Recipe of hope day 4

A battle against despair

Hello everyone. So, when I started this site, I promised to be transparent and write with integrity, so here goes.

Yesterday I had my biggest challenge of the New Year. Due to very very unforeseen circumstances regarding my accommodation, I am having to cut short a most wonderful, dreamy, relaxing holiday in Australia and fly back to the UK.

I woke early today feeling dreary and dismal. I sit here typing about hope when I am struggling to find any. I do not want to go back home; I was going to extend my stay and instead I am paying extra money to lose a great chunk of my holiday.

So my recipe for hope today is the choice to make the best of a bad job. I have several items on my wish list, some of which may be done, some may not. I do not feel in the least but hopeful-I feel sad and grey. But I choose to hope that I will be able to do some lovely things before I fly away.

It is trite to say I will count my blessings, because at this moment I do not want to. I will say that I do not wish to inflict my negative frame of mind on those around me, so I will try my level best to enjoy what I am doing each day.

Gritty perseverance is being put into play today against the feeling that everytime I am happy it is snatched away from me. It is okay to be disappointed, it is okay to feel sad, but I will still try to pursue a hopeful path nonetheless. Hope in the face of emotional pain.

I am learning many things from this hope journey. I would today describe hope as an attitude rather than an emotion and this involves a choice.

And just to add I poured out my heart to Oscar my beautiful furry friend last night. He looked up at me with his oracle eyes and spoke in cat language that he understood. And I know he did.

I truly appreciate people reading and liking my posts. It makes me feel this site is worth writing.

Let’s battle on hoping X

Hope recipe day 3

Hello everyone. This is my third day of writing. Firstly, a huge thank you to those of you who have visited my site or liked my posts-it touches my heart that people like my words. Thank you too to those of you who have started following me. This gives me hope that what I am doing is worthwhile.

So today I want to talk about hope in the face of catastrophe. I am writing this from New South Wales in Sydney Australia. As I am sure you aware the beautiful nation of Australia is on fire. A huge amount of wildlife and also humans have been killed. The sate of New South Wales where I am staying is in a state of emergency.

So how does one remain hopeful in a time of tragedy? First and foremost, I feel very close to my family here. We are pulling together and are currently looking after a traumatised cat named Oscar, who belongs to a family member. He is a beautiful rag doll cat with creme caramel fur. Last night he wanted food at about 3.30 am so I didn’t get to sleep until about 4.30! But my view is he has had trauma, so deserves to be spoilt.

I went to watch the Sydney fireworks despite them being held in the midst of a total fireban. I joined with people from many nations in a hope of a brighter decade, a new vision for 2020. There was so much camaraderie and joy. I felt a great togetherness-connectedness with other humans who wanted to share in a momentous event together. I was touched by the kindness of people saving my spot, so I could sit down and complimenting me. A man from France said ‘you are lovely’ and this made me feel so special. Thank you to him. Another stranger said he liked the colour purple (the colour of my trainers). That made me feel warm inside. Thank you to him. These small touches of kindness really make an impact. And finally thank you to the couple who guarded my belongings, so I could stand at the front of the wire and enjoy myself without anxiety. I had never met you before but I am very grateful.

I watch the news and am tempted to feel despair, however I pray for rain daily. I am also extremely grateful for the few drops we have had. I stood under the sky on January 2nd and let the rain fall on my upturned face. I have learnt to be grateful for things I have previously taken for granted-safety from fire, freedom from smoke filled air, my health and of course rainwater which is so precious.

So my recipe for hope is to accept with gratitude the blessings that are in our lives and focus on these things. I also plan to visit the koala hospital at Port Macquarie and want to adopt a koala to support their wonderful work.

Sometimes sadly tragedy engulfs us in our own family, or even engulfs a nation. I am overwhelmed by thinking about the brave firefighters and volunteer firefighters who have given their lives to keep us safe. My heart goes out to them and their families.

Thanks for reading. Please let me know if you have any questions or commets.

Keep Hopeful XX

Recipe for hope day 2

I have always been a reluctant cook. This was started when my first attempt to make a Victoria sponge was marked by laughter because the final product at an angle, rather t flat. A photograph marked the event.

This was coupled with school cookery lessons where no-one ever wanted to be my partner. I dreaded those weeks. I did not know I had dyspraxia which impacts hugely on culinary skills.

So this led to a mindset of ‘cant cook, won’t cook’. I became avoidant and when I invited people around I struggled with my inadequacy in this area. I could never think of what to make and many of my friends are skilled in the kitchen.

So yesterday I was helped to make a quiche. A wonderful lady named Mary patiently talked me through preparing the pastry and putting the ingredients together. She basically held my hand as we did this together.

No it wasn’t perfect. It could have been neater, it could have been better cooked st a slightly lower temperature. However I was really proud of having faced a deeply ingrained fear of failure. And what’s more, I actually enjoyed it. I am going to make a flummery next.

My second learning of 2020 hopefulness, has been the impact of animals on me. I had a really tough 2019 as I know many others have. I longed for some fur therapy. Having come to Sydney, for a break, I have been blessed by beautiful guide dogs and a wonderful little Pomeranian named Honey, who has a gift of escapology; squeezing through any gaps, to come and visit at every opportunity. On one occasion she barked at our door to be let in then eventually, she realised it was pointless, gave a quick bark as if to say ‘ bye’ and padded off.

There is also the truly lovely Oscar who is staying here. He is a stunning rag doll cat with profound blue eyes and creme caramel fur. Last night he landed on my bed and I had to sleep on the other side.

Today’s recipe for hope is to try new challenges and break the mould of self-defining negative thought patterns. It might be a dormant dream, or a label that has been placed upon you that you may wish to smash. It may be hard, but it is worth persevering.

The second hope ingredient is to spend time with animals. They are very therapeutic and show empathy and love. I am not allowed pets in my rented property, but I have been able to enjoy other people’s animals while on holiday. Consider offering to walk someone’s dog or pet sitting. There is a website for this and you can combine it with a holiday.

Thank you for reading. Please send me comments, questions, or ideas.

I hope you are enjoying my site. Have a hopeful week X

Hope Recipes day 1

Hello world. This is my first post of 2020 and I hope you will enjoy reading my blog.

The aim of my blog is to look at what hope means and how to remain hopeful.

So yesterday I had a huge internal dilemma as to whether to see the Sydney fireworks on my own or be with my family at the start of the new decade. I have spent much of my life doing things alone and here was one more example. I battled with trying to change the mould. I could be among those I loved.

I wrestled with what I really wanted. I wanted my family with me. I was very conflicted. But I carefully considered how I would feel if I missed out on a moment of history.

I decided that the fireworks were a once in a lifetime moment. It was the start of a new decade. I went with trepidation alone. However I soon got talking to people from Norway, Adelaide, Japan, Italy and South Korea.

The atmosphere was wonderful. As the furnace heat of the day dissipated, excitement grew and I let my 2019 go. I had thankfully found a lovely companion who was also alone.

So my hope recipe for 1st January is to be brave and do things on your own. Other people are kind and welcoming. One couple kindly guarded my belongings.

The second ingredient was to allow myself permission to do what I really wanted and not what I felt I should do. I thought long and hard about my decision, but it was the right one.

The third ingredient was to embrace the moment. I didn’t have a fabulous camera, so I asked people to email me their photos. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But I relaxed and enjoyed the arrays around me; sparkling gondolas, the harbour bathed in hues of colour, breathing in the sounds, sights and smells of the start of a new decade.

And finally. I allowed myself to be silly. At one point I thought some people were making fun of me as I danced by the wire and sang and waved my coke bottle in the air. But actually I think they were just laughing with me, sharing my joy and enjoying the moment too. I have spent too much of my life caring what others think.

So there are some ingredients for a hopeful day. I am going to post every day. I’d love to have your comments.

Thanks for reading and a hopeful New Year to you all Hope X

Happy 2020 world#new year#hope#sydney

This is the start of my hope journey. Please join me as I work out what hope actually means.

Greetings from baking Sydney. Let the fireworks commence!

Hope2020

Sitting here baking in the Sydney heat waiting for 2020. Fireworks are a long time away but worth watching for. I am hopeful to make changes to my choices in 2020. That for me is hope. Learning lessons and doing things differently.

Happy new year readers Hope xx

New decade new hope#2020#suicideprevention#mentalhealth#hope#feelingpositive

Almost there. A new chapter for us all. I wanted to post my aims for the journey into hope site.

So I will try to write some daily hope recipes. I will write some hope ingredients which you can then use to create your own recipe for daily hope. I will be honest about what has helped me and look at the why and the how. I want to understand how to keep hope alive.

The purpose is to help assuage the pain which so many of us are feeling and I want to reach out to any who are feeling suicidal to encourage you to fight on because the world needs you to remain in it.

Please comment and let me know what you think. This is an experiment and I hope you enjoy reading as much as I’m enjoying writing this. Hope X

Coming soon adventure into hope#zerotohero#suicideprevention#mentalhealth#hope#keepingpositive

The New Year is almost with us. New Year’s resolutions, new decade resolutions. My plan is to write daily about a journey to explore hope.

So dear readers please join me on 1st January 2020 as we will venture forth together. I will be transparent and write with integrity. Hope you will enjoy the site. Hope X

Journey into hope 2020

So without going into detail, 2019 was undoubtedly the toughest year of my life.

I want to journey into hope in 2020 and I hope you will journey with me.

This is an experiment based on the film ‘Julie and Julia’. But rather than trying food recipes I am going to try a recipe for life.

So each day in 2020 I will post about how I have kept hope alive, even if it’s been a battle.

I hope to learn many things along the way.

Hope you enjoy this blog

See you on January 1st 2020

Hope X

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