Savouring the experience

A large pool of psychological data describe how happiness and personal well being can be enhanced as we 'savour' the experiences we have, reflecting on the joy we live through. For the past week and a half we have been holidaying with my parents in their home by the water on the Central Coast of NSW. It has been a real treat.

This morning as I returned from the surf I began to reflect on the blessings and abundance we've enjoyed as we've holidayed.

• Going to the temple with my little brother for the first time
• Eating roast pork, roast turkey, roast lamb, roast chicken and roast potatoes (way too much of all of them)
• Swimming after the dive rings in the pool with Chanel, and always getting beaten by millimetres
• Surfing in some of the coldest water I've been in, but going in anyway because I was with my four surfing buddies from Gosford (Thanks for coming Ben, Jay, Richard and Ian). We were only in the water for around 30 minutes and it was so cold I couldn't actually catch any waves, but it was terrific to all be together at Wamberal for the first time in about 12 or 13 years.
• Diving, then somersaulting, then backflipping off the pylons of mum and dad's jetty with Tim. It was going great until he suggested doing a forward run, then launching and doing a backflip. I got the run up, lauched and flicked my feet up and my head back, but only got 90 degrees. That meant I hit the water full force back first. It was red for a few hours.
• Teaching Abbie to do flips in the pool.
• Helping my sister's ex-husband, Mat, put up a trampoline in the pouring rain so Santa wouldn't look like he'd only delivered the boxes.
• Listening to Ella, our little Ewok, speaking in her Ewok language.
• Spending too few precious minutes with Nan and Pop Bunt, and Rob and Tracey, but enjoying being with them all the same.
• Buying "It's a Wonderful Life" (starring James Stewart) for $4.99 and watching it for the first time with Kylie and Mum, and all crying with joy for the blessings of our lives.
• Having a sensational surf at Forrester's Beach in beautiful conditions with miraculously warm water on our last day in Gosford. Ben and I surfed at Banzai and Lefts, caught some terrific waves, and had a genuinely fulfilling conversation. It was so great. Driving back from the beach I just enjoyed the silence and contemplated how many terrific memories have been created on this trip.

Thanks mum and dad for a terrific time. We really appreciated spending Christmas with you and the family.