It's not you, it's me.

I woke up on my twenty ninth birthday at an hour that should be illegal and drove with half-open eyes to Trigg Beach to watch the sunrise. At high school my friend and I went camping, we walked down to the beach to watch the day break but it never did, it was just light all of a sudden; and I certainly wasn't wanting to re-live that underwhelming experience. Thankfully, this (unedited) image above is the beginning of an absolutely mind blowing dawn which featured a rainbow in the end. Exquisite. The day before I had driven to Lesmurdie Falls to hike the waterfall (image at the end), another moment that my eyes were thankful for and my body was complaining about. Mother Nature was seriously turning it on for me this weekend.

What are we here to talk about this week? Reflection. Firstly, I want to reflect on having begun Daily Ceremony one lap around the sun ago. July 23rd I purchased the licence and decided to start to put my thoughts to words and the blog was born. I feel pretty proud that those first few posts have single digit views, most of which were me re-reading them to make sure they didn't have any spelling mistakes. Jumping ahead to today, some of my more recent contributions having over 100 readers. I know that it's not about the number, but I certainly do feel privileged to have people spending their time reading what I have to say. Secondly, the reflection in the mirror. Entering the last year of my twenties is the truest tangible representation of 'it's not you, it's me.' It's my reaction. It's my behaviour. My education to participate in. My time to spend.

My contribution to a relationship. My decisions for my life. My energy, health, mental wellness. I'm responsible. Honestly, when I was younger I can say with confidence that everything was happening to me. Other people's problems and other people's decisions effected me constantly. Because I wasn't doing anything wrong? It was other people's poor decision-making that trickled down to me. Of course, it can still feel like that sometimes, but less. Transitioning into this new mental state is a superpower. It's like having the key to the kingdom; you are almost in complete control over how you react and what you choose for your life. A previous employer said to me, when I quit my job for mental health reasons, that no body was coming (to save/help/inspire/rebuild) me. I know it sounds harsh reading it like that but at the time it was a bit of a revelatory moment because she was right, no one was coming. I had to move home to live with my mum, I had to attend my weekly therapy appointments, I had to stop eating bags of corn chips every night for dinner and I had to work out how I was going to move forward. No one can do the hard work for you, although some of us have the resources to bring in some back up via psychology, allied health or a loved ones arms. Even though sometimes I wish I had someone to pay all my expenses and tell me I'm a genius - I love where I'm at because when my colleague calls me into a meeting, I don't have to sweat through my shirt worrying about a non-existent reprimanding. I know how many hours I worked this week and I know I worked hard. I acknowledge that when I feel disconnected from a friend it's because I haven't picked up the phone and called them. I appreciate that when I feel lethargic it's me who can get my shit together, double my water intake (hmm, triple- because sometimes it's befriending zero), eat something green in every meal for a week and I'll almost definitely feel better... ...But there are a lot of ways I still don't show up for myself. When I write these I think of all the things people could debate in my words and that I'm not only unqualified to publish but quite possibly the most unoriginal voice of my spectacularly diverse generation. I'm clearly not Paulo Coelho; what I'm saying isn't some edifying message that will change your outlook on life- but here is what I do want Ceremony to be, and in this way I'm arriving. Daily Ceremony is a blog dedicated to the things we do every day, the rituals of being human. The ways we show up, the ways we give up and the ways we live it up. My hope is that you will find something to fill your cup here; or to notice which of your cups is overflowing that might be of service to others. So that's the cup-filler this week, it may be a little-bit them, but it's mostly you. Show up for yourself this week dear friend, and the world will be your back up dancer. ''Listen, O drop, give yourself up without regret,

and in exchange gain the Ocean.

Listen, O drop, bestow upon yourself this honor,

and in the arms of the Sea be secure.

Who indeed should be so fortunate?

An Ocean wooing a drop!'' - Rumi ---------------------------------- Tunes to get you through the week: It's not you - Chet Faker Day off - Cynthia Erivo Adam complex - Charlotte Day Wilson About him - Alex Isley Just like that - Snoh Aalegra

Daily Ceremony acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land we work on, and we pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.

Ceremony [ ser-uh-moh-nee ] A unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. Aka, life.