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Posts tagged “New perspectives”

With life starting to return to “normal” – or, more accurately, the “new normal”, whatever that might be – it’s interesting how we’ve heard the same comment over and over again. And from a variety of sources. It goes along the lines that people expected to be feeling happy once life started to get back to normal. 
 
In other words, they got back to their normal daily routine. Work. Children at school. Being able to go out shopping – and not just for food. A drink with friends. 
 
However, this didn’t seem to be the case. Instead of feeling happy to be back in the flow of life, they felt even more unsettled and insecure. 
 
Why is this? 
We’ve been following a decidedly floral theme recently, enjoying the delights of this time of year. While Elderflowers may not have been at the top of most people’s lists (!), Lavender certainly is, as is this week’s choice. Time and again, it tops the list of our favourite summer flower, so there are no prizes for guessing what it is. The Rose. 
 
It’s thought that Roses have been grown for over 3,000 years, with a huge number of different wild varieties, let alone cultivated ones. Originating in Iran, they can now be found in almost every part of the world. 
There are some words which are guaranteed to cause a collective intake of breath, in preparation for whatever may be coming next. Sadly, it seems this is often down to their moralist or religious overtones. The hint of impossibly high standards we could never possibly hope to reach… 
 
We’ve talked about some of them before. Forgiveness. Goodness, that’s a big one. Responsibility. Not much better and can be equally scary. Acceptance. Another biggie. And we’d better stop there… 
 
However, what we find particularly interesting, is that the meaning commonly attributed to the particular word is usually very different – or unnecessarily selective or narrow – from its dictionary definition. 
 
So, this week, we’re going to put another one of those words under the spotlight. Dig out the dictionary, see what it really means. And, more importantly, whether this tallies with our own particular understanding. 
 
Ready? Then here we go. 
With many people spending much more time outside than usual – whether in their gardens or out walking – we’ve noticed how many of them are appreciating things they would never normally notice. Or, more accurately, never have time to notice as they rush around in their busy lives… 
 
Having waxed lyrical about the delights of Elderflowers a couple of weeks ago – and been heartened by the number of people who actually make Elderflower cordial – we thought we’d focus on another seasonal delight today. And, this time, no potentially messy cooking is involved. Hurrah, by those who normally do the clearing up! 
 
It’s another sign that Summer really is here, with even the least horticulturally inclined person being able to easily identify it. Lavender. 
It’s one of life’s mysteries that, for some inexplicable reason, the simple things seem to give us the most pleasure. Often much more than their long awaited – and more expensive (!) – counterparts. 
 
Anyone who’s watched a small child unwrapping their Christmas or Birthday presents, has encountered this first hand. With the box – or wrapping paper (!) – holding their attention for much longer than the contents. Is so much more interesting and attractive. Gives greater pleasure and is played with for a much longer period of time. The contents quickly forgotten and pushed to one side… 
 
Why is it that simple pleasures seem to be so much better? 
Early Summer is the time of the Elderflower, those lovely frothy white flowers that festoon the hedges in late May and early June. A welcome sign that Summer has arrived, along with Swallows, House Martins and Swifts; making it hard not to wax lyrical about them! 
 
As an established part of the English countryside, Elderflowers mark the turning of the farming year, from late Spring into early Summer. They also play an important part in Celtic folklore, associated with the Flower Bride. And making it easy to see where the inspiration for all those traditional white frothy bridal dresses and bouquets came from… 
 
These days, Elderflower is usually thought of for its culinary uses. Elderflower cordial – more about this later (!) – or, for the more adventurous, Elderflower Champagne. Perhaps sprinkled over summer fruits, such as gooseberries or raspberries, or added to smoothies. 
 
However, Elderflower also has many herbal and health giving qualities, making it a valued medicinal herb. 
It always makes us smile – in a slightly rueful way, we would hasten to add (!) – when we listen to people talking about themselves. Their achievements, skills and abilities. 
 
For some reason – and perhaps it’s part of the natural English reserve / mindset – we’re just not comfortable about blowing our own trumpets. Well, if we’re going to be completely honest, most of us aren’t comfortable doing this. 
 
And, yes, of course there are always going to be exceptions to this rule – and there’s lots we could say about this (!) – but we’ll leave that one for another day... 
We’ve all experienced Concussion at some time – or times (!) – in our lives. Ranging from a light bump on the head which is quickly forgotten about; to a more serious blow followed by a few seconds of unconsciousness and, perhaps, a trip to the Casualty Department. 
 
Despite it coming in many different forms and from a huge variety of causes – and we’ve heard some very “interesting” stories of the events leading up to it, which we’ll leave to your imagination (!) – Concussion is generally considered to be a form of mild traumatic brain injury without long term effects. But is this really the case? 
Service is one of those words with a multitude of different meanings, not helped by it being used as both a noun and a verb. Doesn’t that take you back to English and Grammar lessons at school?!? 
 
Then there are its religious, military and domestic service overtones, all adding to a generally negative vibe. Hinting at hard work, duty and doing things we wouldn’t necessarily choose to do. And, probably, with – or for (!) – people we probably wouldn’t choose to spend our time with… 
 
Given all of this, it’s not surprising that service is often viewed as being rather old fashioned and belonging to a bygone era. Best consigned to the pages of history. 
 
However, this isn’t what we wanted to focus on today, but rather the more general – and voluntary (!) – aspect of service. 
A few weeks ago – goodness, it was mid February (!) – we had a look at susceptibility. Why there is no bogeyman – with your name written on them (!) – out there waiting for you. If you need a quick reminder, you can find the post here
 
As so often is the case, this has led on to various conversations with clients, friends and family about what actually determines susceptibility. In other words, the Risk Factors. The things most likely to tip the odds for you in the wrong direction. 
 
Before we go any further, there’s one very important thing to bear in mind. That we’re all completely unique. In every way. There’s never been another person exactly like us and never will be again. So, however similar we may be to another person – or people – our own particular make up, circumstances, life and medical history are unique to us. 100%. 

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