Roll Your Sleeves Up and Get Your Hands Dirty
August
Summer
8 months into the year
Where has the time disappeared to?
2019 has been characterised by relentless change that shows no sign of slowing: Engagements, weddings and funerals attended; jobs exited, started or switched up beyond recognition; houses bought and sold; not to mention the imminent arrival of babies.
For myself 2 months into a new career, living with a partner now labelled my fiancé and hurtling towards a wedding, 2019 is passing by as whirlwind of activity and emotion that teeters on delirium. That is to say with a hint of indulgence, it is and has been “hard work”.
And not the work associated purely with finding, applying and starting a new job. Entering into an exciting but unchartered phase in a relationship. The time and effort spent on organising a large event with the conflicting groups of suppliers, friends and family. Adapting to the change in schedule or environment whether that be the peculiar class names at the new gym - if someone could please explain the yogic difference between Sexhale, Contortion or Rolling with my Yogis that would be fab - or the open plan office space missing quiet spots to retreat into.
More the exhausting toil of self-reflection. Amidst all this change I’ve had to get my hands dirty. Do the hard work. Understand why I am - and those who surround me are - pursuing transitions now. Dug into why the change is important, what it means, who this new me is, how it slots into the brave new world that appears to have been created. In essence I’ve had to stop theorising about feelings and start feeling. Nurture the seed of interest in wellness, mindfulness and all that woo woo malarkey to grow it into a purpose intertwined with all my interests.
So the blog has been neglected, fallen fallow, not quite forgotten but certainly not worked on. In its place, I’ve rolled up my sleeves and dug into every book, podcast and conversation available. In this, I’ve got up close and personal, perhaps studied, myself; had to learn and unlearn what I thought I knew. I told myself and others that the writing had dried up because I was too busy, had too much going on - who can write a blog while changing jobs and planning a wedding? In fact, I was taking the time to rediscover my own creativity and reconsider my values and goals beyond the surface. In reaching in and getting my hands dirty with my thoughts and feelings, I joined up the dots between my Food, Travel and Lifestyle preoccupations that I didn’t know were disjointed.
And? Well, this is not a relaunch of Generation Avocado. This post has a flair for the dramatic certainly, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is changing in such a fashion to require that. But what you can expect is more on wellness, possibly more rambling anecdotes and self-reflection, all nestled under ‘lifestyle’ hopefully creating tiny pockets of joy. For if I am honest with myself, I had been creating the blog all along for this purpose, after all what on earth is a Generation Avocado lifestyle but wellness - no?
The super cute, super smiley plant pot included in images was a gifted item from Innocent Planters. They’re an affordable, friendly and sustainable brand and even better their packaging peanuts aren’t just recyclable but dissolve in water which is fun to watch. Please do go check them out!
