Reassessment

I have been doing quite a lot of thinking this weekend and have come to some conclusions.
While I didn't set out to spent time assessing what is going on a number of events these last few days caused it to happen.
I caught up with a friend on Friday night and, at the time, I was feeling not myself exactly. I was preoccupied with a few things going on in my head and it was great to get them out. A lot of the stuff wasn't new. Somehow I had found myself in a state of mild anxiety (in hindsight. It doesn't feel mild at the time).
The piece of advice that resonated was his thoughts on joy and how it comes from the heart. It struck a chord with me because I had recently finished reading Happiness Now! (thanks Bron) and it is largely about discovering the joy in your life.
There is no coincidence there.
Saturday brought to the surface something that has been brewing for a while, despite my being aware of it to a degree. My work is great but what it has done has changed something I used to have as a hobby into something greater. Now I need to reduce it back to a hobby.
I'm not in any trouble or anything but I have just noticed some things about myself, my habits and such that has raised a flag.
It's a good time to be challenging myself on that score as well.
Today I kicked back after dinner and watched the Mariah Carey concert DVD I bought a while back. I could go on and on but, say what you like about her, I consistently find her songs overflowing with inspiration.
She kept saying to the crowd how you should never let anyone else put you down and to fight for what you believe in. I was taken aback to hear her talk about Hero, my favourite song, in terms like `I didn't think much of it when I wrote it', but she did say she came around to it after everyone just took it into their hearts. She told how she has to sing it every time she performs in case someone needs to hear the message.
It was a song that really hit me back when it first came out in the early 1990s. I was having a tough time and the words helped me no end. They still do. When I need a lift I will often play Hero and it always works. I will never forget when I saw Mariah in concert and she closed the show with the song and it brought the house down. I recall standing there (yes everyone was out of their seats) with my hand on my heart singing my lungs out (and I am not ashamed to say it).
A great moment.
So hopefully this weekend can be a watershed for me. I definitely rediscovered something tonight that I hadn't let go of but that I had put aside for a while.