I’m on leave, so this is a in-case-you-missed-it post. I asked right-hand chick Jo to highlight her favourite posts from the year. Here they are:

(PS. this pic above is one Jo took from her flat…she sits here to think each morning…)

1. I love this post: The best reason I’ve ever found for backing the f*ck off. Yeah! Basically because of the title . But also because it talks about pacing yourself, slowing down, ‘smelling the roses’, and focusing on making choices to do life well. “The clear message: just choose to start stressing less. Be gentle. Choose wellness.” Which is something I have on my radar. I’m determined to attempt to do life well. Also, I made some key decisions around the time of this post, and applied for my job with Sarah four days later (on my brother’s 30th birthday  – which is why I know the date).

2. I like spending time on my own, checking in with my inside people (I’ve never had such a fun way to describe it before). That’s why I love this post. The ocean is my favourite place to refuel. And while I’m refueling, I’m checking in on myself. My soul sorts through stuff when I create the space for it. I’ve LOVED Uge since I read this post (I think it’s been a year or so now). I recently met him and he was everything I expected him to be and more… GENUINE GOOD PERSON. Love him. Love this concept.

Every few weeks or so I feature one of Eugene Tan’s wonderful beach pictures on this site. I know many of you love them. Woah!, now you can buy the book.

Uge has become a great mate after years of running into him down at Bondi in the mornings where, for the past 11 years, he’s been found taking beautiful pictures of people being happy in water… which he then posts on his site aquabumps. 40,000 people check in each morning to view his work. And thousands have bought his over-sized prints. I’ve seen them hung around the world.

You might recall, I’ve written about Uge before. He taught me about “checking in with your inside people“. And I can safely say, Uge is one of the happiest people I know. He smiles when he surfs. It shows in his book.

Plus a gratuitous shot of our mate Gezza x

I reckon it’d make a great Christmas present. Happy, fresh, summery. This you might like to know:

* It’s a massive coffee-table spectacular (almost a metre across when open).

* It’s designed by Ant Donovan

* It’s $150 and you can buy it in Uge’s gallery on Curlewis St or here:

Have a great Friday xxxxxx

I like this nice little reminder from DailyOM on having breaks when you’re going hard. I’m a big fan of having light and shade in life. To sprint and rest. It’s hard to remember to create these contrasts, sometimes.

(The pic below is a ripper….courtesy of Eugene at Aquabumps, he of the “checking in with my inside people” philosophy.)

A New Approach
Taking a Break from What You Are Doing

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our thoughts that we wind up going round in round in circles, finding it difficult to concentrate on things and, because we are so distracted, not really accomplishing much. There may be signals˜mental, emotional, and physical˜that tell us we need to slow down and relax. Since we are so involved in things that are external to us, however, we may easily overlook what is really going on inside of us. It is during these times that we need to step back from the things that occupy our minds and take time out to connect with our inner self, giving our minds, bodies, and spirits the time they need to reenergize and heal.

A few days ago marked seven years in Sydney for me. July 3 2003 I arrived in Bondi with a carload of belongings and moved in with Bill from the coolhunter (at the time he worked from his bedroom with a following of a few thousand…now it’s in the millions). I’ve moved back and forth from Bondi. I’m back.

And I quite love the place for all it’s scrappy, scruffy, affected, slightly confused antics. If you’re in the area, or visiting some time soon, here a little guide to places I think sum up the place and also give the little basin it’s quirky community vibe.

* Please add your ideas and suggestions to the comments and I’ll add to this list for everyone to read!!

1. Soup at M Deli, Fletcher St Tamarama. Great locals hangout. Their soups are the best. Cauliflower with sage. Spinach and chickpea. They also have Organic Republic’s gluten-free bread there.

There’s an Italian proverb: “Where the sun does not go, the doctor does”.

This is how I started my day: Bondi at sunrise this morning

Doctors are now scrambling to get out studies that say pretty much the same. But with more words. Basically because they’re finding that we all need more Vitamin D. It plays a humongous role in preventing cancer, osteoporosis and a bunch of auto-immune diseases. People who get sun, get less illness. Simple and sweet.

There’s a few things to know here, which I found so, so interesting:

• Vitamin D is best absorbed from the sun. Only about 10% of our daily needs can come from diet
• It has to be direct sun – that is, no sunscreen or T-shirts or shade-clothes.
• Doctors are rethinking their whole sun-is-the-devil message. Baking yourself like a chook in the midday sun ain’t good. But 20 minutes daily is about right.

If you want to read more, the folk at Huffington Post are frothing on the subject at the moment.

Or just go sit outside. I’ve been meditating down at the beach most mornings for a few years now. 20 minutes of direct sunshine on my face does all kind of good things for me.

Thank you to Uge at Aquabumps for the shot. xx

…down at Bondi, a quick sand run and a float in the ocean, looking up at the sky and getting into the right mood for the day.

This has been my routine for years. I’ve watched one woman, in this time, get pregnant and – bounce back again – twice!! There’s the over-tanned older lady who sand shuffles in a bright bikini with a matching hat. She always matches. And waves. I feel her happinss as she shuffles past. There’s the Russian body builders whose veins bulge at the neck. Dr Chris Brown is a regular. The Bondi Rescue boys always sing out encouragement. I’ve even had two blind running dates (sweat, sand, lycra and a 6.30 rendez-vous…anyone else up for it?)

This is my community. When you have a routine, you can tap into a community.

Routine can also make life simple. Each morning I wear the same green shorts and this red hat (it’s about seven years old now). I don’t have to think about what I wear. I dress and run. I don’t have to think about what makes me happy. This routine does. I just gravitate to it each day and I start my day happy.

This morning I ran into these cheeky kids (Deb and Sammy). Eugene from Aquabumbs took the pic. If you go to his site you’ll also see my mate Stu, who’s in my ‘hood, too.

“It’s the people that you meet, when you’re walking in the street…”.