Photo was taken last evening in late evening sunshine, at Tooreenbawn, Millstreet, Co.Cork (Irl)

As we head towards the end of August, there is a lot of activity on many farms and in particular, getting in the 2nd cut of silage to stock up the reserves for winter. Thankfully the weather for the most part has been very kind right throughout the summer months, giving the farming community every chance to get the harvest in.

Thought on Friday – August – 23/08/2013

‘We were active and not reactive” ~Arsene Wenger after Arsenal’s away win in the Champions League qualifying game in Turkey last Wednesday evening

The Premiership kicked off last weekend and another one of those gentle reminders that school is just around the corner! For Arsenal it got off to the worst possible start with a home defeat against Aston Villa. The reports in all the papers on Sunday were not kind to Arsenal and highly critical of the team. But they had the perfect response to all their critics with a fine away win in Turkey during the week. The response after of the manager Arsene Wenger, ‘we were active and not reactive’, got me thinking.

There is a world of a difference between the two, not just in sport but also in life. How often we can be reactive in a lot of the things we do. We go with the flow, we do what has to be done and we react negatively when things are not going well. A lot of it can lack direction, can be shallow without depth and can often mean we are catching up in life. On the other hand the word active is the exact opposite and can sum up our approach to life and in particular our spiritual lives. When we are active we choose to make the most of each day, we seize opportunities, we see the glass as half full and not half empty, we see setbacks and disappointments as stepping stones, we embrace balance and there is always time for the really important things in life. What sums up your day today? Is it active or reactive?