Preparing for winter with compassion
Last year, I think it was, I made a playlist called ‘this winter will be different’ full of atmospheric and cosy music – medieval choral, contemporary folk, female singer-songwriters, even a nice bit of Eddie Vedder – and then completely forgot about it. Was last winter different? You ask. Well, no, not really. And it […]
It’s the start of Spring, but what season are you in?
Yesterday was the Spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, one of my favourite moments of the year. As well as providing a natural point to stop and consider aspects of balance in my world, I also feel so grateful that the light is only increasing from here, and that longer days are on the horizon. […]
Inhabiting those inbetween times
This year, more than any other, January has felt to me like an inbetween time. Not only the inbetweenness of limping from winter towards spring, but also the experiences of continuing to deal with Long covid and having emergency work on our drains. Each of these situations – my ongoing convalesecence, the uncertainty with the […]
Welcoming Spring and releasing Winter
At the end of this week it’s the Spring equinox. Of all the seasonal markers I’ve chosen to make part of my own rhythm and ritual this one feels most significant. It’s a quiet moment – not flashy like midsummer, nor darkly brooding like midwinter – in fact it’s most likely to be grey and […]
Happy Birthday little blog & book revival
This month marks my blog’s 4th birthday! When I began writing it I included a monthly book recommendation, something I’d been reading on the theme of creativity, personal development, that sort of thing. Somewhere along the line I stopped doing it, despite those posts beings some of the most popular, and despite people still asking […]
Looking back at 2020 – a compassionate and meaningful review
The year review is the densest part of this process because I will go through the entire previous year with a fine tooth comb. When I first started doing this I used to only go through my work diary, noting all the meetings, client sessions, teaching, workshops, travel etc that I might have done. And […]
Dealing with a disconnect, accepting some truths about expectations
Returning to a daily practice after a break always take a little more effort than I’d like. Today I noticed the struggle getting here, to my writing, as well as going for a walk and doing some yoga. I think that something has shifted in me over the weekend, seasonally as well as emotionally. I […]
What kind of creative space do we most need to be ourselves?
It feels like we are in a kind of limbo, as we wait to see what will happen with the American election. Although my anxiety from earlier in the week has calmed down and I am no longer doomscrolling and checking the news feeds incessantly, I am still agitated and a bit preoccupied. I wanted […]
Remembering the 5th of November years past
I haven’t felt so great today, so I’ve not written a new blog post. Instead I spent a bit of time re-reading old notes, searching for snippets of ideas in things discarded. I’m not sure I found what I was looking for, but this entry from 5th November 2018 reminds me how circular time is, […]
Navigating the early days of a new daily practice
I set myself the challenge to write a blog post each day this month because I know how useful I find it to have daily practices. Anchor points in my day that offer me moments of stillness or movement, of contemplation or escape. These routines, once I can get them established, help me to navigate […]