When doing nothing is the best action.

Ever struggled, when in a difficult situation, to figure out what's the best thing to do? I know I have. There's been many times when I literally found it hard to, 'see the wood from the trees.' I also found that at times like that, struggling to find the answer, or the way out, only seemed to make things worse.

This morning I decided to wear a necklace my hubby had given me as a present. It's four small rubies surrounding a small diamond, on a fine gold chain. As I mainly wear either pink or purple, I don't wear it very often. When I took it out of its box, the gold chain was all tangled and knotted. At first I tried to untangle it in my hand. I was getting nowhere. Then I remembered that in the past when this has happened, I've found it easier if I laid the chain on a hard, flat surface and use something sharp, like a needle, to gently tease the knot apart. I placed the necklace on a table and fetched a needle out of my sewing box ready to begin.

One of the ways that I'm affected by Lupus is that I have very dry eyes as I don't produce sufficient tears to moisten them. As a result I have to put drops in my eyes several times a day. Rather stupidly, I decided to put some drops in, before trying to untangle the chain. This only served to make the task more difficult, as the drops initially make my vision very blurry. At first I tried to persevere, but instead of untangling the chain, I seemed to be making things worse. Eventually I decided to wait for my vision to clear before trying again. This time I was able to untangle the knot in the chain very easily.

As I fastened the chain around my neck, it struck me that there was a lesson to be learned here.  Some of the situations we find ourselves in can, metaphorically, blur our thinking. When we're stressed, suffering a bereavement or have been hurt by the actions of someone we care about, maybe the best thing to do, is nothing; to let it go and just wait until our emotions are less intense and we're able to think more clearly and rationally.

I have heard this before. but somehow having this practical demonstration seemed to really make it hit home. 

Waiting and doing nothing can be very hard to do, especially if you're in a situation that you desperately want to get out of. But by waiting until the time is right we can save ourselves a lot of unnecessary stress.

Like all of life's lessons, this might not always apply. sometimes the right thing to do is to remove yourself from the situation, and then do nothing for a while. I guess learning what's the right thing to do at any given time is all part of life. But I believe that deep down inside us, we know when we're doing, or not doing , the right thing for us at that time.

I did at one point think of putting the necklace back in the box and wearing something else, but I'm glad I persevered. Next time I can't, 'see the wood for the trees,' I'll think of this necklace and the lesson it taught me and hopefully save myself from some unnecessary stress.


Photos Isabel's own plus,

Letting go a courageous thing.jpg courtesy of:- lessonslearnedinlife.com

Best in Witney

I’ve been a volunteer at Cogges ever since it re-opened to the public on the 17^th June, 2011. I remember the opening day very clearly. It was a typical English Summer day, the rain never stopped. But this didn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the hundreds of people who turned out to support us. There were lots of events going on. I remember that I was given the task of standing beside the enormous head of the Wicker Man. After a five minute briefing on the history of it, I was then expected to answer any questions asked by members of the public. One example of the many challenges I've faced by being a volunteer over the years.

In its former life, the farm had been run as a living museum set in the Victorian era. At that time there were lots of animals such as, sheep, cows, chickens, a horse, rabbits and not forgetting the pigs. The 'new' Cogges didn’t have as many animals and by the end of the first season, the question that I, as a volunteer, remember being asked the most was, “Where are the pigs?” There was a mixed reaction from the public. Some of those who remembered it as it was were disappointed, but others who loved the place, were delighted to see it being used again. Those who’d never been before seemed to fall in love with the place and who could blame them. Where else would you find such a peaceful, idyllic place in the heart of a town?

In 2012, when Cogges once again opened for the season, much to the delight of the visitors, not to mention the relief of the volunteers, we were happy to greet the arrival of some piglets and pygmy goats.

Patsy, one of the farm cats, keeping an eye on things.

Four years later and, thanks to the hard work on the part of the staff and volunteers, Cogges is thriving. Already this year we’ve exceeded visitors numbers from the same time last year. When visitors comment, it is to say how much they have enjoyed their visit. We have a large number of season ticket holders who are regularly to be seen enjoying a drink and a chat in the courtyard area while their children play on the tractor, or down in the woodland in the adventure play area. 

But the public haven’t just shown their support by their continued presence.  They’ve recently taken the time to vote for us in the Best in Witney awards, for which we won in the ‘Most Family Friendly’ category. Not only that, but we were also been nominated for the same category in the Muddy Stilettos award. We didn't win this one,  but we’re still honoured and thrilled to have been nominated.

We still have pigs.

We have a lot more to offer than we did in 2011. Colin and his team of staff and volunteers have worked hard and I'm proud to be part of that team. But a large part of the success of Cogges is down to the members of the public who have, and are still, giving us their wholehearted support. We're very grateful for this and I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you. We really couldn’t do it without your support.

Photos courtesy of Isabel and Cogges.

Wickerman courtesy of:- 335 x 448 | 53KB juegosinteractivospme.mx

Video courtesy of Oxbox.tv

Brief encounter.

A few years ago, I was on a plane bound for Edinburgh. I was going to attend a reunion with my school friends and was travelling on my own. Sitting next to me was a tall, blond-haired, American gentleman, aged about 40. Shortly after take off, we fell into conversation and what he told me has never left me. In fact, it is probably one of the biggest factors in my deciding to 'get off my backside' and start living.

As we chatted he told me that he was on his way to Gleneagles for a golfing weekend with some friends, also Americans. I remarked that his wife must be very understanding to let him fly all this way, just for the weekend. It was what he said next that has lived with me ever since.

On September 11th, 2001, he was working in one of the Twin Towers when the planes struck. He described to me in detail just what it was like. The noise, the dust, the people screaming and the intense heat. He was lucky. He managed to make his way down the stairs and escaped with very little in the way of injury. 13 of his friends and colleagues weren't so lucky. As you can imagine, this had a profound effect on him. 

He told me that, prior to this disaster, he had been a workaholic. His wife and children hardly ever saw him and even when he wasn't at work, he spent very little time with his kids. But after 9/11 he decided that this had to change. Surviving the disaster when so many of his friends had lost their lives, brought home to him just how fragile and precious life is. It also made him realise what's really important in life and for him that was his family.

He took the decision to give up his career as a financier in New York, and move his family to Vermont. There he set up his own business as an accountant. He finishes work at the same time that his kids finish school in order to spend time with them. He told me about how he takes them skiing in Winter and plays basket ball and other sports with them in Summer. He obviously doesn't earn as much as he did in New York. But he and his family are much happier.

Playing golf at Gleneagles was something that he'd always dreamt of doing and now he was fulfilling that dream.

Little did I realise when I left the house that morning that I would meet someone, if only briefly, who would have such a profound effect on me.

It must have taken a lot of courage for him to completely change his life in this way. The memory of what happened will never leave him. But he told me that he tries to life his life for his friends and colleagues that lost theirs that day. That too must take a lot of courage. 

Life has been a little difficult of late. But remembering that brief encounter has helped me to realise that I've still got a lot to be thankful for.


Photos courtesy of:-

http://lessonslearnedinlife.com/keep-shining/

Isabel Johnstone 2015 ©