My house is in need of care and repair, and completely irrationally, I was waiting for a miracle (a knight in shining armour, winning the lottery, my ex-husband remembering that it’s where his sons leave…). There hasn’t been a miracle so I thought I’d put aside all thoughts that I don’t know the first thing about DIY and placed an order on Amazon. I sprayed enamel on the bathtub, repainted the tiles, then painted the gate. I am so happy I did this because it made a wonderful difference in not only the way I see my house, but also the way I see myself. I realised I had built up this kind of work in my mind as something I can’t possibly do and I was wrong. 

Funnily enough, for years, I had a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt on an enabled plaque that my brother had brought back from New York many years ago that said, "You must do the thing you think you cannot do." It hung there for a long time and profoundly annoyed me. I’d think, “Yeah, right.” But what I didn’t pay enough attention to was ‘think’, “the things you ‘think’ you cannot do. “ I was glad when it broke. Oh the irony of it all!

There are many other jobs to do, but I have built strength and confidence from this experience and I am excited at the idea of doing more. Oh yes, the irony! 

Now, every time I come home and open the gate, I feel delight (it is a lovely sage green) and I am reminded of how much I can do.

3 QUOTES

• "Soar, eat ether, see what has never been seen; depart, be lost, but climb." Edna St Vincent Millay

• ”You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this (horror). I can take the next thing that comes along.' […] You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

• “We must risk delight. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world.” Jack Gilbert (poet)
   

2 IDEAS

• Every Saturday morning, I go to Marks and Spencer’s to buy a croissant and a pain au chocolat, my favourite pastries and it is my way of starting my weekend with a treat. I set the tone for those two days that are mine to live delightfully. This does wonders for my mental health and happiness. How you start your day creates a momentum so you want to choose something that will attract more of how you want to spend your time. Even though it was cool in the early morning, the sun was out and I captured the picture below and it brought more delight.
   
• When I purchase my pastries, I also pick up a newspaper but not the same one every week. They all offer something different: puzzles, culture, lifestyle, money, society, etc. it is a good exercise for the mind. I don’t read the whole thing. I let my attention be grabbed. Yesterday, I did quite a few puzzles as brain training, read a few articles, some tidbits and noticed a delightful programme (about beach huts) in the TV guide. I don’t often watch television and never look at a guide so there you have it. Change in the newspaper brings change to my day.

1 QUESTION

What is something you ‘think’ you cannot do that you could try?

Valerie 

http://valeriemarsh.com