It’s time to change your ordinary to extraordinary

— by Dee Hardy — Shifting Tides Counselling

The commencement of another year, the completion of the last – hopes and possibilities and a chance to do things differently.

While there are some life experiences that need to be left behind (or accepted), we can also embrace all that is just part of our ‘ordinary lives, and choose to experience them in an extraordinary’ way.

I spent my holiday break with my dearest and longest standing girlfriend who invited me to her beach house. As we arrived, we hugged and giggled like a couple of schoolgirls and before getting ourselves settled in.

So here is what we did for 2 weeks:

• each morning, we were greeted with an amazing sunrise, creeping across an ever-changing horizon with the ocean showcasing its magic and strength each day, welcoming in a new day

• puppy toileting duties (yes, they do have routines!)

• whilst still in our respective PJ’s, my girlfriend made me an excellent espresso, normally followed by a fresh juice

• plans for the morning were discussed...which usually entailed a walk on the beach with the puppies, with a brief chat about lunch and dinner plans

• the days themselves were reasonably similar, walks, naps, something to eat and some reading

• we mixed up our dinners - most were at home on the terrace

It was the best holiday I have had in years.

So what made it so special?

If you consider what I did on my vacation, you could say it was uneventful’, as we didn’t do anything ‘extraordinary’. But I was with a friend where I could just be myself and we celebrated being in the moment, enjoying simple things without expectation. We did all those things that we do in our normal lives but were present, being mindful and giving ourselves permission in our everyday ‘ordinary’ life, in an extraordinary’ way.