In my twenties I moved from my quiet village home life to live in London.  It was truly an amazing experience and one I would recommend to anybody, however looking back I realise now how quick life moves in a big city (although not quite so much these days due to the pandemic). Having spent time living in Dublin too, a time I look back with great fondness, I realise that while it was fun, I would never choose it over the life I have today back in Wales.

During lockdown I learnt to appreciate the joy of living in a community even more surrounded by countryside where I can take a gentle walk for exercise, where I can literally buy anything I want without having to visit a town or a city and where people really look out for each other.

I remember one day a few years ago visiting London for work and I stared in awe as the crowds all raced along, eager to get their destination.  At one point I was walking in the opposite direction to the crowd and it amazed me how they found it difficult to part to let me thorough, how dare I spoil the flow!

Even then I found myself longing for the peace and quiet of the life I now have back in my home village, a place where it is almost possible to hear the sound of silence or see the leaves appear on the trees and the wildflowers push through the soil as we approach spring.

Recent years have seen a lot of things slow down and I actually don’t think this is a bad thing, before the recent pandemic came about it seemed everything wanted to move faster, people always seemed to crave more, they were seeing success being about how much money they make and not about how many people they helped on the way. It is my hope that when some sense of normality as we knew it comes about people see the recent times as an opportunity to be different, to slow down, to take stock, to embrace nature and hold those dear to them a little closer for a little while longer!

I adore my quiet, contented life; I enjoy having abundance in all areas which has come about through my desire to assist others to live their life to their full potential. I love the fact that I have discovered along my life’s journey that there is no rush, that if we just take a step back to be grateful for what we have today then we will indeed have more to be grateful for.  As I have come to know keeping it simple brings about peace of mind.

So take some time out to be at peace, to grow, allow yourself to be happy and grateful for all you have today.  I can guarantee that if you do this life will become calmer and richer in more ways than you can imagine.