Friday, 20 January 2017

Finding meaning in the present

Welcome back lovelies, and a warm hello to new readers, 

This week life returned to normal routine, with meetings and school lunches, after school meals and so on... The sudden death of a 31 year old woman has rocked my consciousness this week, she was a wife, mother to two beautiful souls, daughter and friend. It brought my uncertain mortality into stark reality, forcing me to look at my own life and how I conduct myself daily.
My philosophy has always been to live each day to the fullest, love with abandon, give back to others, remain steadfast in my faith and practise gratitude. All of these 'platitudes' sound all good and wonderful, but it doesn't just happen by accident. One has to first make the choice to live a certain way, and put in the work to make it a reality. 
Living life to the fullest is an exceptional concept and is really rewarding, but I have to remember to not get too caught up in routine and unnecessary distractions which inevitably derails this attitude. Distractions occur all the time, in my life... the cell phone is a tempting distraction- social media, emails, text messages etc can literally 'waste away' my day. So I am acutely aware of not allowing this to happen, I am aware that when anyone speaks to me, the phone has to be out of my hands and face down (so the notifications don't draw my attention). 
The television needs to be off, so I can pay full attention to whomever I am interacting with. 
If cooking, I will put the stove off to listen to my son talk about what happened at school (and it is usually an innocuous story- but one he wants to share). 
While driving home from school, my kids know I listen to news and traffic reports, so I will not be listening to anything they say at that moment, and afterwards the radio needs to be muted to have a conversation.

Living life to the fullest also means we try to share in memories, to give our kids of ourselves more than we give them material things. It means participating actively in their lives, despite the teenage resistance. It even means knowing when to step back and them the space to just be. As far as possible we will try new things, see new places, meet new people, as each of these opens up our horizons and minds. 
This means being present in my life, finding meaning in hardships, always being aware of my surroundings and impact on others. It means knowing my own value, and valuing others, loving without reserve and accepting love in return. Having couple fights is normal and human, and heaven knows I am guilty, but the important thing I have to be always be mindful of is the concept of mutual respect we both believe in... and how we contract to work through a disagreement. While working on myself, I have found that our disagreements have become rare, and when they do happen it is more of a debate and discussion. And yet I strive to be present in these moments too, as they inevitably lead to a new found perspective. I have not found the recipe to rein in my egotistical tendencies, but I am constantly aware of it and how it affects interactions.

Bottom line: 
I am a work in progress, and I am aware of the impact of my thoughts, words and actions on those around me. So while I try to live my life fully, I pledge to do it with grace and consideration for others.

Todays #OOTD features a layered Summer look. I love the longer kimonos which work with anything, they can be thrown over a jeans and t-shirt (as seen below), over a slim/bodycon dress for an evening out and even over a swimsuit for a fashionable beach look.  
I paired a bohemian inspired kimono with a relaxed jeans and t-shirt, finished off with some nude wedges. The look was accessorised with a French Connection saddle bag I bought in London, Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses and tassle earrings.

















Outfit details:

Zulululu kimono (shop Insta here)
Victoria Secret Dubai t-shirt 
Gap Jeans
French Connection bag (purchased abroad)
Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses from Sunglass Hut (4 seasons ago)
Lovisa earrings
ZARA wedges 
Woolworths scarf
Various bracelets (Tiffany & Co, Desray & gifts)

Caio for now, 
RuBe xoxo


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