Life is a Roller Coaster...Enjoy The Ride!
Yesterday we went to Alton Towers as part of our 15th wedding anniversary celebrations. With our shiny new Merlin Annual Passes bought using Tesco Clubcard Tokens, we were ready to start our 12 months of theme park fun! Kizzy has had a growth spurt and is now big enough to be let loose on the big rides and took to the idea with sheer enthusiasm. Air and Oblivion were her favourites and seeing my baby girl laughing, screaming and loving every moment of the thrill of roller coasters was a joy to behold! She really grasps opportunities full on and is so confident and independent. A total thrill seeker and a lover of life!
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| Ian, Kizzy and Ella on Oblivion (first three seats on the front left) |
As well as enjoying witnessing this rite of passage of my youngest daughter it also made me feel all philosophical about my life.
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| Don't Look Down |
Recent events have caused me to feel like I may be slipping over that metaphorical edge. My husband has become yet another victim of the economic recession and was made redundant just over a month ago following a cost cutting decimation of the company that he works for. For a moment I felt a sense of panic and of absolute injustice. But then I put it into perspective. I asked myself what was important and what I could live without. The answer was just so simple. As long as we can afford to keep the roof over our heads, pay the bills and put food in our bellies then we are fine. We have each other and we have wonderful kids who have never been demanding of material things. It is a cliche but you truly can't buy love, health or happiness. If we are happy and healthy, then anything else is just a bonus and not a necessity.
At the moment there are currently a few things in the pipeline as far as Ian's job is concerned with the possibility of internal transfers and things actually look a lot more positive now than they did a month ago. He is still on notice, but just knowing that we could weather even the worse case scenario makes me realise what really matters to us. We've had so much support from so many people who care about us, it really has made me take stock of the things that make a positive impact on my life. It is the friendships, my close family, my husband and my children that truly matter. No amount of money could buy me a happier marriage or more amazing kids...and redundancy doesn't change either. Just appreciating this has been a weight of my shoulders!
I think that when something happens that could have a negative impact on your life and you stare it in the face and don't allow it to beat you, you come away feeling so empowered.
I am definitely starting to view life in a different way and am taking a leaf out of Kizzy's book. Her joie de vivre, courage and enthusiasm for challenges are such a positive influence on me! I have finally embraced optimism and my half full glass will soon be positively brimming over!
So if my life is a roller coaster, I'm holding on tight and loving every minute of this amazing ride with my loved ones by my side!