13 Tuesday Oct 2020
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anxiety, blogging, Blogging community, Hope, Mental health, now, panic, Poem, Poetry
When this world bruises you, leaving you battered and forlorn,
Hold on, hold on – I know you can brace this storm.
Don’t think about the past or be guided by future fears,
Just anchor yourself in the present, let go of those tears.
Stay grounded in this moment – there’s so much joy in the now,
Send a message to your heart, I promise you’ll get through this somehow.
26 Saturday Sep 2020
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Hi Everybody,
Hope you’re all well.
Whenever I watch the news these days it seems every country has measures against Covid-19. Here in the UK we’ve been subjected to more Covid-19 restrictions. Another national lockdown may be looming. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing I truly hope you are safe and well.
These crazy days have made me dream of things I’d like to do in a post-pandemic world. I think at the present time having dreams is so important. Dreams feed the soul and bring hope. Even if, as times pass, those wishes change, that initial spark and the processes that stream out from it provide a way of making the day-to-day world more bearable.
So – even if my dreams stay as dreams – here’s my top 5 of things I’d like to achieve:
1) FINISH MY HIKING BOOK
Lockdown put my novel on hiatus. Life had become so static that I took long gaps in my writing. It was a job to keep my head in the game. As the weeks went on, I decided to keep a diary of my lockdown adventures. I think this has kept me sane and has given me fresh material.
Covid-19 has meant that I’ve had to re-work large sections of my book – and the idea of this contributed to my procrastination as well – but I’m in a better place to finish now, even if I’m six months behind!
2) DISCOVER MY LOCAL AREA MORE
Whilst I can’t wait to be out traveling across Beautiful Britain again, local walks have taken on a whole meaning of their own this year. For instance, after living in my adopted home town in Berkshire for the last ten years, I’ve only just found out that I live near the woods that are said to have inspired Kenneth Graham to write ‘Wind In The Willows’! Also, back in the day a local quarry was used to supply stone for Windsor Castle.
I can’t wait to unearth more local history on my hikes soon – it’s become quite addictive!
3) LEARN NEW ADVENTURE SKILLS
Lockdown contained us. I think a natural response for me has been to try and live life to the fullest (in a socially distanced and responsible way).
I recently went kayaking for the first time. You can read about my ‘attempts’ in my recent poem ‘Kayak Attack’. My friend and I had been discussing other stuff we could do to vary our adventures up. For instance, we’ve started taking a small camping stove with us on day hikes and making meals. Part of the fun is finding somewhere secluded in the woods to knock up some tasty treats. There’s something very satisfying in cooking and eating a hot meal outdoors.
It would be so great if we could get to the stage where we’re competent kayakers and could paddle to an island in a lake for an overnight cook and camp.
4) ICELAND HOLIDAY
During the original lockdown I watched a lot of YouTube videos about people travelling across Iceland. It was a virtual holiday from my own front room.Then I bought a couple of cheap books on Iceland and the idea to go there grew traction.
I put this to my friends and it’s something we hope to do once the pandemic lifts.
Erupting geysers, lava fields, glaciers, fjords…honestly, it’s such a breath taking country.
I’d say to anybody to at least try a virtual holiday of a country. Watch videos, do research, try foods from there. Look on YouTube for virtual walking tours across your chosen country’s towns, cities and wilderness; then, jump up in front of your screen and march on the spot for the duration of the video.
Who knows where it may take you once the pandemic ends?
5) TELEPORT
This is my favourite super power – and, well, this is a dream post after all! As I said above, doing a virtual holiday can be fun. Now, imagine you can turn that up a notch: one moment you could be strolling along a beach in Hawaii, the next you could be amid the hustle and bustle of a street market in Istanbul.
With teleportation you could be in these places for real. Think about it. It’s a Tuesday morning at 6am; you look outside your window and it’s a dreary grey day. You check your phone and see that it’s a hot sunny day in Mumbai, so you teleport there for breakfast. A quick teleport back home for the working day and come 5pm you decide you want noodle soup in Tokyo or on a guided tour down the Amazon River!
You could also use your chosen power to fight the forces of evil too.
Just writing that makes life seem more bearable!
I hope that this inspires you in some small way to chase pursuits of your own. What I’ve realised is that dreams – whether fulfilled or not – are so important in us developing a sense of ourselves.
If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you. I’d be interested to hear what’s on other people’s post-pandemic hitlist.
I hope you’re able to achieve a little something for yourself during this crazy time.
Have a good weekend, Everybody 😊
16 Wednesday Sep 2020
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When pain clings like ivy, when my mind spins a cyclone,
When I want to retreat and when I want be on my own.
When I try to ride it out and make sense of what I want to say,
When I feel lonely and I know I just can’t stay.
I know these times reduce me to shadow, but I hold on to that flicker of light
That just needs time, just needs time to burn bright.
So, no matter what’s fighting me, conquering my mind, body and soul
I’ll try to feed that flame daily, so, in time, I’ll be whole.
Forgive me if I’m casting a low glow – this is sometimes how it gets.
I promise you I’ll return for my sun never truly sets.
26 Tuesday May 2020
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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 😊
20 Wednesday May 2020
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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.
18 Monday May 2020
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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 😊.
24 Tuesday Mar 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
Like an increasing number of people in the UK, I’m following the Government advice to stay at home during this sadly bleak time for the world. Like a lot of people I’m also trying to find ways of passing the time.
It’s been interesting to see videos on the news or YouTube of what other people are doing to fill the hours. With a total lockdown in the UK looking more imminent, the number of home exercise videos being submitted online offers one way to relieve boredom and keep fit.
I’m usually able to follow an exercise pattern in the winter months whilst the rest of the year is left for hiking. So, to be in a situation now where my territory is limited is a strange thing. Currently, the UK Government says that a daily trip outside for exercise is okay, but, as I said, I’m electing to keep trips beyond my gate to a rare minimum.
I could keep on following fitness videos to fill the gap. I can certainly amass a decent amount of exercise by spending time doing work in the garden. The thing is I’m missing clocking the miles in the countryside, though; walking in the wilderness is outright my favourite form of exercise.
And all this got me thinking.
What if I could bring the countryside to my own home by walking a few miles every day?
So, yesterday morning I woke up early and headed out into the back garden. I did umpteen laps doing my utmost to focus on the colours of the trees and plants, the chatter of the birds and the blue of the sky. It was easy to lose myself in the vibrations of nature and before I knew it I’d totalled nearly four thousand steps.
I had work commitments after that, and so I resumed my home trek in the evening. During another solid march in the garden I concocted an idea to take the hike inside once night fell. Indoors, I popped mountain walking videos on YouTube in an attempt to simulate a hike. Then, as I paced between the kitchen and the living room, I could dream of being in the fantastic landscapes on the screen.
Seven thousand steps….Eight thousand steps….I told myself to keep pushing on to ten thousand and eventually I made it. Sure, I’d built up a number of steps doing incidental tasks in the day and there were plenty of times during this ‘expedition’ that I wasn’t walking at regular my regular hiking speed indoors. However, a sense of elation poured through me when I’d achieved it.
I hope this is something that I can repeat every day. It’s given me another way to think about keeping in shape. Having a bit of variety with workout videos is a good thing.
It also surprises me how it’s taken me until now to see that I have a hiking trail right in my own home!
