It's a Wonderful Life...

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Warm and sunny, with nothing to do but sit around and be with my girls. England had won the Ashes, I'd run 12 miles at 7:20 min/miles, had a delicious pasta dinner, half a bottle of champagne and found myself reposing in front of the TV watching the final episode of season 3 of The Wire which I've recorded on Sky +.

It hit me like a lightning bolt. Jeez, what a great life it is. How lucky we are to be able to enjoy the simple pleasures and how rare it is that we sit back and appreciate it.

So, this morning, via you guys, I'm busy counting my blessings.

To be fit, healthy and for those you love to be in the same position and close to you, either physically or spiritually is surely the most important thing in the all too brief time we spend as living things. Haven't we let other, more complex issues get in the way of this? Aren't we all guilty of succumbing to pressure about what we should be doing with our careers, about how we're perceived by others, about issues outside of our immediate circle when really, the secret of true happiness is to be balanced and healthy both as an individual and as a family?

Starting to sound evangelical. But its simple really.

If I look back to the happiest moments of my life, those that I'll truly replay at the moment my brief candle is extinguished, they won't be moments of work, nor of triathlon, but familial moments. I'll remember walking in a sunlit countryside with my dad when I was no more than six or seven years old having illicitly been allowed to take a day off school. I'll remember the moment I first kissed my wife and how I knew we'd always be together, I'll remember the birth of our two daughters and seeing their tiny eyes lock onto mine for the first time. I'll remember running with my eldest daughter (then only five years old) across a beach in Devon when - for one glorious moment that seemed to stretch into an eternity - everything moved in slow motion and, with her running next to me, golden hair flowing in the wind, tiny feet leaving all too brief footprints in the wet sand - I experienced a moment of true wonder that will be with me for ever. I'll remember the tiny arms of my youngest daughter as she wrapped them around my neck and kissed me and told me she loved me and I'll remember how I knew without any fear that I was anything other than 100% sure, that she absolutely, unequivocally... did.

So why, when these are the things that we cherish the most, when these are the life experiences burned into not only our memories but our soul, do we not allow ourselves to focus on these truly important things on a day to day basis. Why is it we submerse ourselves in less important issues and only allow our appreciation of the wondrous things in life to emerge when we take a lid off our innermost thoughts and emotions once in a while.

Maybe we need to keep reminding ourselves is all.

Maybe we need to get more into the habit.

I for one shall be trying to.

Seems strange now to blog about triathlon or career or other things. Not sure where all the above came from but it feels good to have written it.

I hope this finds you well, healthy and happy.