Inspirational Olympians and Paralympians

I remember posting about 4 weeks ago on Facebook, that Bradley Wiggins would win BBC Sports Personality of the Year this year. His achievements absolutely deserve recognition. Following that, there were further inspirational Olympians - Jess Ennis and Mo Farah to name just two. However, why not for the first time, consider some of our Paralympic competitors for the main award. Surely Jonnie Peacock, David Weir, Ellie Simmonds and Sarah Storey deserve to be considered along side the able bodies athletes for the prestigious award. Sarah Storey has won four gold medals just in the 2012 Paralympics and David Weir has won three! It is not very British to be proud of being British, but this is definitely something as a nation we can be proud of. The Paralympics began as a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 and has now developed into a major international sporting event. GB is high up in the medals table and we are rightly proud of our Paralympians as well as our Olympians.

The Art of Accepting Help

Why is it so hard to accept help from others? There I was at church on Sunday - me with 3yo old Owen and his toy guitar, 11wk old Aoife in her car seat with her changing bag. A lady that I know came over at the end and offered to help carry my bag to the car. "Oh no" I said, "Don't worry!" "Accept the offer of help" she said and so I did. What was the sense in turning her down? None! I'm going to try and bear that in mind a bit more. Why "cope" and "manage"? What am I trying to prove and to who? If someone wants to carry my bag or hold my son's hand or watch my baby then I will gratefully accept. It is the stronger person that accepts help rather than tries to be stubbornly independent the whole time.

Introducing Aoife

So yet again there's been a big gap in my blogging. I've been busy though, let me introduce Aoife Grace Davis:

She was 13 days late in arriving but so pleased to have my baby girl with us. Her name is an irish name meaning "beautiful and radiant". She's now 2 months old and the old cliche is true - can't really imagine life without her now!

Celebrity tragedies - is it a risk of fame & fortune or a risk from being human?

History is littered with tragic celebrity deaths - Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Karen Carpenter, Amy Winehouse to mention a few and then, last weekend Whitney Houston.

Is it the pressure, attention (that they so often initially seek) and money that can be seen as the root cause? It may be so but I actually think that it is a reflection of human life. Emotions are part of our human make up and we often wouldn't be without them. However many people in life suffer things they struggle to cope with resulting in addictions, mental health issues and worse. This is not unique to celebrities.

At the end of the day, there are people whose lives provide them with the intervvention or diversion that they need that helps them cope and there are those who either do not find this or do not grasp it when it comes along. Within the last month, James Corden has spoken about how fame affected him. He describes his behaviour 4 years ago as "spoilt and brattish" and says he was feeling lost until he opened up to his parents and took the decision to listen to them and the advice of friends.

At work as a pharmacist, on a daily basis, I see patients who suffer. It may not be so publicly but we are all vulnerable as humans. I draw inspiration though from the heroin addicts that I see that embark on a methadone programme and come out the other side. It may not always happen, but it can happen.

And yes - famous or not - we like to blame addicts for "getting themselves in that situation" but how many of us truly would choose to wake up tomorrow and be an addict? My advice: keep talking to your friends and be a true friend to those you know. Having a support network and being a support for others will help with the tough times that we will no doubt have ahead of us at times. Let's make sure we celebrate and appreciate the good times too!

Why blog and what to blog about?

Having not written in my blog for over 6 months again, I really wanted to make another entry and get it kick started again. I then started wondering what to write about and from there, why am I actually blogging? Is it for my benefit or other people's?

Am I thinking this too much, well maybe!

Some blogs seem to be people talking about social issues / current affairs and trying to challenge the thinking of their readers. Some blogs seem to be a kind of diary. Maybe the reason my blog needs a kick start is because I'm not sure of which kind my blog is.

I think mine falls into the third category though - a bit of both. Why I didn't come to that conclusion earlier who knows - after all the blog is entitled "Blended Girl"! I feel my blog will sometimes be cathartic and a way of expressing myself and other times may speak about issues that I feel strongly about. I have come to the conclusion that this is absolutely fine. Selfishly my blog will be for me - an oultlet from the business of life and some valued reflection time. If other people choose to read my blog, I am flattered and hope that they will find some benefit - whether it be entertainment or a different view of life.

Here goes a new chapter in the life of Blended Girl!

The caterpillar and the butterfly

So how did that happen? It's the end of July already and this is only my second blog entry for 2011!

If there's anything that 2011 has shown me so far, it's the fragility of life combined with the strength of spirit. For many people I know it has been a tough year. Even this week, a family I know have suffered the loss of their teenage daughter to cancer. So very heartbreaking and tragic and yet I know in years to come they will be comforted by her smile and particularly her fortitude.

Also this week, I found out that an ex-work colleague had died. I knew she'd been fighting breast cancer for a few years. In the end though she fell down the stairs and died from the resulting head injury. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason and no sense.

I saw this quote a few weeks ago and thought it was a beautiful slant on the fragility of life: "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly".

My faith cannot explain tragedies or losses. It cannot explain why, in Norway, someone would instigate two attacks on innocent people in a day, killing over 80 people. I have to allow myself to question but also to trust in God's love. A love that allows us free will and choice, a love that doesn't smother but a love that sets us free and allows us to be more of ourselves. In return, I will strive to make the most of every day - to focus on the important things in life rather than the passing material things or the things I have no control over.

In the meantime, who knows what is around the corner? But I hope to face each corner or bend in the road with strength, fortitude and faith, no matter how challenging. Life is fragile but it is also filled with excitement and amazing people. I also need to remember that it's worth taking a few risks in life - give it a go. If it doesn't work out, you'll get by but if you don't even try, you'll never get there.

Happy New Year!!

Well today is 1-1-11!
Another year has been and gone and here we are at the start of 2011.

I was asked a few days ago what my hopes were for the coming year. Initially, all the usual things came to mind - happiness, success, health and wealth for me, my family and friends.

After a few minutes though, I changed my answer. I think I spend too much of my life living for the future and for what I wish to achieve / happen.

My resolution this new year is to take the time to enjoy what I have in the here and now. Only on Monday was this brought home to me even more by the tragic car accident that killed Declan's cousin along with 3 others.

I'm really going to try in 2011 to keep things in perspective and appreciate what I have each day. (Hopefully I can do that though whilst enjoying happiness, success, health and wealth with my friends and family!)