Eat, Play, Laugh

Happiness is Homemade by Jennasuedesign

I took some time out. Six weeks in fact. I really needed it and I feel much better for it. It turns out that my previous efforts to be kind to myself were not particularly effective, but I did learn something about myself in attempting it.

I learned that I am actually not so good at being kind to myself... not in my own everyday surroundings that is. Every time I promised myself a 'kindness' (reading a favourite book for an hour by the river or crocheting something just for me) this judgmental inner voice would quip up with a comment such as, "hmmm, d'you not think you should get that housework done first?" or "relaxing by the river? wouldn't it be better to spend your time off sorting out all that crap under the bed?"

This kind of talk is not so conducive to guilt free time out as you can imagine. And so I decided to give the proverbial V's to that nag-bag inner dialogue and remove myself from my immediate surroundings and everyday distractions/chores. With the help of friends and family I rustled up a little 'happiness tour', packed my bags, donned my designer sunnies (I like to work the anonymous chic look when travelling alone) and set my inner compass to 'kindness'

Now, although this was a little bit of a soul searching adventure, I had neither the budget nor the inclination to eat my way around Italy, pray all day in India or fall in love in Bali (enjoyed the book by the way). Instead I spent 2 weeks in England and 4 in France, engaging in activities that fed my soul and enjoying long overdue quality time with my loved ones. I'll save the finer details for future posts but here's a quick overview...

Eat: in England I scoffed far too many cream teas (scones, butter, jam and copious amounts of delicious clotted cream, washed down with a nice cup of tea!) and totally relished every single bite! In France, I sipped many fine wines, sampled many a pungent cheese and dined on incredible seafood - if only every Saturday morning could be spent enjoying oysters with a glass of white wine (how decadent!)

Play: I played with almost all of my fabulously gorgeous nieces and nephews (currently an expert in finding Strawberry Princess Moshi - too cute, check it out!), I dressed up in costume at a National Trust home and enacted being an 18C scullery maid (I think it was a classroom environment, but hey, no-one was looking so I couldn't resist!) and I also played at being official photographer for an important event

Laugh: I laughed; a lot! Whenever I get together with my sisters we laugh; we share the same sense of humour, the same taste in movies and love to reminisce about things that made us laugh when we were growing up. I laughed at myself trying to co-ordinate my limbs in workout videos. I laughed at crappy stuff on You Tube and I especially laughed at the photos we took whilst dressed in 18C scullery maid costumes!

In summary, I guess I can officially say that I had fun, I smiled a lot, I got my sparkle back, I felt loved and I experienced genuine HAPPINESS - something I think had been lacking for quite some time. I'm glad to be back; I'm glad to have ME back!

Hello world, we've got a lot of catching up to do!

Lisa x

{huge love and thanks to everyone with whom I spent time during this period, I know I have a long way to go yet but my time out was so very needed and I appreciate your support xx}

{Happiness is Homemade print by Jennasue Design Co - visit her shop of gorgeous chic prints for the modern family on Etsy here!}