There have been so many different things going on in my life recently, that I have done my best to stay quiet and not say a thing about it. Hence, why I have been away from blogging and been very quiet on my social media feed. But there shall be no more silence. Instead, I will share some of the things that have helped me to keep moving forward.

Health

First up, there was a recent personal health emergency in my family that put so many things into perspective. And you know what? So many people are going through things that you have no idea about. So be a little more kind. To each other, and most of all to yourself. At the end of the day, as long as you know that you are a kind person that did no harm, then you can rest easy.

Having said that, I strongly urge you to get Ambulance cover. (Please note, international visitors and students are not covered – please check their FAQ section and ensure that you are covered appropriately.) It’s extremely reasonable and even if you have private health cover – it is worth it. What I had to endure, even with all my training from the SES, did not prepare me emotionally. Luckily, the constant training ensured I acted in time. Had I not acted, I know that I would have been writing a very different blog post and my absence from this blog would have been even more pronounced. Long story short, I saved a life. At this time, I just want to thank my Knox SES unit for my personal training and the paramedics that responded. And kudos to my sister for being my rock through the entire thing. One day, when you have the time, I know you will read this and smile.

This event has fortified my resolve to get healthy again. For other reasons, I have let myself go and I can feel it. Seeing what happened, has made me realise that I don’t want to suffer the same fate. So if you have been putting off getting back on the exercise and health bandwagon, then this is your sign. Get to it!

Wealth

I have committed myself to the recent article from James Altucher (one of my favourite authors) about 15 skills they don’t teach you in college. Don’t worry, I will be right here waiting for you to come back. I will be running this as an experiment for the next 30 days and will report back to you what I have learned. To be honest, the first sporadic attempt has already yielded so many results, that I cannot keep up with the demand. I wish you the same success. This has been instrumental in making me focus on something other than what has happened recently. I realised that I love learning and enjoy teaching others my new-found skills so much so, that now this is a non-negotiable part of the day for me. The 30-day experiments are going to be epic moving forward.

Music

There is nothing like music to soothe the troubled soul. I have discovered a new artist and my favourite acappela band released a new song – both of which I have added for your enjoyment.

And Pentatonix. Good Lawd!

Learning

Right now, I am in the midst of reading 2 books: Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath as well Pitch Anything. Both of them have been great in so many ways and I cannot wait to write my book reviews for them.

Though I have recently been recommended the 4 books in the trilogy of Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy. And to not finish the movie until after I have read the books. Lucky for me, I have my library card handy… and a brand new library to explore. Which I cannot wait to document for you guys too.

If you have any good fiction books for me to read, then please pass them along. I am great with non-fiction, but would love a good fiction read too. I was thinking of doing 1984 by George Orwell, but I am not sure if it’s a piece of fiction anymore. And because of this, I have started re-reading Ryan Holiday’s Trust Me I’m Lying. What was meant to serve as a warning from Ryan (and it’s non-fiction) is now being used as the playbook by some of the more scrupulous media companies.

Giving Back

I’ve realised, that the moment I focus on others, the easier my own pain gets. If I have something other than myself to focus on or dedicate myself too, then my own burdens become a lot easier to bear. Don’t get me wrong, I am not denying the emotions. Instead, I am focusing on making a difference and being honest enough to help others to make me realise, that sometimes, heck, my situation isn’t that bad. There are people out there that have it so much worse and they are still smiling so what is my excuse?

20 years at Como Gardens and supporting the local #emergency services. Come on down and support your local emergency services group! Thank you.

A post shared by The Domestic Traveller (@thedomestictraveller) on Apr 22, 2017 at 8:09pm PDT

I recently took part in the Como Gardens fundraiser and had a great time doing the Seasol wheel. For those that don’t know, in April and October, George and Pat open the gardens and raise funds for the local SES (my unit – Knox), CFA and St. John’s ambulance. If you haven’t been, keep an eye out for my write up that is coming shortly. Anyway, the seasol wheel. You spin the wheel, and if it lands on the smiley face, you win. Now… we just seemed to have so many lucky people there over the weekend. L.U.C.K.Y. But the best part was both G and I spruiking it. “No wheel, do deal”, “Spinners are Winners. And Winners are Grinners” and “Spin Spin Spin to Win Win Win”. There were quite a few smiling faces at the wheel. What can I say, G and I did an excellent job. We say sea… you say sol. Sea….go on, say it…. I know you want to. See… wasn’t so bad.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, I am grateful for this awesome thing that is life. I have been given another chance with this person in my life and I am not going to squander it. There will be more shenanigans to that end, but I won’t spoil any of it. If you’re going through some tough times, reach out to someone and I can guarantee the won’t turn you away. And if they do, email me and I will reply to you.

If you need help, please call Lifeline – a national service available 24/7: 13 11 14