Walk Write In Where The River Flows

Tags

Adventure, Alone, anxiety, Hiking, hobbies, Life, Mental health, Nature, Rivers

It’s been a good while since I added anything to my blog. 2022 has been an difficult year on a personal front – much has been going on with family and my own health – and I’ve really missed writing here as much as I did before. In fact, I’ve struggled to get much writing done at all in the last few months. Consequently, it’s been a struggle to get back into the habit. Still, I’m reaching old heights slowly, and I’ve enjoyed being back in the writing seat once more.

Hiking has been one hobby that’s kept me going. Walking in nature is the gateway to understanding our own thoughts and feelings. But, at times, I found even the idea of putting my trainers on and heading outdoors for five minutes difficult to comprehend. But, again, I’m slowly getting back into the swing of it.

RIVER THERAPY

I’ve spent plenty of time near the River Thames over the past few months. Staying grounded in the present moment and using my senses to appreciate what nature offers me has been rewarding: whether it’s observing fish flowing underneath the water, hearing the call of birds or smelling the sweet aroma of summer flowers, being by the water’s edge has engulfed me in a sense of calm.

River Adventure

Also, I think the need for walking along the Thames is also born out of a need to remain in the flow of life. When things get too much, we need to find a way to escape and ground ourselves again.

I Need More Moments Like These

NEW COMMITMENTS

So, as life carries on flowing by, I intend to grab more moments of calm. Even amidst the full-on pace of life and what it throws at us, taking even a brief amount of time out is so important.

And I’m looking forward to catching up with you all on WordPress.

Sorry it’s been so long!

Just Be Like The Swan!

Phone Box Reminder: The Importance Of Talking

Tags

Alone, anxiety, blogging, Blogging community, Family, Friends, Happiness, Inspiration, Life, Listening, Loneliness, Mental health, phones

Last weekend I was out on a hike, and I saw this lonely looking phone box in a village. It evoked in me the sense that we have to stay connected. Moreover, how it’s important to make the time to chat with one another.

I’m going through my phone contacts and making a list of people that I haven’t spoken to for a while. It’d be good to catch up.

Sometimes life just takes over and people move on – it’s a natural occurence in life. It’s also natural (and important) that we want to reconnect. Going through the names on my phone filled me with memories of times with specific people, and that filled me with joy.

The pandemic may have robbed us of certain things, but one thing that seeing that red phone box reminded me of is the importance of being there for one another, and to listen.

Reaching out to a family member, friend (old or new) or a stranger really can have a positive impact for everybody involved.

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you have a great weekend with the people you love. (And give an old friend a call too).

😃😃😃

Mountains For The Mind

Tags

Adventure, anxiety, Blogging community, Community, Discover Prompts, Fear, Hiking, Humanity, Inspiration, Life, Mental health, Mind, Motivation, Mountains

As I’m writing this, I’m staring out at a stormy grey sky in August. IN AUGUST! The weather has been like this across South-East England for ten days now, and it’s set to continue for a few more. I, like others, hoped that once we were out of lockdown that the summer of adventure could begin.

But it’s been a slow, stop-start affair.

I’d wanted to put up posts with photos of hikes more frequently, but this is all on hold until the shoddy weather clears. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve hiked in all sorts of conditions, and will enjoy continuing to do so. I guess I’m just frustrated at not being able to enjoy the countryside as much after all the restrictions we’ve faced.

PUTTING IT INTO PERSPECTIVE

I recently came across the Mountains For The Mind Facebook group. This is a campaign set up by Trail Magazine in the UK to encourage people to go out and explore to aid their mental health. Members may have mental health conditions of their own and/or they find the benefits of immersing themselves in nature.

Reading the stories and achievements of others is encouraging in a number of ways. I feel boosted to go out there and explore again, knowing that the outdoors will always nurture me in some way. Also, being part of a community like this reminds me of the strength of humanity, and how important it is to encourage each other.

TAKING HEART

Reading the stories of others has a direct impact on my self-worth. It reminds me that the restorative effects of being in the open brings joy to the heart and soul. Spending time in the countryside can give a person the ability to put things into perspective and makes what life throws at us less intense.

So, I’m going to go outside tomorrow and explore – even if it’s in my local woods for an hour after work. Come rain or shine, my mind is set.

I encourage you to do the same. You deserve it.

Please check out http://www.mountainsforthemind.co.uk for more info.

Poem: Find A Little Mountain Of Your Own

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Discovery-Prompts, Life, Mental health, Mountains, Photography, Poem, Poetry, Well-being

Find a little mountain of your own,

Build a sanctuary you can call home.

The sun, the rain, the wind, the snow

Will be your friends as you go.

You do this not to isolate,

But instead to contemplate –

Those quiet moments shall enliven you

So you can re-enter the world anew.

No storm nor cloud can end this time

For all elements here align

To aid you to recuperate –

For in this place is love, never hate.

Breath in the crystal clear air

As the gentle breeze ruffles your hair.

All this must feel like a dream

As you drink pure waters of the stream.

And as you descend the rocky terrain

You smile as you see the world again.

Whenever your facing problems alone

Step back and build a little mountain of your own.

About

This poem is about the importance of retreating from the world and caring for yourself once in a while or when the world gets you down. It’s important we all have a place where we can restore ourselves. I think self-care and being able to openly talk about mental health issues is so important.

Being high up on mountains or hills is where I can restore myself.

The title of the poem is adapted from a lyric by the band Idlewild.

The photos come from mountain hiking holidays I did in Scotland (2018) and Wales and Ireland (2019).

Thanks for reading this. If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.

I hope you all have a good week. Stay safe and healthy 😊

Prose Poem: Mental Health OK

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Discover, Discovery-Prompts, Happiness, Life, Listening, Mental health, Poem, Poetry, Prose poetry

May we engage

Everybody who feels like a

Nobody with the lost,

The lonely, the distressed and the

Anxious and those who have noone to care.

Listening – just listening – can make a difference.

Hope really is out there.

Each one of us has a responsibility,

A chance to help somebody smile today.

Listen, I repeat, just listen

To somebody who feels like the world is crashing in.

Have hope that what’s lost is restored

Or that new doors may open, and

Kindness and love shall be our foundation.

ABOUT

This is another poem inspired by Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK. The first letter at the start of each line goes on to spell the title of the poem.

I hope you are all keeping safe and well.

Poem: Reach Out (Ode to WordPress)

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Creativity, Discovery Prompts, Discovery-Prompts, Life, Mental health, Poem, Poetry, WordPress, writing

Don’t be lost and lonely, don’t despair

There’s this wonderful place where people care

Jump on your laptop, tablet or phone – you’re blessed

Each time you log on to WordPress!

Now, I’ll tell you something that’s really true

When you’re down in the dumps and feeling blue

Put up a post, it’ll help you pull through.

And there’s some other magic that you’ve got to do:

Reach out to others, the reason why we’re here

Is to make the world a better place, to bring some cheer.

Share, gain knowledge, learn of places afar

And see how it brightens your rising star.

WordPress is such a place where these things are achieved

You’ve just got to reach out and believe.

And together a rich and overflowing tapestry we will weave

To help build an empire of eternal peace.

About

I was inspired to write this poem as it’s Mental Health Awareness week in the UK. WordPress offers the power to be creative, which is so important in assisting a positive outlook. Being able to share and engage with others on WordPress is such a beautiful bonus.

The poem has a rhyming scheme of two rhyming couplets followed by four lines that rhyme in a row. The sequence is repeated twice.

I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to comment below – it’d be great to hear from you 😊.

Discovery Prompts Day 16 Slow – ‘A Short Story About Clive Dinsdale’

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Budgies, creative writing, Daily Prompts, Flash fiction, Life, Pickled onions, writing

My Dad hasn’t seen Clive in recent times. You know who I mean Clive Dinsdale. He reared budgerigars back in the sixties with Dustin Hoffman and Geoff Capes. Good old Clive. Clive The Dive they called him cos he was a great goalkeeper. He swooped like a budgie to catch the ball.

He wore bright clothes all the time. You could say that he dressed like a budgie. That time he worked as a helicopter pilot in 1987 was where his sense of fashion came in to it’s own; there he was clothed and flying around like his favourite birdy in a chopper.

He had this thing for putting pickled onions in his trainers next to the blade of grass in a canoe on the moon. The squelchy crunching sound as he quick-stepped down the main street told him much about how you could fill up a dry river bed with empty down down. Such is the life of a man who gives his life to budgies.

He considered selling his soupy bubble troupers to the local pet shop under duress from Jimmy. Virtual Quack Quack. Budgies do go quack after all!

So good.

So long.

Farewell.