What are the odds?

It was one of those mornings... I felt edgy and unsettled as I turned my car out of my property and into the street. In the process of trying to get my head straight and out of this negative vibe, I stopped at a t-junction, looked both ways and pulled out to turn right. Imagine the shock/horror when I mIssed colliding with an oncoming car by a hair's breadth and had to pull up in the middle of the road to catch my breath and put my heart back in my chest! That's guaranteed to wake you up in the morning....

I gathered myself and continued on my journey to work. As I drove through the countryside towards a small village, I noticed a queue of cars ahead of me on both sides of the road. From the oncoming side, a loose horse galloped past the stationary cars towards me. No rider, stirrups flapping - the poor thing was distraught. As it went past I got out of my car. Thankfully a man down the line of cars behind me had the same idea. Slowly, with arms out to the side to make ourselves as big as we could be, we slowed the horse down and managed to contain it. Eventually he grabbed the reins and took it to the side of the road. There was still no sign of the rider but he took it to a local stable yard just around the corner.

What a day and I wasn't even at work yet! All very exciting...

On the last stretch into work I cross a small, single lane bridge. Turning into the winding road leading up to it, I noticed cars turning round and coming back towards the main road. What now? A lovely policeman (hot) waved down the approaching cars. Apparently there was a truck stuck on the bridge - its wheels had buckled beneath it!

What are the odds, I ask you?

You think you might know what lies ahead, but you don't. For all you know, the best is yet to come. That's the way I look at it!

When in Rome...

Its been a hugely busy past two weeks and it doesn't look like its going to calm down for the next two! And I'm tired....
Last night I attended a stunning event on board The Barracuda and sailed down the Thames past Southbank, The London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, all the while enjoying champagne and sumptuous canapés.  Ready to head home by 9 pm, I walked into Waterloo Station to find that all the trains home were cancelled due to a signal failure. Long story short, it took me 2 hours to get home (normally 40 mins), and I got to bed after midnight.
So there was no way I was getting up at 5 am to write this morning!

And when I don't write I get agitated... and when I'm agitated I start berating myself for not doing more. Because at the end of the day, I only have myself to blame for not planning my time better; for trying to fit in too much and for not prioritising what is important to me... you see where this is going don't you? It can become a vicious circle if I don't get a grip on it.

I find a few things help to pull me towards myself, and shake off the negative spiral.

Tomorrow is another day - instead of burning the midnight oil, when everything seems more dire, I have a long, hot bath, grab a good book and head off to bed.
Plan some downtime - I carve out a space in my diary for myself, or simply just put a long line through a weekend when I just see me.
Listen to classical music - piano solo soothes me. It says take your time, don't be in such a rush.
Meditate -  go to that quiet, happy place in your mind and switch off for 15 minutes.

When I finally calm down, its with the knowing that Rome wasn't built in a day, that life goes on, and that there is always enough time.