You Cannot Suffer The Past Or Future, For They Do Not Exist

There was a magical moment this week when I was getting ready to leave the wagon for work, and as I stepped outside with my coat, scarf and bag on, I saw a big owl swoop across in front of me, it had big white feathers and flew past in complete silence and with elegance. It was most likely a Barn Owl which are very common in Suffolk, and one that regularly hangs out just outside my bedroom window at night making it’s night calls to whomever.

That same morning I was also blessed with yet another beautiful and mystical looking sunrise on the way to work, the photo doesn’t do the colours justice, but you can see that it was -2 degrees and roughly 8am when that picture was taken.

This week I have reflected on the importance of being in the moment, but what does that actually mean? all of this talk on mindfulness, what does it mean to truly live in the moment? For me I feel it’s being able to stay in tune with yourself in that precise moment in time, not thinking about what happened yesterday, or the day before, what somebody said to you, or thought about you in the past, or thinking about the future, worrying what’s to come, or whether you’re going down the right path. It’s about appreciating whatever you are doing at that exact moment in time, whether it’s spending time with someone, or going for a walk with your dog, because all we really have is the now, the past has gone and cannot be changed and the future hasn’t arrived yet. Sometimes we worry about those two things, past and future to the point where we miss the now, and we conjure up feelings that are not linked to the now but the past or the future. So you need to ask yourself, why do I put so much energy into something that does not exist right now?

If you struggle to be in the now, there are ways to trick your mind into doing just that such as activities that help bring your focus and attention to the task at hand, this can include knitting, gardening or playing a musical instrument and in doing these things you will give your mind a much needed rest and feel all the better for it.

I am quite proud of the group of teenagers I support at the Wilderness Foundation and this was felt quite strongly on Saturday when I took them to an indoor rock climbing centre which also has various extreme activities such as ‘the leap of faith’ involving throwing yourself off of a ledge with the aim of grabbing an inflatable in midair and then falling slowly to the ground while you’re attached to a safety cable. You could quite clearly see that the group were terrified of this and other crazy activities bestowed upon them, but they really wanted to push themselves and overcome their fears, and as a result they did it. Each and every one of them ploughed through their fearful instinct to not jump and did it anyway. Me on the other hand ended up having a mini panic half way up a wall where I refused to let go and trust in the safety cable to come down!

The point I am making is this: it is very easy to give advice when you’re a mentor or social worker, adviser or even a friend, if you truly want to make a difference in someone’s life, walk with them, through their pain and hardships, take that brave step yourself and then you will truly be facilitating their healing and development, together.

Truck update

There has been further progress this week with the installation of plumbing, the second layer of insulation which has made a noticeable difference to the inside temperature, the service cupboard, as well as the bathroom area and she is looking very charming. The stained glass window is a nice addition to the bathroom as when the sunlight comes in through the porthole it will shine all of the colours through into the living area in the truck. I had asked for an outside tap to be installed so that I can attach a hose to wash off Loki before she comes in if she’s had a particularly muddy day and this can be seen in the last picture where the bottom square hatch is.

Next week will be the final decision on the electrical set up (this has changed somewhat from the initial plan) and the solar setup.