I cannot believe my last post was October 2020.
Like many of us, my life has changed completely since then.
During the first UK lockdown, in May 2020, my father was rushed to a COVID infected hospital to have a heart valve, pacemaker and stent put in. I didn't think I'd ever see him again.
Fast forward to November 2020 and guess who came to live with me full time. Yes, my 91 year old father! He is an incredibly resilient, positive person and he is my inspiration for defying the odds.
The new living situation I found myself in was another reminder of the yin and yang of life and the battles one's mind brings them.
On one hand I was obviously elated my father was alive and I was able to see him again. On the other hand I sometimes had negative thoughts offering an alternative view. They told me that I would never find a relationship again, as after all, it isn't easy to date or use a chat up line like, "Hi, how do you fancy coming back to mine and meeting my 91 year old father?!".
Negative thoughts still try to tell me I have gone from a free spirited bachelor to a locked in carer but, thankfully, I have trained my mind to ignore the negative thoughts, and just let them flow. If you do not give them fuel to burn they cannot grow bigger. If you have built up a positive mindset to immediately see the positive alternative that helps extinguish their fire.
I realise I am so fortunate to still have my father alive. I love him more than anything and every moment is a blessing I will always treasure. I get to help him live his final years in happiness and comfort.
Side Thought: My life has not turned out like the younger me had imagined. I bet your life is the same!?
The wonderful lesson here is, you will never know what life has in store for you. This fact is so liberating. It is the ultimate positive thought to dispel any negativity in the situation you currently face.
The "unknown" is exactly what makes life worth living and especially during times you feel things aren't going your way. Life naturally gives you hope every second you are living it.
So whatever challenges this COVID era has brought you, and however bad you may feel your life is right now, please know that hope is always lighting up the moment you are in right now with a glow of what might-be.
Learn to focus on a might-be list whenever you need an injection of hope. Imagine wonderful things are around the corner for you, and note, the best thing is you don't have to change what you are doing right now, just be patient and smile knowing life is looking out for you even when you "think" or "doubt" it isn't.
Let me leave you with a Sir Captain Tom Moore who said:
"Things will get better"
RIP ❤
