Autumn days floating (flying?) by

At the moment, my life is quite filled up with events. Work, social excursions, jogging, yoga, cleaning, creating and devouring delicious and nutritious food.

I'm loving the change of seasons. The colours of the trees are so beautiful. A gentle reminder that change can be beautiful. That there can be beauty in all things. I hear some people complaining about the darker, cooler mornings. I have been relishing it...appreciating it. I like to wake up before the sun rises, when the stars and sky are crisp and clear. The air is fresh, and there is a lack of the daily hustle and bustle. Peaceful. Calm. Quiet.

I love having the opportunity to watch the sun come up over the eastern horizon. Some days, there is a heavy fog covering the sky, and the glorious splendour is hidden from view. Other days are as clear as anything, and others have clouds lingering in the air, creating fantastic colours as the light rays hit them. Each moment is precious, fleeting. Blink, and you'll miss it.

Thus, I've been grabbing opportunities wherever they present themselves to me. Well, maybe only the really obvious ones. I've been invited to do a yoga photo-shoot for the gallery of my teacher's website. Exciting stuff! Work has definitely been taking up most of my time.

With the approach of Autumn, soup has been making a comeback in my kitchen! Oh, how I love soup. It's the best! Strangely, I've also been buying an awful lot of orange vegetables... gemsquash, butternut, pumpkin, carrots, naartjies, persimmons. The list goes on! I must be silently addressing something in the second chakra or something. Either that or I'm reverberating with the lovely colours around me. ;)

I've also been taking advantage of opportunities to spend time with friends. I haven't really partied for quite some time, so last weekend was spent in the company of good friends from school. Two ladies night, filled with lots of dancing... ok, and a fair bit of alcohol :P I learned from Saturday morning's hangover, by drinking lots of water before sleeping on Sunday morning. Hangover avoided! I felt quite proud of this accomplishment. ;)

One of my friends has recently been renovating her bathroom. She has therefore been without bath/shower and toilet for almost two weeks now. As we stay quite close to each other, her and her mom have been using my facilities. It has been a good opportunity to see her regularly and to keep in touch.

We have also been preparing for our little runs coming up this Sunday, as well as the following weekend. I think the regularity of running (say 3 times a week) has been helping to improve strength and stamina. Not only physically, but mentally too. I am aiming to run the 10km in under an hour. (An update - I complete the race in just over 50 minutes!) It's a good challenge! Having someone to share in the experience is something that I'm grateful for. It's good to have someone to motivate and inspire you in your weaker moments... We can't do everything alone. We all need a little help from time to time. There is no shame in that.

**Here's a photo of us after doing the 5/10km Slow-Mag race in Benoni**

Seeing as my Arabic studies have ground to a halt, I thought that I may as well practise a language that I'm able to semi-communicate in, with people that speak it. At work, there are several Afrikaans ladies. They mostly speak English to me, as I am English. However, why not use this time and improve my Afrikaans? This past week, I have been doing just that! The ladies are mostly nice and understanding and they help me out. Sometimes I think I sound silly, but I am making improvements and my efforts will pay off.

Although my life still feels like it is in limbo (of sorts) at the moment, I am making the most of my present moment. And sometimes that means just chilling out, watching a movie or some series and tuning out. Or taking a bath. I can't wait to take an indulgent, aromatic, soothing bath. Sometimes it can be really hard to find some time to allow ourselves to relax. The lifestyle of today is hectic. Allowing ourselves to soften and relax can be quite a foreign idea and/or difficult for many people.

Sometimes my yoga practise falls to the side as other things in life take priority. The key, is to getting back into the routine once the craziness has faded away. It never really fades away, so it's actually making time to relax and putting yoga near the top of my priorities - planning my day well.

It's often times all too easy to get stuck in a comfortable rut. Patience and dedication to one's practice will always yield results. So far, I've run and done yoga 3 days in a row. I feel quite proud of that as well.

We don't have to let our noses get out of joint because plans get disrupted. The gentler that we treat others and ourselves, the smoother the changes will be. Don't fight life. We're all going to die, and things around us will carry on anyway. We may as well smile and enjoy each moment that we are allowed to witness. So stop and take a minute to observe that beautiful sunset, the vibrant colours of Autumn. In a couple of days, or even minutes, that moment will be lost forever. Be proud of your achievements, however small they may seem. Believe in yourself and take it easy. Life is an amazing journey that we are blessed to experience. Live it!

May all beings be happy, may all being be loves, may all beings be peaceful. xxx

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