Life to the Full?

Well, my dear blogging friend Adrian has been hosting a guest series on his blog, Life before the Bucket, for some time now.  It's called "Life to the Full" & he's invited people to contribute their thoughts on what this means, or how they achieve it in their own lives. 

Today, the guest-blogger for this series is...  (drumroll)  ME!!!!  My first ever guest post for another blog.  Thank you, Adrian - I'm quite excited about that!!  :)

He's called it "How a Worn-out Mum Does it" - because he wanted an excuse to use our Aussie word, "mum".  (I think we Aussie bloggers should pop on over, and leave some more of our great Aussie idiom in the comments section - can you think of a way to work in bogan, fair-dinkum or chook??)

Silliness aside, here's a little introduction to get you started - then head over to Life Before the Bucket to read the rest.  While you're at it, make sure you check out the rest of the series, and Adrian's other stuff - it's a great place to visit!  You might even consider adding your own contribution on living life to the full - I know the series is still open.

Living to the Fullest:  Can a Worn-Out Mum do it?

For most of us, I suspect the phrase “living life to the full” conjures up images of active, laughing young people, all healthy and attractive, of course, and possibly participating in some kind of water sport…


Alright, I think the image I have in my mind right now came straight from a Coca-Cola ad.

As appealing as those laughing, perfect images may be, they certainly don’t represent my life. In my case, I’m forty-something (pushing fifty-something). I don’t look good in a bikini. Although I like to be active, I’m not as healthy as I used to be. A few years back I suffered a serious emotional and physical burnout – the result of pushing myself too hard for too long, in too many areas. I am recovering, but still easily fatigued. There is a definite limit to how much “full living” I can pack into each day.

Living my life to the full does not usually involve water sports, extreme experiences, or great “highs.” Not that I never have fun; I am naturally extroverted, so sometimes I do crazy stuff with my kids and with my friends, and sometimes there are parties and fun times. But not all the time. In fact, not even usually. Too much of that stuff and I get wayyy too tired. Usually, things are pretty quiet and mundane.

And I think I’ve finally learned something...   continue reading