The Day after Yesterday

While I was on my travels, I became enthralled by a pair of hummingbirds that lived around the eco lodge. Elusive little creatures, I would wait silently, watching for them to appear. And eventually they would flit into the foliage in front of me, sometimes hovering for a nano second before darting off; other times lingering for a long tender moment, beak drawing out the sweetness from a favourite flower while suspended in the air, little wings fluttering. Just long enough to capture the magic in my memory.

Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird

There are hummingbirds at work in the green spaces around me in Africa. Distant cousins of the hummingbirds across the seas, with different colouring and beaks which are less long. Similarly their visits are fleeting but memorable, as they seek out their sustenance and go about their daily hummingbird work.

I find myself comforted by the presence of the hummingbirds. Grounded. Reminded that we live in a precious world. I can trust those little hummingbirds in their authenticity and integrity.

A couple of years ago, one of my three words was “integrity”. In fact it was my core word for that year, deliberately placed at the centre of my three word mantra. The words which I wrote about my choice of “integrity” in January 2014 continue to ring true.

“Do the right thing when no one is looking” is a (para) phrase which I read somewhere and I quietly lean on. I have seen it attributed as a definition of integrity but to me it means more than that. It speaks of quietly doing the right thing, without calling attention to what you are doing, so for the “right” reasons. It conveys the importance of being true to yourself and your values no matter how invisible or inconsequential that act may seem.  We live in challenging times, where priorities and demands conflict and by selecting integrity, I am setting out the importance of ensuring that in everything I do, I must remain true and loyal to my values and principles.  Integrity is the middle word for a reason.  It must be at the core of everything I do. No matter what challenges come my way, I must be proactive and faithful to what is right.  This will be tough for me. I know that the path of least resistance is one which I favour.  I don’t like confrontation or conflict, and yet sometimes it is necessary to face up to difficult times and not allow wrong things to happen, by doing nothing.  Integrity is like a beam of light which I must focus on and work towards.

I feel that if ever there is a word which we all need today, it is integrity. Do the right thing. Even, nay especially, if no one is looking. In our private and personal lives we have that constant responsibility to act with utter integrity. In our professional capacities, we must remain authentic and true to our values. As social beings, we must remain respectful, do what is right for each other and stand up for those whose voices are not heard or are misheard.

Today, as I watch out for the hummingbirds, Annie Lennox playing in the background, I am in a reflective mood. This is a day to challenge my own integrity and find the right, true path for me to act and live in these times.

Yesterday has already gone, retreating slowly and steadily further into the past. The day after yesterday is today. Today is the day we are in, for each one of us to play our part to shape the day after today. Tomorrow. And all of our tomorrows.

Three words to guide and inspire through 2017

This is my last day of retreat in the hills. Tomorrow morning will see me on the drive along a winding mountainside road before descending to the main road and then strangely ascending to the capital. From there, and after a little exploration, the long journey back to Africa will begin.

I am having some difficulty concentrating, as the cloud formations on the hillside are changing constantly, the little blue tanagers are flitting about in the avocado tree. Two exquisitely coloured humming birds continue to tantalise with their brief appearances, hovering for a few seconds, yet not long enough for me to be able to capture their bottle green plumage or quivering wings on my camera. (Fortunately, this excellent site has images which show how beautiful these little birds are).

Image credit – Ray Wilson Photography

I am compelled to pause and take in these sights and sounds while I can. Yet, resist and concentrate I must. There are three words in my mind and they are urging me to capture and share them. The three words of 2016 have served me well, “reorient, nurture and crystalize” but they are ready to step back. A three word mantra for 2017 has taken shape and is waiting to lead the way ahead.

The past year has seen enormous change for me individually, not to mention in the wider world. My three words are fiercely personal to me, and I trust them to help to move me forward.

My first word for 2017 is emerge. The past months have seen me living life very quietly and low key. There has been a stillness on this blog while I process and work through my way forward. This has been a time for nurturing and healing. I feel that the time is now right for life to be breathed into this quiet and for me to emerge and find my space again. I want to regain and rebuild my confidence in this new place. I want to seek out like minds and souls with whom I can grow. It feels as if the gecko has been in hiding under some rocks and it is in need of some sun and fresh air to breathe, just like this giant turtle which I saw the other day. (This photograph is one I took, part of a story waiting to be told in the coming days.)

My second word relates to the new environment I find myself in. Africa! Now that I have been through this major reorientation, I have been working to settle and crystalize in the later part of 2016. Now it is time to explore. I have a new city to explore, and people to meet. A new country to find out about and many neighbouring countries to get to know. I wish to explore my new surroundings with curiosity and humility, and maintain that sense of wonder and respect. We learn something new every day, but must keep our eyes and minds open to be able to do so fully.

A photo from my explorations in the past week

My third word is intend, and aims to keep me focused and ensure that I live intentionally. The health blips of 2016 need to taken seriously and I need to be vigilant and deliberate about my health and wellbeing. The new environment brings with it a new diet, and different surroundings and, more particularly, rather cold swimming pools! I need to ensure that I am proactive in keeping active and finding the happy place for my mind, soul and body. There is a great deal of discussion about mindfulness and I have found that this has been a practice which is of great benefit to me. I want to strengthen this in the coming year and beyond, and embed it into my routines. Intend also reminds me to value time and resources. These are finite. The five sticky plan (which I still use and love) is one technique which reminds me not to squander precious free time. Most of all, intend is an additional prompt to maintain integrity in everything I do.

 

Cactus in the late afternoon sun

So, there is my 2017 three word mantra – “emerge, explore and intend”. May these words guide me well, and inspire me through the year in the face of challenges, opportunities, laughter and tears. Whatever is in my path will be faced, whether difficult or easy. What is changeable is how I navigate the way forward, and I trust in my mantra to enable me to embrace this with strength, courage and enthusiasm.

May 2017 be kind, inspiring and enabling to you all.