#WeeklyNRG - Noticing

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG

This week’s theme? Noticing. The passing of time, the changing of seasons, and the small moments that make an ordinary day feel rather special.

I’m becoming slightly obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. Here in Cyprus, and at home in France, I find myself wanting to stop and watch. Perhaps it’s the scale, the colours or simply the fact that they happen whether or not I have finished my emails.

Either way, they make me pause.

The Weekly Debrief

Last week, I found a better balance between working in the mornings and taking the afternoons off. Not perfect, but progress — and a welcome improvement on trying to squeeze everything into every available hour.

It gave us time to explore beaches and sights around Ayia Napa. I also made space for a massage and a French lesson: a little relaxation, a little learning, and plenty of reminders that life doesn’t have to revolve around the laptop.

But it’s the beginnings and endings of the days that have really caught my attention.

Watching the sun disappear, I’ve found myself thinking less about what I haven’t done and more about what the day has held. A good conversation. Somewhere new. Time with Kyle. Another opportunity to do work I enjoy, followed by time to enjoy something else.

I’m grateful for the life I have and the experiences I’ve been able to share. I don’t take that lightly. The sunsets seem to give me a moment to acknowledge it — without needing to turn it into a grand declaration or a new item on the to-do list.

The Week Ahead

The season is visibly changing here. Hotels, bars and restaurants are closing, and familiar places are becoming quieter. There’s something lovely about that slower pace, but also a little sadness in seeing the shutters come down.

It has made me curious about seasonal rhythms. From the outside, a concentrated working season followed by a quieter winter has its appeal. Of course, closed doors don’t tell us what work, responsibilities or financial pressures continue behind them. But it does leave me asking whether I could be more deliberate about my own periods of effort and recovery.

For now, this week is about the usual meetings, saying goodbye to people and packing up before heading to Cardiff for a few days, then home to France.

Heavy rain is forecast here, so perhaps Cyprus is gently suggesting it’s time to leave. I’m not quite ready to agree — particularly when I think about the temperature awaiting me at the other end.

Lessons Learnt

I don’t want to turn gratitude into another thing we should be doing properly. Nor do I think a beautiful sunset makes a difficult day disappear.

But I’m noticing that I can acknowledge what’s good without pretending everything is perfect.

There’s a useful question in that, personally and professionally: do I notice what is already working, or only what still needs fixing? The conversation that moved things forward. The person who quietly followed through. The space I managed to protect for myself.

Perhaps the sunrise and sunset habit is simply giving me a natural pause — a reminder that time is passing, but also that I’m here to experience it. Not every moment needs to be productive. Some are worth enjoying without asking anything more of them.

Here’s to noticing the good without ignoring the difficult, making room for different seasons, and occasionally letting the inbox wait while the sky does its thing. Just the right dose of #NRG.

What small moment has made you stop and think, “I’m glad I was here for that,” this week?