I have been AWOL for a few weeks. Everything was ticking over, and then boom, here comes the curve ball.

The curve ball is still there, sitting in the middle of the floor, but it is not incapacitating me. I am learning to get round it.

I had to make a few adjustments to my time, and some of the good habits - my exercise plan - fell away temporarily. However, I think we are back on track now. Fortunately, my food and beverage plan remained relatively intact; I even lost a pound.

For work, our whole department had to attend a "retreat". Read calm before the storm. Anyway, we had motivational speakers. Before the eyes glaze over, and for goodness sake don't blanch at the cost when like many places we can ill afford it...I did get a couple of positive things out of it. Any port in a storm? Clinging to the wreckage...

The first thing was to embrace the concept of "yes, and..." while jettisoning "yes, but". This is not hard for some to do in the workplace...after all it is just like the playground and it has to be done if we are to play well with others. The hard part for me is embracing it for myself.

Previously, with my curve ball, I would have gone around in a blue funk, "yes, but I didn't do my exercise, I didn't drink enough water, the sky is falling...." Instead I managed to go with the flow; this happened, that happened And I still managed to keep going and even lose a pound. Maybe this mind stuff works after all.

Oh and the second concept was, Ta Da. Kind of a little happy dance to yourself, with gestures and imaginary trumpets. It hasn't quite slithered into "self praise is no praise" but a sort of "attagirl" to oneself.