Here's hoping you can help my pot noodle pile, or give me some cash for them to buy whatever they need forsupplies, it'll all go to someone who needs it xx. And now I fancy a blinkingChicken and Mushroom pot noodle! Apparently they're 50p in Asda at the moment x

Mwah, luv ya

Love me xx