Having recently had some really nice plum jam, I was reminded of an interesting conversation I had a while ago with a friend who helped me to see the inspirational potential of plums. Yes, plums. And the more we spoke, I saw the potentially inspirational benefits of this humble fruit. Let me explain…

In the early part of the year, I often find it helpful having something to look forward to which reminds me of a time a couple of years ago when my wife and I had arranged a weekend trip to Berlin. My wife had introduced me to the rather enlightening concept of celebrating birthdays as opposed to just letting them pass by as quickly as possible with as little fuss as possible, but maybe that’s a subject for a future post.

As a result of having arranged this trip, I remember really looking forward to it. I’d never been before and there were lots of new things to see, feel, taste, hear and experience.  Out of curiosity at that time, I asked a few friends what they were looking forward to in the near future. Answers included a jazz festival, a trip to Wales, sunny weather, booking a holiday and going home after a hard day’s work.

Quite a mixed bunch of responses but it perhaps indicates that it’s not about a ‘big’ or ‘small’ event that you’re looking forward to but what you get from it. I sense that some people feel they don’t have anything to look forward to, but maybe it’s a matter of how you see it.

I remember one friend especially who follows the food seasons and as a result, after a plum-less few months, he was really looking forward to plum season and having a bite of the first ones.  Some people don’t like plums. He loves them. And that’s the perhaps slightly quirky, important thing.

From time to time, when things are perhaps not going so well, having something to look forward to, however seemingly big or small, can be incredibly motivating and help you through challenging times. Fortunately, living in such a beautiful country as Spain with so much to see, the choices are endless and with this in mind, we are in the process of organising a trip around Spain this summer to discover the wonders of places such as Caceres, Valencia, Salamanca and many more.

It doesn’t have to be a ‘big’ thing, it could be anything you like from a day trip to the seaside to setting a couple of hours aside to read that book you’ve been wanting to read for a while. The most important thing is that it is something that you are looking forward to for yourself.

So, what are you looking forward to? What is your plum season? And if you don’t feel there is anything to look forward to, at the moment what’s stopping you arranging something now?

Tschuss.