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Embrace the Winter Months, Before During and After Christmas hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Dec 18, 2023

By Hayley McDonnell.

In the UK, the winter months are creeping closer. I have purposefully used the adjective as the change is gradual, though expected. Some days, it is bright and sunny, just like today where I am, and other times, there is frost on the windscreen, and it's definitely feeling...

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Life Lessons: What Can We Learn From The Muppets? hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Mar 20, 2023

Colloquially the word 'Muppet' can mean silly, daft or, at worst stupid.   Through cultural changes, the word muppet, in this sense, has been replaced by other demeaning words and phrases which I won't linger on here. Instead, I will refer to 'the Muppets' as the focus of this piece.

As...

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Life Lessons: Epiphany, What Does It Mean Today? hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Jan 02, 2023

It's like I've had an epiphany.

As schools and businesses prepare to re-open and return to regular business working hours this week, we could be forgiven for saying it is appropriate to remove the Christmas decorations and return them to their storage home for the next 12 months. The questions...

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The Legacy of HRH Queen Elizabeth II hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Nov 24, 2022

The phrase “We don’t know what goes on behind closed doors” is often used to express the view that we shouldn’t judge or make assumptions about others and must be fully informed of the facts (as far as possible) before making conclusions.  

This has long been a...

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International Best Friends Day hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Jun 03, 2022

The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. I feel sure that we are all an advocate of these efforts and...

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Why does cultural diversity matter? hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat May 02, 2022

By Hayley McDonnell.

May is the month when cultural diversity is acknowledged on a global scale (21st May is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development). Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Development have diversity at its core, and with a worldwide element recognised,...

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Spring Forward; Stepping Into Quarter Two Calm and With A Sense Of Adventure business hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat the workroom Apr 03, 2022

By Hayley McDonnell

It's the month of Easter, and Spring is really getting going. Lighter nights have arrived – it is one of my favourite months! So let's dive into all things April!

April hosts; International Day for Monuments and Sites, better known as World Heritage Day, which promotes...

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Life Lessons: Marvellous March hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Mar 06, 2022

By Hayley McDonnell.

Purpose and accountability are essential for us all. They provide motivation and recognition of work achieved, which is true in both professional and personal aspects of life. The months of the year pass us by and often with only a cursory glance, if at all, to the actual...

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Life Lessons: Fantastic February hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Feb 09, 2022

By Hayley McDonnell.

February is known for many things; it could be the shortest month of the year, the coldest month of the year, or the month of love. You probably know that the original Roman calendar enjoyed by Western culture today only had ten months. At one stage, the Romans didn’t...

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Life Lessons: Reframing January hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat the workroom Jan 16, 2022

By Hayley McDonnell.

January is seen by many as the most challenging month.

Is January as hard as we think? In Western culture, we are coming down from an almost month of fun and festivities, but alongside that, January brings us an expectation that there is a full year ahead to plan and enjoy....

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A Sparkling Interlude in the Dark, St. Lucia's Day. hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Dec 08, 2021

By Hayley McDonnell.

In the Western hemisphere, a sparkling interlude in the dark, cold month of December is St. Lucia's Day.  

St. Lucia's Day is acknowledged by an abundance of festivity and lights and celebrated in Sweden, Norway, and the Swedish-speaking areas of Finland on December...

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Random Acts of Kindness hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle mindset the retreat Nov 15, 2021

By Hayley McDonnell.

World Kindness Day is celebrated annually on 13th November. On this day, all those involved strive to make the world a better place by promoting good deeds, celebrating positivity and pledging acts of kindness, either as individuals or as organisations.

Kindness is entirely...

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Life Lessons: Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda festival hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Oct 14, 2021

By Hayley McDonnell.

If you have been sitting near water in the summer months, you have more in common with this Buddhist festival than you may have realised. Perhaps you've sat under a pagoda for shade and admired its aesthetic contribution to the outside space? This Eastern cultural event is...

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Life Lessons: Forgiveness hayley mcdonnell life lessons the retreat Sep 15, 2021

By Hayley McDonnell.

I’ve always tried to believe that when exchanging gifts that ‘the pleasure was in the giving and not the receiving’. Of course, this works best, if at all, with tangible gifts though I throw in a caveat here as the intended reaction is of gratitude and not...

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Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread hayley mcdonnell life lessons the retreat Aug 13, 2021

By Hayley McDonnell.

In Christian/Western culture, Jesus teaches believers to pray that God would provide daily bread (Matthew 6:11). Obviously, Jesus was not telling His disciples to pray only for bread even though bread was a staple in the diet of the Jews and had been so for many years....

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Life Lessons; Tisha B’Av, also known as the Jewish Fast of Av hayley mcdonnell life lessons lifestyle the retreat Jul 19, 2021

By Hayley McDonnell

The summer months are full of fun, sunshine, ice cream, beaches, family gatherings and outdoor picnics to name a few. They are a respite from daily work, a chance to enjoy sunnier weather (we hope) and to enjoy ourselves. It gives us a chance to momentarily forget our worries...

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