Author: HensBlooms

I believe in God, love and life! Married to my friend, mentor and rock. We have been blessed with two beautiful girls. My personal journey provides opportunities for me to empower individuals to lead better lives. I have had a real desire to work with people for a long time and have always been fascinated with human behaviour and understanding how the mind works.
I love the following quote by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. “Remember that children, marriages and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get”

Categories
Living Life

Navigating Life…

On one of my morning walks, I caught my breath as I witness a vehicle ignoring the stop sign and dashes across to the other side. Accidents have been reported on this very same spot, yet drivers continuously disobey to stop. I could not help but liken this to how some of us end up navigating through life.  We ignore the stop signs and continue to take risks, endangering others and even ourselves. Often because we ignore those important signs, we create stumbling blocks along the way and hinder ourselves from positive progress and end up having trouble navigating through life.

Navigating through life with psychological interventions will help ease life’s transitions. Everything from positive events to more dire situations. Adhere to those signs, stop disregarding those signs and approach your life with purpose in order to move and proceed forward. Life needs purpose, so start by enjoying the present moment instead of wishing it away for an imagined future. Continue to maintain personal values and boundaries and avoid treating others as unworthy of consideration or respect. Just a little bit of respect goes a long way, now imagine a life filled with that in every way.

As South Africans we embrace the chance to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s life for the whole of July. I therefore will end with one of his many profound quotes: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”

Categories
Living Life

Always a Time for Growth 

A whirlwind of change has swept through our life in ways that could not be predicted. I must admit, at times it felt just way too much, especially as things happened very quickly and felt quite difficult to control. I continued jotting down my thoughts as this helped me to do self-examination and introspection. It cleared my mind as I could consider the actions that motivated me and helped with positive growth.

 I must admit, although I’m happy for the positive growth, the process of getting there was not always comfortable. Sudden and abrupt changes also bring along many uncertainties, but also brings along hope. I’m reminded in all of this that there is always a time for growth, even as I’m  getting older, I want to hold on and I hope that I will always grasp the opportunity for positive growth. I feel encouraged as I take my cue from mother nature with the following:

There’s a time for growth as we make our adjustments 

Giving us reason for cutting and pruning away the negative

The undesirable that has overgrown like trees and shrubs

A process that removes the damage and enhances new growth

There’s a time growing older as we celebrate life 

Liken to the oak that’s known for honour, nobility and wisdom 

Some species of oak trees holding on not losing their leaves at all

A positive quality being steadfast and tenacious in growth

There’s a time for growth, no matter the circumstances

We weather the storm, embrace the wind blowing raindrops

Producing sunshowers and the appearance of a rainbow

Resulting in hope as we cheer for positive growth

I’m further inspired to honour and celebrate Mandela Day which is an occasion for all to take action and inspire change.18 July every year, we invite you to mark Nelson Mandela International Day by making a difference in your communities. Everyone has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better!

“It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.” Nelson Mandela

Categories
Living Life

What do I See?

I see an Egyptian goose swimming in a golden pond

Altering my eyes to erase the reality of a murky pool

I urge myself to realise my blessings amid life’s challenges

The down pour of trials keeps me humble in prayer

Observing life as more than just doom and gloom

Feelings of frustration ignored as I notice the joys of life

I’m armed with encouragement to enter a new chapter

I turn that page and continue to write…

What I perceive to be my book of life

Categories
Living Life

Embracing the Season

In a few days’ time it will officially be winter here, in the Southern Hemisphere. South Africa’s winter is generally pleasant sunny weather with cloudless blue skies, disrupted now and then by a few days of cold fronts. We are amid one of these cold fronts and it is unpleasantly cold. I’m quite aware that winter blues can kick in so easily.

Looking over my garden, I witnessed leaves falling and plants wither as we enter a cold and dry season. Winter is coming on strong and I’m reminding myself that it’s not a reason to hang up the gardening tools. Now is the time to help the garden survive and thrive during this time, plenty sun, good soil and water as needed. I need to take care of the garden but just as important, it is also a time to take care of my health. Taking care of my health will help to keep my body and my mind in the best shape possible. Changing to a positive mind and embracing the season can be the antidote for fatigue and sadness that often occurs during the winter season.

I’m also reminding myself that winter is important to us and that I should embrace the season. The cold is necessary and a warm winter can wreak havoc on agriculture.

Despite the gloom we’ve been told about winter, cold weather may actually be really good for your health. Cold weather can reduce inflammation and pain. This is a good reason to keep exercising in winter, as this may result in less inflammation and soreness than in the summer.

Winter after autumn foreshadow spring

The perfect season to snuggle up and get cosy  

A time to enjoy healthy fruits and vegetables

Many a tree survive by losing its leaves

Nearly all plants go dormant as its time to rest

Some animals enter a deep sleep called hibernation

All in the name of winter, so let’s embrace!

Winter reminds me of change, and that change is inevitable, normal, and yet also necessary.

A little nudge to myself to embrace the season, embrace the change, and to accept that I can’t keep everything under control. As terrifying as this thought is, it’s also very liberating. I know that I have to embrace change, as its key to my growth and greatly affects my overall success and happiness.

Categories
Living Life

Dichotomies of Life

Holding onto right or wrong as no middle can be chosen

Dichotomous thinking, black and white, best and worst

Life experiences bringing on fight or flight

Irrational thinking, leading to war forgetting about peace

Hope forever blighted, feeling defeated

Seeing things, as either perfect or failure

Feeling bitter, disappointed and frustrated

Finding it hard to sustain life at those extremes

Time to choose the opposite of dichotomy

Reframing so needed, stop jumping to extremes

Embrace a new outlook by accepting, agreement and harmony

PEACE

Categories
Living Life

Living Life Consciously

Many things occurred in 1972, but perhaps the most notably, 1972 was the longest year in the history of recorded time, outlasting other years by a whopping two seconds. Read more on this here https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/why-1972-longest-history-003323744.html. I was wondering why there’s so many people I know, heard or read of that’s turning 50 this year. Perhaps it’s because I’m one of 5 cousins turning 50 this year! That’s a lot of us, right? This reminds me of when I got a new car and suddenly I notice all the cars with that exact colour and model like mine on the road. Maybe it’s something like that…

My thoughts further wonder as I do introspection, becoming aware of myself and the world around me. I’m conscious of my faults and I’m encouraged to making my years count instead of counting the years. I know that I don’t have a perfect recipe for life, but I know that I can always practice and strive to live life consciously.

Live your life consciously and honourably

Live purposefully and become the greatest version of yourself

Live to express and lighten the load of living through laughter

Live a life filled with care and kindness

Live in joy and a love for life every single day

Please share some thoughts on living life consciously.

Categories
Living Life

May Month Wishes and Beyond

May your days be filled with happiness and joy

May your hearts overflow with love and peace

May your everyday peace come from all the comfort you receive

May you grow from strength to strength in embracing life

May you have all the care and support that provide freedom and security

May your life be blessed with prosperity in

abundance

My mom and my girls

Happy Mother’s Day dear mom and to all the mother’s out there❣️❣️❣️❣️

Categories
Living Life

Just a Thought

I often wonder about the power of thoughts. Is it just a thought, are thoughts reality? I know that thoughts are not reality, yet it is so easy to allow negative thoughts to creep in and make us see it as reality. I for example at times, allow fearful thoughts to take over, making me believe something that’s not there. On the other hand, I know that even though I allow my thoughts to think of winning the lottery it just doesn’t happen that way!

Our thoughts are exactly that—thoughts. Thoughts are not our reality, and just because we have these thoughts does not mean that they’re true. The American psychologist and philosopher William James said that thoughts become perception, perception becomes reality. Your thoughts alter your reality. The world which we live in, its quality and character is nothing but a reflection of our own minds.

Whilst my thoughts become perception, those perceptions that cloud my mind and allow for thoughts to alter my reality, I should rather ponder about the positive and allow for those thoughts to cloud my mind…💭

Wonderful musing in reflection and thoughts

Clearing a clouded mind into hope and positivity

Prompting gently, washing away all negativity

 Thoughts shining through in wonderful, blissful reality

Categories
Living Life

Consistently Changing

With the rains, good maintenance and feeding, the growth in the summer months has been vital. The shrubs and trees have spread a lot of new branches and leaves that will need to be carried through the winter months. We’ve fallen into autumn, and now is the time to do some clearing, pruning, and shaping of the shrubs and trees in my garden.

Just like autumn transitions summer into winter, I too hope for personal change that will make me a better me. Personally, I want to positively advance and develop to make a difference in my immediate surroundings, thus my world. Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” I take this as an encouragement to implement the right kind of changes in order to make my world a beautiful place. I’m further reminded, if we want to see a change in any environment, we should look at ourselves first. I know that I must work on myself and do the necessary clearing and maintenance to realize positive change. I am quite aware of negative change that can be brought about if we don’t care and don’t maintain, allowing the weeds to take over, allowing things to get contaminated, through regression and rot. This can be likened to accepting negative change and allowing for destruction to settle in.

Sadly, in many instances, people implement change only to destroy. Wouldn’t it be better to embrace change that brings about good for us and society? Let’s embrace change that is for the better. I hope that we’ll adapt to change that will allow us to act out of kindness. Kindness that will have a ripple effect for good, where we all live in love and peace.

Constant change for the better

Ever changing as the season

Like leaves forced, swept away

Hanging on, resisting the change

Change that comes persistently

Change that comes even forcefully

Change we will, ceaselessly

Categories
Living Life

Soul Searching

“The soul has been given its own ears to hear things that the mind does not understand.” Rumi

Your body, your mind and soul works together and are synonymous with who you are.

We naturally take care of our body with nutrition and exercising and this incorporates taking care of our mind. When we do some soul searching, by examining our conscious, are we feeding and exercising the soul?  

Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.” Dorothy Day

Our soul, the very essence of who we are! The soul allows you to feel and just be, by allowing you to care, to love, feeding the conscience, building your mind. Through all of this it individualises you. I often do introspection, examining my thoughts and feelings, especially when I feel stuck and uninspired.

“In a world where everyone wears a mask, it’s a privilege to see a soul.” Anonymous

I prompt myself to get started and I get inspired to be:

Be kind, this can but only reciprocate

Be caring and loving, the world needs this

Be empathetic, be drawn to understanding one another

Be you, by encompassing all good

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu