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You can make a real difference in your community this year by donating to The Foodbank Project.
Being involved in her community is important to Dominique, but her busy university schedule can make it hard to find the time, so in 2019 her resolution is to donate an essentials bundle for just $18 a … View moreYou can make a real difference in your community this year by donating to The Foodbank Project.
Being involved in her community is important to Dominique, but her busy university schedule can make it hard to find the time, so in 2019 her resolution is to donate an essentials bundle for just $18 a month. www.facebook.com...
Learn more and donate here: www.foodbank.org.nz...
In 2019, make a resolution to donate to The Foodbank Project that will make you feel good and will make a real difference in your community. It's easy to set up a recurring donation online for the frequency and amount that you choose.
Instead of doing something for herself this New Year (and… View moreIn 2019, make a resolution to donate to The Foodbank Project that will make you feel good and will make a real difference in your community. It's easy to set up a recurring donation online for the frequency and amount that you choose.
Instead of doing something for herself this New Year (and struggling to keep the resolution), Ingrid is signing up to The Foodbank Project to donate a Small Family Bundle each month because it's a resolution she knows she can keep. Watch Ingrid's video here: www.facebook.com...
Learn more and donate here: www.foodbank.org.nz...
Many good acts occur during this festive season, which illustrate kindness.
As a Muslim, i don't celebrate Christmas, but my religion emphasises showing kindness on every occasion. Therefore, during this festive period, i would like to extend a hand of friendship and kindness and invite … View moreMany good acts occur during this festive season, which illustrate kindness.
As a Muslim, i don't celebrate Christmas, but my religion emphasises showing kindness on every occasion. Therefore, during this festive period, i would like to extend a hand of friendship and kindness and invite LADIES & GIRLS in my neighbourhood for
a FREE HENNA TATTOO on Saturday 22nd December 2018 from 2pm to 6pm
✏Note:
Free Henna tattoo will be on any one side of your hand that you choose.
Please let me know if you would be interested. :)
This is what November and December feel like to me, like time itself is rushing and racing at an ever-quickening rate until WOOSH—the new year arrives.
We no sooner get the Halloween decorations packed away when the sudden onslaught of party invitations, recitals, end of year meetings, travel … View moreThis is what November and December feel like to me, like time itself is rushing and racing at an ever-quickening rate until WOOSH—the new year arrives.
We no sooner get the Halloween decorations packed away when the sudden onslaught of party invitations, recitals, end of year meetings, travel plans, family get-togethers, decorating to-dos, gift lists, and holiday cards crashes in like a tidal wave.
Lost in a sea of turkey stuffing and stocking stuffers, one critical aspect of my life is swiftly curbed: my connection with my husband, Steve. The person that emerges when I am disconnected with myself and my partner is edgy, stressed, resentful, and exhausted.
In my relentless crusade to provide my family with the “best holidays ever,” I misplace the parts of myself that are patient and easy, slow and kind.
By January, I am spent and I’ve overlooked what the holidays are actually supposed to be about: connection, togetherness, gratitude, and giving.
There’s another way and it starts with one magical word: no.
No to party invitations and to doing more than a single string of lights outside in our front yard. No to perfectly wrapped teacher gifts and to attempting that elaborate (and frankly, out of my depth) potluck dish.
Good enough is the new perfect. Good enough creates white space. White space is where my life actually dwells. It’s the moments of just being, not accomplishing or checking things off a list, where the best parts of my marriage live.
Block out white space
This year, I’ve placed giant blocks of nothing in my Google calendar, placeholders for time to just be with myself and my people. These empty blocks, anywhere from one to four hours in length, are set aside as white space—they’re not waiting to be filled.
They stay deliberately empty and noncommittal. I came upon one this past weekend and it was like finding a rare treasure. Of course, I had no idea what to do with myself. Free time is not something our culture handles well. We fill every moment. And when we find ourselves in an atypical instance with nothing to do, we reach for our smartphone or look around and busy ourselves as quickly as possible. But I just sat, on my couch, in the middle the day. I closed my eyes, took some deep breaths, and felt my whole body smile. White space is glorious. This holiday season, let’s all schedule some nothing time.
Tune into the moments
Even when Steve and I are committed to being with other people, whether it’s a family function or a party, we usually have the drive there and back to connect. Often, we miss out on the opportunity to really turn towards each other, either because one of us is on our phone or we’re having a surface-level conversation.
I’ve realized that we can use these to and fro moments to really tune in. We can drop a layer deeper and ask better questions. Same goes for bedtime. If I’m not exhausted from a chaotic gust of activity from dawn to dusk, I can find a few quiet minutes before I drift off to sleep to connect with Steve. The key is having something left in my batteries for him and not expending every bit of energy I have on holiday perfectionism.
Slow down
In a guided meditation I was recently listening to on Insight Timer, the speaker introduced me to the idea that we can actually feel like we can slow time by slowing our breathing, our bodies and our motions. When I’m buzzing around my house like a tornado, my life feels a little out of control, like I’m in a speeding car clutching the steering wheel with a white knuckled grip.
But when I slow down, literally exaggerate my movements like I’m pretending to be a sloth, it’s as if the world begins to pace itself to me. Perspective immediately sets in. The lens pulls back. I suddenly see that I’m being a crazy person and I’m probably missing the point of the whatever I am doing. When I slow down and become less frantic, I can see that I actually do need a hand and I can invite Steve into the kitchen to work with me.
I speak more kindly to everyone instead of harshly barking orders to Steve and the kids like a drill sergeant. I let go of getting it all done. I get less prickly and thus easier to connect with.
It’s an inside job
Staying connected with Steve, I’ve recently realized, is an inside job. If you’d asked me last year how a couple can stay connected through the holidays, I would have suggested they schedule more date nights or make sure they meet on the couch twice a week to catch up.
But now I realize it’s really about making myself more available and accessible in our day-to-day life instead of running myself ragged and becoming boorish and bitchy. By taking better care of myself, slowing down, tuning in, and getting grounded, the best version of myself emerges.
If the holidays become a tireless and harried flurry of getting stuff done, Steve is quickly (and brusquely) relegated to my sous chef and errand boy. But when I slow down and put things into perspective, I remember who he really is to me: my partner and the person I always dreamed of creating holiday memories with. Look, none of the holiday trappings mean anything if I’ve attained them by force and fury. Having a joyful, connected holiday season is absolutely possible. But if it is to be, it’s up to me.
Showcase your best photography and you could WIN one of six $2,000 Canon vouchers. Enter your photo into one of six categories:
- Great Outdoors
- People and Communities
- Kiwi Summer
- Thrill and Adventure
- Urban Life
- Bach and Backyard
Our favourite entries will be published in … View moreShowcase your best photography and you could WIN one of six $2,000 Canon vouchers. Enter your photo into one of six categories:
- Great Outdoors
- People and Communities
- Kiwi Summer
- Thrill and Adventure
- Urban Life
- Bach and Backyard
Our favourite entries will be published in your local newspaper and on stuff.co.nz/photoawards
Hi & Merry Xmas
1 x white wooden pre-loved cot for sale (excluding mattress).
Base is approx. 1180mm long by 550mm wide for mattress sizing.
Pick up is Wainui - anytime over the next week as I am off work and having a big clean out.
If interested, please text me on 0274 905 395 to arrange … View moreHi & Merry Xmas
1 x white wooden pre-loved cot for sale (excluding mattress).
Base is approx. 1180mm long by 550mm wide for mattress sizing.
Pick up is Wainui - anytime over the next week as I am off work and having a big clean out.
If interested, please text me on 0274 905 395 to arrange viewing/pick up etc as Im busy having a big change around and wont be able to monitor this site until the evening. Thanks.
We might just have the answer for you!
We are part of a global business, which has been operating since 2008, and this is the change that you’ve been looking for.
The awesome people who want to build a fantastic 2019 with us, will be looking for:
🎅 An opportunity to learn from … View moreWe might just have the answer for you!
We are part of a global business, which has been operating since 2008, and this is the change that you’ve been looking for.
The awesome people who want to build a fantastic 2019 with us, will be looking for:
🎅 An opportunity to learn from successful and empowering entrepreneurs
🎅 A great business model with a simple three-step business process
🎅 A system that comes with an established back office, which does a lot of the hard work
For more information – visit our website.
If you’re still undecided whether this is for you, we’ll send you our Transformation Guide to help inspire you!
We can’t wait to connect with you!
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