Been a few days since I last posted, so sorry, but it has been quite hectic since the return from Belfast Sunday evening.

What with the forecasted good weather for the Easter weekend and the desire to be out and about in the wilds again, the last few days have seen me running around trying to complete my camping gear, working out where to go (based mainly on where the good weather is going to last longest) and catching up with my best friend Gem.

To top it all, also have my eldest son coming to stay with me Thursday and Friday (and possible staying till Saturday morning, depending on how he feels) so have been busy cleaning up the house and making up the spare bed.

The trip to Belfast itself turned out to be an amazing weekend, packed with good food and tons of laughter and just a brilliant catch up with my brother and two sisters, as well as a great celebration of my mum’s 80th birthday.

It is not often that we all get to together, so it was good just to spend time with them and check how they are all doing. It was quite interesting, from the conversations we had, to learn just how much they also are trying to figure out what it is they want from life going forward.

It was very re-assuring to know that, just like me, they are done with the stress and want something more from life than they currently have. Not in a financial, materialistic way, but more in a wellness, sense of living kind of way.

That feeling of constant stress, was prevalent to all of them, as was the need to find a better, more fulfilling way of life. Each of them has plans, each has dreams, each knows that to carry on exactly as they are is neither emotionally sustainable or desirable and certainly not really living life to its fullest.

Maybe it’s a generational thing, I’m not sure, but we are the generation for whom all those breakthroughs in technology were supposed to make our lives better, less working hours, more social time. But that has never materialised, for whatever reason.

It seems to me that we are working harder than we ever have and its hard to see that changing in the near future. One thing I have learnt during my working life is that most companies are never satisfied, they, or their shareholders, always want more, another £1 of profit, even though they may well be already making millions and, in some cases, billions.

Working hours seem to get longer, pension/retirement dates are pushed back, people feel obliged to log in at home in the evenings or weekends and in some cases, even during their holidays, to try and keep on top of a workload that seems never ending.

Wow, has it really come to this, people having their leisure time impacted by the work load they are under, either through a high work ethic or fear of being let go. The effect of all these new technologies was supposed to be the reverse of this.

Why is it that companies seem blind to this, or even seem to encourage this as somehow just being part of the job. We make so much about, quite correctly, paying people a minimum living wage, but yet I can’t help wondering how many of us would fall below this level if we took the time to match our actual worked hours against our salary and calculated a true hourly rate.

I think a lot of people would be surprised by the result.

To me, at times it appears as if we have gone back to the Victorian times, those that have, can lead a decent life and those that have not, can toil, probably for the majority of their lives. A kind of live, work, die scenario.

For me, that was just not an option anymore, I don’t want any part of that. I will not allow myself to be put in a position where I am fearful of taking a holiday because of all the e-mails and work that will await me on my return.

That for me was the tipping point, and the difference between myself and my brothers and sisters. I couldn’t do it anymore, not even for one more day.

Yes, I kept trying to tell myself to hang on, that you can’t just jack it all in, that I should stay, earn some more money, save up, maybe find an easier job, one with less responsibility, blah, blah, blah.

But that way lays madness. The difference between a dream and reality is commitment. So I took the first step, I handed in my notice. Instead of worrying about the money, I re-directed the money I do have to freeing my life, to giving me a chance to try and find my happy now. Not tomorrow, not in a month, or a year, or when I am 65, now.

When you commit, things start to fall into place, you will find a way to achieve what it is you want. If you are able to push your demons down, stop them trying to bust your dream bubble, never lose sight of what it is you want, then life has a way of giving to you the things you will need to turn your dreams into reality.

It is easy to get side tracked, to question yourself, to procrastinate (as I am already guilty of) to be scared, but those things are there to test your resolve, if you really want what you think you want, then you will find a way to push past all those things.

And that is what I have to do, commit, that includes giving up my house, booking my motorcycle test, buying my Eurotunnel ticket for August 12th, returning September 25th (children’s birthdays just prior to and just after the above dates).

I have no idea, what the actual journey will look like from the date I leave my house (roundabout June 5th) to my return to the UK on September 25th. And I am not worried. I will go places, I will meet people and things, both good and bad, will happen on the way. How super ,can’t wait, life will look after me, that I truly believe.

Whatever your dreams, just remember that sometimes there is never a good time to go chase them. Life can get in the way if you let it. But if you truly believe in your dream, really believe it is what you want and it will make you happy, then take the first step and trust yourself.

I hope you all have a fabulous Easter weekend and get uninterrupted time to do the things you love with the people you love.

Love and hugs

Els xx