After the news and then the initial shock of seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in flames, followed by the next day when the fire was eventually put out, I found myself feeling instead of sadness an overwhelming sense of gratitude, due to the skill, bravery, communication and teamwork that it had been partly saved!

A phoenix will rise from the ashes, my favourite symbol and the one I use for my forward after fifty business.

When the fire was first announced there were many emotions, including blame, panic, hopelessness, loss, fear, and confusion, as after all a building that had stood up to so much, and at the same time retained its glory, as well as beauty, is more than worthy of its iconic status. We thought it would always be there because it always has, and if one hadn’t yet been there, it was something to be crossed off the list in the sometimes travel future.

The similarity of emotions struck me of how we can also feel when loss and change can challenge our own lives, yet can be lessened by gratitude and the knowledge that from what is left behind can be built on, albeit something different, but something that will make a difference to your life. Adapting to change is challenging, made easier by trying to concentrate on the journey rather than the end result. .Going forward after fifty is physically, and emotionally full of inevitable changes which can all be welcomed with positivity rather than the expected negative dread.

In 2012 I fell off my happy perch after having had the year before, a diagnosis of breast cancer after a routine mammogram, I was told I have some suspect cancerous or precancerous cells, which could develop into a tumour. A lumpectomy and radiotherapy was the procedure. I dealt with the treatment, but the psychological challenge was different, particularly dealing with other people’s views. This was quickly followed by the loss of what I thought even in the world of self-employment was a pretty permanent job in the travel industry. My Doctor’s response as to why I had the cancer cells were simply you are in your fifties and the cull in the tour operator company at the time was loaded with rumours of age-related elimination, with which some companies adhere to. I suddenly had an age wake-up call, that I hadn’t thought about previously. What had not occurred to me at the time, is that I was being given a key to liberation and my own reinvention. Oh to have the strength, when given bad news to see it as an opportunity. Tools such as gratitude and the knowledge that failing or falling, even many times is part of the journey to doing something which will be meaningful for you. A start in shifting into positivity is a daily gratitude journal which doesn’t have to be for something momentous, but for small delights, such as a great meal, the blue sky, a walk with the dog, or a friendly smile from someone, anything at all. It’s to put you in the positivity frame of mind, which will eventually change your mindset.

Often we feel comfortable with tradition, or not moving out of our comfort zone and often the people who surround us definitely would like us to stay exactly as we are, which can make reinvention a struggle. Notre Dame, we would like back with no new fancy touches, a very unlikely scenario, as already there is a competition to find a design to replace the parts lost, it will inevitably be different. Should we resist change or is it perhaps more beneficial to go with the flow and the new challenges in this journey of life, there is so much we can achieve if we don’t let negativity have the upper hand.