Apprentice Achievements
Enjoy the Little Things

Enjoy the Little Things

In a moment of what can only be described as lockdown lunacy I along with some of my colleagues entered the virtual London Marathon taking place in October, setting ourselves the challenge of either building or maintaining a level of fitness and supporting our chosen Charity, Mary’s Meals.

To provide additional context I haven’t run the marathon distance for about 15 years and it’s 20 years since my last London Marathon.

Spontaneous? Absolutely!

Certifiable? Without doubt!

There is however an upside to this act of madness - my early morning runs.

Putting aside my aching, well, everything, and my need for extremely supportive running clothing, going out before the world wakes up is a great feeling and something to be marvelled.

Witnessing a cloudless sky full of stars, the sunrise & a plethora of nocturnal creatures foraging for food undeterred by my breathless waddle is a privilege that I won’t take for granted.

I often overlook the little things when caught up in my day-to-day stuff, giving undue attention to the things of least importance while missing out on the things that would bring the greatest pleasure.

This tends to happen more when I’m impersonating that fly with a blue bottom!

But just taking some time to stop and notice the things around me makes such a difference to how I view situations that might otherwise feel unnecessarily heavy, helping me find pleasure in the little things and avoiding taking myself too seriously.

Recognising that we often carry the weight of our daily problematic stuff around with us is the first step towards offloading such a burden and the benefits gained from supportive loved ones, friends and colleagues cannot be overemphasised.

Our journey out of lockdown may be within sight but I can’t place the whole blame for my inability to step back from daily stuff on the pandemic, rather it was a catalyst for recognising this behaviour within myself, giving me the opportunity to revaluate what’s important to me & giving me the impetus to spend more of my time enjoying the little things.

I hope you have a great week.

Cheers

Noel