Bridget McNulty

Day 27: Stillness

// July 28th, 2010 // No Comments » // Decisions, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Love

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been B.U.S.Y lately… I’m not 100% sure why, but all of a sudden my man and I have been deluged with invitations and work has been reallllly busy too. So I’ve had very little time to myself, I’ve been rushing around too much (I hate rushing) and in general I’ve felt like my plate is full to overflowing.

So today I decided to give myself the gift of stillness. I left work on time and went for a 2 hour reiki session with an amazing healer. It was so wonderful to be able to lie down and soak up good energy. For anyone who hasn’t tried reiki, give it a go! It can be completely transformative. I went in feeling tired, rushed, a little worried and snotty. I left feeling pretty close to wonderful!

Day 25: Cute sand set…

// July 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // Cape Town, Love

… For the cutest girl in the world. Seriously, my neice just keeps getting cuter and more fun and cleverer and prettier and and and. I’m a bit of a doting aunt, can you tell?

So when I saw this Hello Kitty sand set I had to get it for her. She loves the beach (in summer), and kids love doing useful things like scooping up dirt. I gave it to her yesterday and we played with it in the garden… So in some ways I got a gift, too – spending time with her is always such a treat.

Day 18: Fresh banana bread

// July 18th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Love, Tea Parties, food

There are few things in life as delicious as fresh banana bread slathered in butter and accompanied by a hot cup of tea. Really, I’ll stand by that statement. It tastes like home and happiness and love all rolled into one.

So what better gift to give a friend who’s just moved into her first home, than a loaf of freshly baked banana bread?

Enough said!

PS: I have THE best recipe for banana bread the world has ever seen. It’s my mom’s, and it’s flop-proof. I might share it if you ask me nicely…

Day 17: New pyjamas

// July 18th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Life (and the living of it), Love

Is there any feeling as delicious as that of slipping on a pair of new pyjamas? Especially if you’ve just got out the shower and you’re about to get into a warm bed? I don’t think so.

My man, believe it or not, has never worn pyjamas, and much as t-shirts and shorts are handy, they don’t do what a pair of crisp cotton jammies will for a good night’s sleep. So yesterday, while out on a bit of a shopping spree for myself (more on that later), I decided to buy him a pair of pyjamas. Delicious.

Day 16: Affection

// July 17th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Blogs, Decisions, Love

So I realised yesterday that even though I’m halfway through this challenge, I haven’t given anything to my man yet… Or my family, actually. I think sometimes when people are very close to you it’s easy to take them for granted a bit.

So I decided, today, to rectify that. My language of love is gifts (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, check this out – I’ve spoken about the 5 love languages before) which is why this challenge appealed to me so much. But my man’s language of love is affection… I often think it’s an easier language to have, because when someone loves you they’ll obviously be affectionate. When you open your arms for a hug, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get one.

But just as a gift doesn’t mean as much when you have to ask for it, affection doesn’t mean as much when you have to ask for it either. So yesterday evening I made a conscious effort to be as affectionate as possible – to step out of my circle of ‘this is me on a Friday night, watching a DVD, eating (yummy) naan bread’ and give him extra hugs and kisses. And don’t you know, he was in the best mood by the end of the evening.

I think it’s something I’m going to do more.

PS: Had to improvise a little with the picture, but these toys are on his desk and they kind of look like they’re hugging, don’t they?

Day 15: Heartfelt card

// July 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Life (and the living of it), Love

Do you ever have those, ‘What if I died tomorrow’ moments? I do, and not in a morbid way at all. I sometimes think to myself, ‘If I died tomorrow, would everyone I love know that I loved them? And, most of the time, the answer is a resounding yes. I’m very open with how I feel and I tell my man and my family and my friends that I love them, often.

But I was thinking, yesterday, that there’s one area of my relationships where I haven’t said how I feel – my future parents-in-law. I suppose because we got to know each other quite slowly, and I was (naturally) a bit reserved when I first met them. But I’ve grown to really love them, and I so appreciate all the delicious meals and incredible gifts (like my recent vintage crockery set!) and support they’ve given us over the years.

So today I wrote them a (very cool and sparkly) card saying just that.

Day 14: Desk plant

// July 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // Love, Nature

You know how some people are crazy cat ladies? I’m a crazy succulent lady.

Seriously, how can anyone not love a plant that grows no matter what, can spread simply by breaking off a piece of it, and comes in so many different varieties? Totally cool. No desk, home or verandah should be without them.

So I brought in a succulent in a tiny mug for a lovely colleague of mine whose desk is sad and bare (I said it was because she’s helping me out with my budget, but really it’s because she’s such a pleasure to work with).

Day 8: Long phonecall

// July 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // Decisions, Life (and the living of it), Love

We arrived home late after our (wonderful) trip to Knysna this evening, and all I really wanted to do was unpack, take a deep breath and have a cup of tea in my lovely little flat.

But a friend of mine has just had some bad news, and I’ve been wanting to chat to her all week. It wasn’t the right time in Knysna – what will all the celebrations and decadence – but this evening was great timing and we had a lovely long chat. I think one of the things this dedication to gift-giving is teaching me, is that sometimes not being selfish for half an hour can really make a difference…

Day 7: Thank you gift

// July 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // Inspiration, Love, food, travelling

My man and I have had such a wonder-full time in Knysna… We arrived worn out, frazzled and in need of some quality down time. We’re leaving rested, relaxed, full to the brim of oysters and champagne, and having had a really lovely holiday.

The reason for that is one woman: Jeannine Orzechowski, the lovely PR who made our stay so great. She pulled out all the stops – a sunset cruise, a massage, whisky and wine tastings, an oyster bed cruise around the lagoon… Really, it’s been one pleasure after another.

So to say a (small) thank you, we bought her a gift. Because I think a lot of the time if being nice to people is your job, you don’t get the thanks you deserve. And isn’t it lovely to say thank you once in a while?

Day 6: Meaningful email

// July 6th, 2010 // No Comments » // Decisions, Life (and the living of it), Love

Life is really busy, isn’t it? I so often find the days kind of slipping into each other and things that I had meant to do – small things – just slip by the sidelines of the ‘more important’ To Do List.

One of the things I always mean to do (and sometimes never find time for) is sending heartfelt emails to friends. Just no-reason-in-particular mails, to tell them how I feel about them.

So today I did that. A friend of mine has been making a lot of life changes lately, and I wanted to let her now how proud I am of her.