Today the snow has come. It’s looking very beautiful but has meant cancelling a visit this morning to someone I have not seen for some time. Another friend is also snowed in. We were due to meet tomorrow in town midway between our homes, and so this has also been postponed.  However, on the bright side, it has meant more time with a loved one as neither of us could travel very far.

This morning we walked into town through the snow to do some shopping for ourselves and a neighbour and found a number of shops closed but managed to get what we wanted.  We’ve had meals together, and watched television together as well as having conversations about anything and nothing. This has been lovely. However, I have been reflecting on what it means to ‘make uninterrupted time’ for someone I care deeply for.

So often I seem to be multi-tasking. I’m cooking, grazing, listening to the radio, and perhaps doing something on the computer or on my smartphone. I know that this must often mean that I don’t really pay attention or listen when a loved one speaks to me. Which in turn probably means that we don’t connect as well as we might. Awareness does not necessarily lead to a change in behaviour, but I will certainly try to do better.

This is the last day in February, and so the last day of the Friendly February calendar. I’ve enjoyed the actions and learned from them but did find some of them repetitive. However, I will take a tour back through the month and reflect on the experience. I also hope to take the best of what I’ve learned into the future …

The tomorrow a new Action for Happiness calendar starts – ‘Mindful March 2018‘ with each daily action encouraging us to be more mindful and more in the present.