May your 2023 really rock!

I find myself blessed with the unexpected gift of a few spare hours today. Our 10 mile walk turned into a torrid 2 mile outing, thwarted by raindrops that pelted like glass bullets, buffeted and bulldozed by a wind strong enough to knock down a small child. Suddenly alone again, our dialogues abridged due to adverse conditions, I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to the first week of the year.

It’s a notoriously difficult time of year in the northern hemisphere for sufferers of SAD, and I am one of them. The lack of daylight and poor weather conditions make going out an act of sheer willpower, requiring a steely determination so as not to be engulfed by maudlin thoughts and melancholy moods. Knowing the 2nd of January was upon me, I decided it’d be a good idea to try a few new things. I booked myself on my first ever webinar. It was a creative workshop led by the wonderfully inspiring Liz Gilbert whose books and podcasts I have enjoyed immensely. A gifted storyteller, she’s an enthralling speaker too. Her ideas on creativity and inspiration were encouraging and realistic and my main takeaway, other than to be completely uncritical of any creative ideas and inspiration that arise in me, is to show up every day regardless of whether I’m in the mood. The muse will show me a sign when it’s time. I love that. Just keep doing the work.

Of course this opened me up to a whole world of permissive possibilities and I’ve been having fun with my reading, writing and playing since Monday night ❤️❤️❤️

Next up was a mission to find a new source of fitness motivation. I have Morton’s neuroma (a nerve problem) in both feet but it’s worse in my left foot. I’m petrified of having the cortisone injections which may or may not alleviate the condition, let alone the surgery which was recommended to me as another option. 6 weeks off my feet and it might or might not work? Ummmm… I also want to improve my upper body strength and balance. So I looked into a small group activity locally which would get me off my feet, quite literally. I found an aerial/hammock yoga class less than 15 minutes drive away. It was the first session on Wednesday night and I’m hooked!

We warmed up gently, hammocks dangling temptingly from sturdy looking chunks of scaffolding riveted to the ceiling. I watched with fascination as the others inverted themselves with ease and thought I’ll NEVER manage that. Over I went and lo and behold, I didn’t tumble gracelessly to the shiny pine floor, entangled in the swinging sling. I couldn’t stop silently gasping as I surrendered my body to the force of gravity. It was such an incredible feeling. I learned about trust on Wednesday night.

The studio was cold but not uncomfortably so and I was equipped with multiple layers and gloves and socks just in case. The subtle purple lighting lent a comforting darkroom warmth to the space and I couldn’t make out my classmates’ faces or expressions, another good thing – they wouldn’t be able to see me clearly either! Anonymity whilst exercising is a bonus.

An hour flew as we did some flows. The session ended and I eased myself into the silken cocoon of the hammock much like a pupa, preparing to do the relaxation exercise, readying myself for the big wide world again. I hugged myself and caressed my arms. Self love comes in many guises but who knew it could come to me in a repurposed mill in Milnsbridge on a cold rainy Wednesday night in January?

My final new “toy” for the week was signing up for a creative writing course. I tried to enrol on a class at the local college but the lack of communication inspired me to believe this path may not have been for me. Gareth (my long suffering friend and business coach) suggested I try a course with the Centre of Excellence, and here I am! So something must have shifted?