Pole Position
Sometimes I have the attention span of a gnat and sometimes it’s infinitely longer than my years. And more than once I’ve been sorely tempted to give up and throw in the towel. I didn’t. I put this down to discipline. The kind applied through commitment, hard work, patience and endurance. It’s taken all of that AND some!
VPL
VPL is short for Very Penneylane. They’re my take on everyday lessons from life. Lessons learnt and others where I missed the boat completely. Life’s long or short, depending on which end of the paddle you draw. Either way, being stuck up a creek without one makes for some interesting observations.
About that Lesson
Getting here has been a marathon, yet this post is a milestone. It’s my 1000th post. And as those words fall from my fingertips onto this page, it really does feel momentus. I feel elated.
I’d have got here sooner except that in 2006 when we transferred my website lock stock and barrel over to my new web hosts, the movers managed to lose almost a year and a half of my blogs.
There were, as you might have imagined: tears, a regulation tanty and a self-imposed time-out. They were testy times. But it was a turning point for me too. You see, I believe everyone is entitled to drop the ball a few times in life. Stuff happens. It’s picking the ball up and running with it again — that’s the ‘easy-not-to-do’ bit. I encourage you to pick the ball up and run again and again and again. Especially when inexplicable stuff happens to you.
Keep doing it until it’s second nature. That’s the lesson from all of life. When you fall down, get up and run again and again and again. I like that in life, there just aren’t enough rocks for us to hide under. As Seuss said,
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the [girl] who’ll decide where to go.”
My tanty was shortlived of necessity, keep them that way because navel-gazing is a waste of energy and the real world never goes away. Tears connect us to the emotions of loss, separation or simply letting go.
Girls they say, can conjure up tears at the drop of a hat — that’s only true if the reason for them matters to us. You can quote me, “many things matter to us, the tears are a dead-set giveaway to clue you in!”
The Lessons no-one tells you you’ll Learn
When I began writing this blog 1000 posts ago, I never imagined the places I would go with it, or the people and the issues I would meet along the way. I hope like me, you’ve learnt and keep learning new things, welcome new understandings or greater tolerance on issues at many levels. Issues that connect us in our common humanity. You see, to me — MindStyle will always matter. Not just what you think but how you think about it.
Thank You
Holding pole position as I do today, in my website, on my terms, continues to bring me a good deal of personal satisfaction and I appreciate that you join me regularly. Thank you. Keep returning, dig deeper in the website because there’s some real gold in these pages. Tell your friends — because in 2012 again, there’ll be something for everyone, I promise.
© Gail Penney 2011 PREVIOUS BLOG POST: The Food Bill: 160-2 (2010)
