As a primary school teacher and Mum, the start of every school year is an incredibly busy one. There are labels to make, routines to set in place both at school and at home, plans to write and just so much to do. In the midst of being so busy it is so easy to get bogged down with it all and let the mounting to do lists swamp you completely. I don’t mind sharing with you that six years ago, at this time of year, work pressures amongst other things did get to me and I had a period of time where everything became too much and depression and anxiety took over. Thankfully, with a lot of support from family, friends and counsellors I managed to drag myself out of the darkness. The memory of that time still lurks at the back of my mind, especially at this time of the year when the days begin to shorten and the darker evenings and mornings take over. That is why I am so careful now to count my blessings and be thankful for all the good things I have and the good times I experience. I am not particularly religious but I do make sure to say thank you (I’m not quite sure who to, I just send it out there) as I’m a strong believer that giving thanks and being positive breeds more positivity. For that reason I wanted to post about one of the things that I am feeling most thankful for at this moment in time.
I am very fortunate to work 4 days, so that I have a Friday off to get some jobs done and spend some time with our daughter. On my precious Fridays and at the weekend I try to avoid using the car and walk as much as possible and one of my favourite things in the world is to be able to walk to kindergarten to collect Little Miss from her morning session. When I collected her this Friday her little face lit up when she saw the pushchair and not the car. It was so lovely walking along at a leisurely pace, enjoying the sunshine and chatting with her about her morning without being in a rush to be anywhere or get something done. After about 10 minutes she drifted off for a nap and I savoured the sunshine and fresh air. In December she will be 3 and I know the time will come in the not too distant future where she will no longer want to be in the pushchair and so I shall make the most of all of our little pushchair walks until that time comes.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Karen x
