Luck, timing and privilege - #028

Counting my lucky stars

I spent the last Bank Holiday weekend in Dorset.  At my partners house.  Doing country, beachy, simple things.

Timeless activities

The weekend embraced, for me at least, some timeless, favourite activities:

• Sitting around a fire pit with neighbours chatting, laughing, debating whilst savouring a glass of spicy Malbec.

• Charcoaly, semi burnt sausages cooked over the barbecue.

• A walk over the dewy hills as the sun rose with Cyd, our delightful Miniature Schnauzer (who knew I could love a dog so much!).

• A sparky early morning dip in the sea at Weymouth followed by a smoked bacon sarnie in the Oasis Cafe.

• An amble around the Oak Fair at the evocatively named Stock Gaylard, topped off with a local cider, an essential countryside refreshment.

• A rolling cycle ride interrupted by local ‘friends’ (see picture above!)

• And watching 'Mrs Harris goes to Paris' a gentle story set in 1957 about a war widow who goes to Paris to buy a Dior dress, and saves the future of Dior in the process.

Through a lense of wellbeing the weekend had the lot – being outside in nature, relaxing with friends, eating and drinking delicious food and beverages, exercise, country community, all with little exposure to commerciality or the need to spend money.

Luck, timing, privilege and me

Whilst reflecting on my weekend I realise how flipping lucky I am.  And smarting that I might just sound like a boasty t@@t!  If I do, I apologise, the latter is not my intention. 

The world can be a tough place.  Globally we have pernicious wars, the continued subjugation of women’s rights in Afghanistan, increasing evidence of climate change and growing wealth disparity.  Closer to home we have food banks and talk of a winter fuel burden, not to mention the state of many of our public services.  And personally I have a glut of friends with life threatening illnesses or parents with little time left to live.

Perhaps it’s ever thus.  Difficulties have and always will exist in one form or another. 

And that’s why I just wanted to stop, notice and recognise how lucky I am. 

I know some would say “you make your own luck” and “you’ve worked for it Ruth”.  Those things may have some truth in them.  But it’s never that binary.  Being in the ‘right’ place at the ‘right’ time, surrounded by the ‘right’ people, and having the ability and good fortune to be able to say “yes” certainly plays its part.  Hence my privilege.

When I was young I used to worry about feeling ‘too happy’ because ‘it never lasts’ or I ‘might jinx something’…now I just accept that things will change and evolve both for the better and worse.  It’s part of life’s cycle.

So whilst my personal sun shines, I am going to smile, warm my face and bask in my luck and good fortune.

You

How about you, what are your thoughts around feeling lucky and the importance of timing?…worked for, a privilege, a state of mind, a fortunate confluence of circumstances or something else? 

Do drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you.

Finally, I haven’t said it for a while but, life can be short, you're never going to be any younger than you are today, what are you waiting for? 

Until next week my friends,

Ruth x