Innocence of Yester Year Seems Out of Place

I have just seen a little girl learning to ride her bike. The scene was at once extremely familiar, and yet as I watched her, I realised how the little girl on her bike seemed totally out of context to the surroundings that she found herself in.

Let me explain further. You see, the scruffy little one must have been about 12 years old. She was decked out in a long, thick, soft pink coat that was a few sizes too big for her and reached past her knees, threatening to get caught in all those parts of the bike that seem hungry to grab a hold of just such a tempting morsel of clothing. She had a pudding bowl haircut, very unlike the styled cuts I see on youngsters these days. Barefoot and standing up on the pedals of her over sized single speed postman bike, she was struggling against the friction of the road and the large tyres, the concentration etched on her face.

Balancing on those pedals and being out of the saddle while trying to get enough momentum to keep the bike upright could not have been easy, but her natural instincts – so seldom called into play for most youngsters – had her leaning slightly forward to keep her centre of gravity. This meant carrying a lot of her weight on her arms which were splayed out wide to grab hold of the over sized handle bars of cold shiny curved steel, her small hands white-knuckled around the plastic grooved grips that were worn smooth over the many years of previous riders steering the bike all about town.

There was a slight wobble to this whole scenario, but not like you normally see with a youngster learning to ride today where they can sommer put their feet down to stop a fall. I should think this little ragamuffin had simply grabbed the only bike available to her, or as in the olden days, she had managed to get her hands on a big’ bike - so much more alluring and exciting than a children’s bicycle. No bright yellow easy-to-ride prissy little bikes for this tough nut. She was gritting it out on this old iron horse, that concentrated expression showing brief glimpses of pure joy before slipping back into the more earnest work of staying upright.

This image was one of days gone by for me and I have not seen this type of riding for a long time. It was a nostalgic surreal few seconds that was initially so calm and natural and then when I came back from my reminiscing, it looked so incredibly out of place. As if I was on a movie set or back in a small Karoo town and not the city bowl of Cape Town.

A change would do you good...

About a month ago I found myself feeling a bit dull, anxious and generally unenthusiastic about my life. I decided the only way I was going to feel better was to make a few changes, So I sat down and made a list…

Here are some of the changes I have set out to make in my life (and how I am trying to keep them up):

1. Make better food choices- If I can’t make my own food, I try make healthier choices when I eat out (note: Wellness Warehouse in Kloof street has a fabulous buffet). When I crave chocolates I rather buy a yogurt or some fruit to get a sugar fix. I try to eat smaller portions. I try to stay away from anything deep fried, frequent caffeine drinking and processed food.
2. Do more exercise – I found that I was starting to get into a life routine that didn’t make any time for exercise. Now, I have started trying to do some form of exercise nearly everyday (yup, I said everyday). I have started jogging and walking in the evening when the weather allows - I try to go out for at least 15 to 20 minutes (its great thinking and music listening time). I try to head to the gym at least twice a week (for a change). When I feel too unmotivated to get out and exercise, I do my own home exercises (like: stretching, ball exercises, squats and lunges)

3. Drink more water - I now take a bottle with me to work everyday and try to drink at least 1 litre of water during my work day. Having a bottle on my desk reminds me drink water at work. Click HERE to read tips on how to drink more water everyday.
4. Pop good pills - I have started taking vitamins daily. As much as I try to eat healthy I don’t always get all the nutrition I need from my diet. I also find that taking Salmon Oil (Omega 3)has been making a huge difference to my hair and nails.
5. Clear all the clutter –When my environment is cluttered I find myself less productive and more anxious. Its amazing how good it feels to walk into a organised space. I have resolved to keep my work and home spaces as free from clutter as I can (notes: I have found its best to set out a whole day to just focus on cleaning and sorting out a cluttered space. Start with one room at a time. Dont be afraid to throw away things. Donate things that others can use).
6. Stop sweating the small stuff- It seems so easy to say but so hard to do. The way I have started to help myself stress less about silly, little things is by changing my attitude. Now I am starting to see if it’s something little and not actually a crisis its best to just remain calm and let it go. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.......which leads me to my next change....
7. Think positive things - Its so easy to let the world get you down and make you negative. I dont want to be negative anymore... I dont want to hold onto negative thoughts and feelings. I have resolved to speak more positively, think happy thoughts and let go of things that make me think negatively. Like Budda says: "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

Some people say a change is as good as a holiday and I am finally starting to believe that is true…..

What positive changes do you want to make in your life?