Category: life in general

Posted on

Guided walks – November & December 2025

(The team from the Greater London Marriott Business Council on a recent night-hike in London)

Over the past few weeks I have been involved in leading some great walks, working as a freelancer for two different organisations, and supporting another walk leader as a volunteer back-marker. The walks have all been very different, but the people involved have been fantastic and helped to make the walks really enjoyable. I can’t wait to do more walking work, including some of my own guided walk routes!

Walking with a group may seem slightly daunting at first – will you be able to keep up? will you manage the distance? what will you do if you need a wee?! The answer to the first two questions is ‘yes’ and the answer to the third one is ‘you’ll find somewhere out of sight to have a wild wee & it will be much easier than you think!’

In my experience of walking in & leading groups, there will always be people who walk at slightly different paces, but the group goal is to walk together, so no-one will ever be left behind or feel pressured to walk too fast for them. I guarantee that you’ll meet some amazing, kind & supportive people who will make you feel welcome. And remember that they were new to it once too, so they likely know how you feel.

The best way to not feel out of your depth is to read the walk information before you book (checking details of distance, pace and time), and contact the walk leader if you have any questions or concerns. Start with shorter distances & easier (flatter!) landscapes if you are not sure how your feet/legs will cope. Wear comfortable footwear and clothing, with enough layers to keep you warm – but not too warm! Bring food, snacks & water, according to the time of day that you’re walking. Maybe bring a friend too?

Of course the advantage of joining a guided walk is that someone has done the planning and dealt with the logistics for you. Walking with a group is great if you feel nervous about venturing out alone and it is a fantastic way to explore new areas. And on top of all that, the walk leader is (hopefully) qualified, insured and first aid trained, as well as knowledgeable about the area you will be walking in, so you will be in safe hands.

I think the most important thing, especially at this time of year when daylight hours are shortening day-by-day, is to simply start somewhere. Book a walk & enjoy your time outdoors. You won’t regret it!

Up-coming walks for the rest of 2025:

Click on the links below for further details and booking information for each walk.

  • Saturday 26th October – Ivinghoe Beacon & the Ridgeway with Adventure Women UK (details here) – currently fully booked but there’s an option to join a waiting list
  • Saturday 8th November – Beachy Head circular – 8 miles in the South Downs National Park, returning along a section of the stunning Seven Sisters cliffs (details here)
  • Saturday 15th November – Penshurst Place & Chiddingstone with Adventure Women UK(details here)
  • Wednesday 26th November – Women’s Wellbeing Walk in and around Wye taking in the Wye Crown and the Devil’s Kneading Trough – 5 miles (details here)
  • Saturday 6th December – Wye to Chilham – 8(ish) miles on possibly the best stretch of the whole North Downs Way (details here)
  • Wednesday 17th December – Women’s Wellbeing Walk from Kilndown to Scotney Castle approx 4 miles with a café stop halfway – a perfect way to gift yourself some time away from all the festive planning (details here)

See you on the trail!

Posted on

Finding joy

This week I came across a really great TED talk by designer Ingrid Fetell Lee where she discusses things that bring universal joy – like bubbles, fireworks, rainbows, cherry blossom, tree-houses – and how finding moments of joy keeps us in the present moment.

But more important, is the impact of these universal moments of joy: “The sharply divided, politically polarized world we live in sometimes has the effect of making our differences feel so vast as to be insurmountable. And yet underneath it all, there’s a part of each of us that finds joy in the same things. And though we’re often told that these are just passing pleasures, in fact, they’re really important, because they remind us of the shared humanity we find in our common experience of the physical world.”

I love this message so much. And it seems so relevant right now.

I recently decided not to watch, read or listen to the news because I find it really heavy to hold. I know that I am in a privileged position to be able to do that, when so many people are directly affected by what we see in the news. I worry that I’m making an ignorant choice, but I also worry about how much we can really trust the version of news that we are presented with. So I’m going to abstain for a while and make it my mission to find joy at every turn…

This week joy came in the form of:

  • watching a young lad putting fuel in his car and tapping the nozzle a dozen times to make sure he didn’t miss a drop at the end!
  • a sudden downpour when I was driving on Wednesday afternoon
  • seeing joy on the faces of people in the crowd at they watch the most amazing flash mob unfold before their eyes
  • noticing a starry sky as I pulled the blind one night
  • seeing a friend’s dog on zoom
  • hearing the Red Arrows fly overhead
  • seeing a video of elephants rushing to greet a baby when she comes out of her stockade after a night apart

I want to feel joyful about this life we are living.

If we only have this one wild and precious life, I want to feel good about it.

The idea of collective, universal joy as a connection between us makes my heart so glad. I really hope it’s true. I think it is.

Posted on

Up-coming guided walks

path leading through the forest

On my recent holiday in North Wales, I was reminded how joyful it is to walk in company. I often walk alone, and really like to do that too, but walking with others adds something to the experience. A shared joy of being in nature? The shared achievement of a hill climbed or a rain-shower dodged? A helping hand (given or received) when needed. Shared cake or fruit pastilles? It all adds a sense of connection to others, sometimes lacking in the lives we lead.

Walk Wild Wellbeing

Last Sunday I joined Michael (Walk Wild Wellbeing), who is a fellow North Down’s Way Ambassador, with a view to making some connections & spending time with others. It was a really lovely experience, not walking anywhere particularly note-worthy, but enjoying Michael’s folklore tales, flora and fauna knowledge, some mindful moments in nature & some great company.

He mentioned that he was leading a walk in & around Canterbury and was looking for a back-marker, so I have happily volunteered myself for that role and can’t wait to walk with him again. The walk is part of the YHA festival of walking and free to join (book here). It is a family friendly and leisurely-paced walk, starting and ending at Canterbury Youth Hostel, where refreshments will be available on our return. The walk will meander its way through woodlands, orchards, and wild and beautiful Kent countryside, walking via a footpath that intersects a zoo, where it’s very common to be able to view African Elephants and other animals before returning via a section of the North Downs Way.

Hope you can join Michael (& me) for this walk.

Adventure Women UK

In the coming months, I am excited to be leading some walks for Erika who runs Adventure Women UK and the first ones are in a few weeks’ time! All the walks are women-only, very friendly, non-competitive, great fun and often accessible by public transport for a car-free day.

You can find details of all the AW walks & adventures here.

I will be leading this one & this one in September, and this one in October. I would love to have your company!

High Weald walking festival

I am not involved in this as a walk leader, but I will be joining one or two of the walks being offered as part of the High Weald walking festival this year – 13th-21st September.

All the walks are free to join, booking advisable, and varying in length from 1-2 miles to full day walks.

You can find the programme and all the walk details here where you will also find some self-guided walk routes in case you fancy exploring at a later date.

How lucky are we to have so many autumn walking opportunities to enjoy?

Posted on

Adventures in North Wales 2025

There were so many heart-full moments on this trip but this one was right up there with the best – arriving just as the sun rose, an unplanned walk up to the halfway point of Pen Yr Ole Wen (just because the path looked so inviting), a view of Tryfan (which has totally stolen a piece of my heart!), and the most glorious walk ahead of me, around Llyn Ogwen and Llyn Idwal. Days do not come much better than this!!

I was really anxious about this trip. After a challenging year my confidence was low and I had no idea where I really wanted to be, but I set off with all the maps (literally everywhere from North Wales, Mid-Wales, the Brecons, the Wales coast path, the Lake District…) but it turns out I landed right where I was meant to be! I had only booked a campsite for the first week, and even though I did move to another site, I only moved about 3 miles down the road so I think I have found my place!

I had a goal to walk lots of mountains so that I could log them for a Mountain Leader training course at a later date, but after a few days I realised that I’m much happier in the upland & moorland areas around the mountains, and so the goal shifted, and I just followed my heart and had some fun. Meeting up with a couple of people I knew made it extra special and it reminded me that it’s good to not always walk alone #whoknew?!

I could write the longest post about how much I loved this time, but in the interests of not being too much of a holiday bore, I’ll narrow it down to a few highlights:

  • this island church (above) near Aberffraw was a pure delight – cut off by the tide, it is only accessible at certain times. I arrived just as the tide was ebbing and had the place to myself for a good 15 minutes – the joy of sitting there, buffeted by the wind & warmed by the sun, looking out to the mountains of Snowdonia and the coast of the Llyn Peninsula, will stay with me for a very long time – I felt like I had died and gone to heaven!
  • a friend suggested a route for me, which I would never have been able to do were it not for the fact that he told me I would be able to, and luckily I believed him because it took me to the very limit of my scrambling skills and severely tested my head for heights, but it was the MOST magnificent hike I have ever done – I’m still smiling at the memory of it! The route started by Llyn Ogwen, went up to Llyn Bochlwyd, and all the way around Tryfan so I got to see that stunning lump of rock from every angle. I very nearly went up to the summit but decided that the earlier scramble was enough excitement for one day!
  • a visit to Llanddwyn gave me an unusually flat walking day, but the views and the beauty of the place more than made up for the lack of mountains. This is another headland which is cut off by the tide, and there’s something about that (perhaps the fact that I have always dreamed of living on a tiny remote island?!) which stirs my soul. Such a gem of a place, also with amazing views of the mountains and coastline.
  • there was a walk I really wanted to do having visited nearby twice before, but it was an hour away from me and I wasn’t sure I could do it alone, so it was pure coincidence that a friend was leading a walk there during my stay, and invited me along! The three Yr Eifl peaks include an incredible Iron Age hillfort, Tre’r Ceiri, and it was great to go up and see it. The walking was tough, on uneven shale and boulders, but it was such a good adventure with views forever!
  • for my last big hike, I met a friend in Rowen & we headed up to the top of Tal Y Fan, an unexpectedly beautiful, rugged but very accessible mountain. From there we walked to the stone circles above Penmaenmawr, and picked up the North Wales Pilgrims Way to visit St Celynnin’s old church at Llangelynnin, and headed back to Rowen for hugs goodbye. Such a beautiful day.

North Wales is my place. I love the way that the mountains wrap you up & embrace you from the moment you arrive. I love the huge views. I love sitting by an island church looking across the sea to a mountain I summited a few days ago. I love the people. I love the sound of the Welsh language, even though I don’t speak it. I love the challenge of pronouncing place names. I love the weather – apparently it rains sometimes but I haven’t seen much evidence of that!! I love the vibrancy of the place. It feels like home…

A few take-aways from time away:

  • watch less TV – I didn’t miss it at all while I was away, and really enjoyed reading instead
  • I can do scary things
  • time with people is important – do more of that!
  • having no plan is sometimes the best plan
  • I don’t need product in my hair – I’m loving the feral approach much more!
  • it’s good to have a washing machine & dishwasher again…
  • walking is SO good – I averaged nearly 10 miles a day (not intentionally) and feel stronger and fitter, with a bit less belly fat as a bonus
  • it’s okay to eat chicken or turkey sometimes – can’t quite call myself a vegetarian any more but who needs labels anyway?!
  • spend more time sitting still & being – less doing
  • Mr Kipling’s Bakewell tarts are an excellent walking snack! On my first day, slogging up Moel Siabod, I saw someone pull out a whole box of Mr K’s apple pies and thought how weird it was…four hours later when I reached the summit I would have given my right kidney for an apple pie or six!!! I bought a box of Bakewell tarts the next day and haven’t looked back since…
  • even when a trig point is swarming with flying ants (top right above), you still have to run up and tap it, or it doesn’t count!

And then I drove home…

It always takes a few days to settle after I’ve been camping – I feel shut-in by the walls and doors – so when I got home, I unloaded the van, loaded the washing machine, had a cup of tea, and headed straight out to the beach!! As luck would have it, a friend from South Wales was visiting Rye, and we met up for a brief but joyful walk on the pebbles, which was the perfect way to land back.

And now I’m ready to get back to work next week, feeling rested and refreshed, energised & looking forward to new things on the horizon.

It’s odd to think that three weeks ago I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to go away, and yet here I am refuelled by some wonderful adventures & I think that’s the ultimate goal of taking some time away…

Posted on

hello 2025…

After all the ‘growth opportunities’ that 2024 presented, I’m going into the new year feeling determined! Obviously, its early days and my resolve may waver along the way, but I’m going to record some areas of focus to help me stay on track.

In the words of George Eliot “It is never too late to be what you might have been,” So this is less a list of ‘new me’ things and more of a list of ‘things I want to keep/start doing because they feel like they move me nearer to what I’d like to be’…

Things that I plan to continue in 2025:

  • Walking every day – it’s easy to miss a day without a dog in the house, but walking makes me feel good so I’ll embrace a bit of pavement-pounding if that’s what it takes, in between longer hikes whenever I can take them. Most work-days I can find a reason to walk into/around Cranbrook – current favourites included: to buy a coffee, to take a photograph, I need chocolate…motivation can come in many forms and who am I to judge?!
  • walk 1000 miles – such a great initiative to get people walking more often. I’m just starting my 7th year of the challenge, which is free to join, fun to be part of and can be a helpful way to stay on track. I set myself a couple of monthly personal goals to go alongside this – I aim to walk at least 100 miles each month, including a ‘double-digit’ walk every week, and a monthly circuit of a particular route (last year was Bewl Water; I’m thinking this year might be the Cranbrook-Goudhurst circular route but Bewl is further so I may stick with that!)
  • Educating squirrels! I have a separate feeding station in my garden, just for the squirrels, and sometimes they forget that the pay-off is that they have to leave the bird-feeders alone…so I will continue to remind them at every opportunity.
  • 365 picture today is a daily photography project and I have been doing it in some form or another since January 2016! It’s not about taking brilliant pictures – although hopefully some of them turn out ok – but it is a great way to take a pause in my day & document life as it happens. I love scrolling back over the years and remembering moments that I recorded along the way. More often than not my photos are taken with my phone, although I’m currently trying to use my big-girl camera more (see below)

Things I’d like to do/do more of in 2025:

  • I recently started drinking coffee again – I used to drink A LOT of coffee but it started to make me feel bad a few years ago, but now it feels ok again so I’m cautiously enjoying the odd cup here and there, & I’ve bought a flask so I can take it walking with me too
  • Scary things! We each have our own version of scary, but this year I am hoping mine will include some new mountains as part of a charity fund-raiser, some wild-camping & a bit of faith-exploration…
  • Cycling! Until a few weeks ago I hadn’t ridden a bike for many years, but since the dog died I have been trying to find things to do that I couldn’t easily do when he was here, and as part of that I had my bike serviced (here) and have taken a few tentative rides around the local forest. I hope to get braver as the year goes on, trying out the scary bike trails and travelling further on two wheels. It’s definitely a work in progress!!
  • Camping weekends – last minute, unplanned escapes with my roof tent, firepits, new places, no/lukewarm showers, composting toilets – all of it!
  • Manage my ‘to-be-read’ pile…I swing from one extreme to the other – not buying any new books until I’ve read all the tbr books, and buying ALL the books so that I have them ready when I need them! I suspect there is a middle ground somewhere so I’m going to look for it this year!
  • Walking as part of my business. Having qualified as a Lowland Walk Leader I will be finding all the ways possible to include walking as a way to earn an income. I can’t wait to get started…
  • Getting back to teaching more in-person classes. I have loved teaching online for the past 4 years, and will keep some online classes but I am also really excited by the thought of being in the room more too! I’ll share more soon…
  • Saying ‘yes’
  • 52 Frames is a weekly photography project which I used to do and have just signed up to again this year. I started it in 2015 and completed that year & 2016. I took a break in 2017 & signed up again in 2018, getting to week 39 before life got in the way. When I signed up last week I thought I had only missed a couple of years – how time flies?! I had no plans to start doing the project again but weirdly it feels like a good time to jump back in and I am excited to see where it will take me. This group is full of INCREDIBLE photographers from all around the world so it can be a daunting space, but it’s also a great community and a really good reminder to focus on what you can do without comparing yourself to anyone else. The first prompt of the year is always ‘self-portrait’ and here is my submission!!

Things I’s like to stop doing/do less of in 2025:

  • speaking badly to myself
  • doubting myself
  • apologising for taking up space
  • waiting for validation from other people
  • being overly self-reliant
  • wasting time – as in, ONE LIFE, LIVE IT!

So that’s me for 2025 – how about you?!

Posted on

Thank you 2024…

Before I rush into the new year I wanted to record some thoughts about 2024.

In the Summer of 2023 I spent a week walking in the Peak District. It rained. A lot! Giving myself a day off wet-walking, I caught the train to Sheffield and came across a pop-up art gallery featuring work by print-maker James Green who has been creating random donkey prints for many years… In February 2024, I saw that he had a new print available ‘the donkey leap’ and as I looked at it, something stirred in me and I found myself crying. It made me cry every time I looked at it. I took it as a sign that I needed to have this piece of art on my wall to remind me to be brave – something I have never felt. And so 2024 became my year of trying to be braver.

My first act of bravery was signing up to join a group walking the North Wales Pilgrims Way in May. I can find groups of people quite scary so whilst this might not seem like an act of bravery, to me this was HUGE! There were many times when I nearly talked myself out of going, but I kept looking at the donkey leaping off a tall cliff and knew that I wanted to leap too. And it was probably one of the most life-affecting things I have done.

It wasn’t all positive, but joining this walk changed me in so many ways. I remembered that I was physically strong again (after three rounds of surgery for breast cancer between 2020-23) and that it was ok to just be me. I met two people on the walk who have both touched my heart in very profound ways – thank you Ben & Jane. I was reminded to look for joy and play in everyday moments. I fell in love with North Wales & know it will feature in my future. I fell in love with my doggo too! Not that I didn’t love him already, but he was such an incredible pilgrim-dog and I’m so glad I got to share those weeks with him, especially since he’s no longer here.

After Wales, I realised that although I felt physically strong again, I didn’t like my body very much (I guess surgery will do that to you?!). I booked some one-to-one Pilates reformer sessions with a local Physio. To begin with, I cried in every session because this type of precise movement showed me how far removed from my body I was. I wasn’t comfortable noticing how I felt about myself, but Lindsay’s patient, gentle and kind approach helped me through it. I think she is a brilliant Physiotherapist but more than that she is a lovely human-being and I never felt judged. I feel a (totally needless) shame around my breast cancer diagnosis and my body was carrying that every day. Working with Lindsay helped to release some of that load and put me back inside my body. I don’t know if that makes sense but it’s how I feel! I won’t add her details here, but please let me know if you’d like to contact Lindsay – I highly recommend and feel truly grateful to her.

The rest of 2024 brought another pilgrimage in Wales, late summer, just me and the dog this time, with Covid for company (unknown at the time!) So then there was a long recovery, a burst water-main, some personal sadness and one final push to become qualified as a Lowland Walk Leader just before Christmas.

What a year!

Was I brave? Sometimes, maybe.

Did I grow? Yes – massively.

What am I grateful for?

  • people (I’m not good at asking for or receiving support but this year I have felt so supported & I hope you know who you are & how much I appreciate you);
  • my beautiful dog (definitely the best-boy ever);
  • water (I had never noticed how much I take it for granted until it was missing for six weeks – how lucky are we to have access to clean running water and good sanitation??!);
  • time (I have so much time to myself, to use as I wish with no-one needing anything from me and it is both a sadness and a joy, so I choose to focus on the joy it offers);
  • another 12 months on this planet (not everyone was that lucky…)

Thank you 2024 for all of it, even the bad/sad/messy bits which serve as a reminder to live a little more and be braver at every opportunity.

Posted on

Looking after your feet


If you know me at all you’ll probably know that I’m fairly fixated on feet as the source of all things posture, movement and function. I like to include an element of foot work in most of my sessions and try to add some foot work into my every day life too.

Why?

Because our feet are the part of us that touch the ground most often and every time they do we experience ground reaction force and it is important that our bodies can absorb and disperse that load efficiently. If our feet don’t do that, our ankles / knees / hips / low back will have to do it, but they already have their own jobs to do so they can’t spend their time acting like feet, otherwise something else will have to do their job…and before you know there’s a whole lot of disfunction going on in  the body!

So to avoid the potential whole-body-disfunction situation (or to remedy it if you already have some of that going on), why not spend a few minutes each day looking after your feet? Makes sense to me…

Luckily the Foot Collective people have made it super-easy with this great compilation of moves:

Even if you don’t think your feet matter as much as I think they do, I dare you to do these moves every day for two weeks and let me know what you notice. I’m going to be doing them too because I have been a bit lazy about my feet since I got back from pilgriming. 

PS if you start getting cramp in your feet after trying these moves, it’s a good thing! It means that you are changing something. Your foot (& maybe your calf) may go in to cramp and complain about it, but you have to be the parent in this situation and keep encouraging your foot to try again. It’s a bit like encouraging a teenager to pick up their clothes – no-one wants to do it but it still needs to happen!

Posted on

building healthy foundations

It seems that I have to keep re-learning the importance of building healthy foundations for myself! There are a few things which are key to me feeling well, and sometimes I let them slide and then I remember why they matter, so here’s quick run-down so that I can remember quicker next time…and maybe it will help you too?

Feeding myself:

Since October last year I have made huge efforts around feeding myself well and it has made such a difference in how I feel and function on a day-to-day basis. For me ‘feeding myself’ well means:

  • home-cooked meals
  • lots & lots of veggies & legumes (I’m vegetarian)
  • starting the day with a really supportive breakfast (I go for happy tummy loaf with cheese or nut butter)
  • snacks which don’t trigger a change in other kinds of eating (nut butter – I like this one – nuts, brie…)
  • avoiding snacks which become ‘triggers’ for other kinds of eating (I find sweet or salty snacks have me reaching for more of the same, replacing meals with more snacks)

When I get the first four on my list right, the fifth one isn’t even an issue. If I eat well, I feel nourished & I don’t think about snacking. Sometimes though, life has a habit of throwing a curve ball at you, and the foundations start to slip away…

Over Easter, a family issue rocked my headspace A LOT and I didn’t feel like eating. And then when I did eat, I chose ice cream instead of food, and it didn’t take long before I started to feel really caught up in a spiral of poor self-worth, which then made me not want to eat… And then yesterday my head felt more settled, and I cooked all the vegetables in my fridge, and made mushroom burgers , and ate my first real meal for a week, and just like that, I feel ok again!

Putting myself to bed:

This has always been an issue for me! I was the youngest child and remember being sent to bed before my sister, and it always felt like I was missing out on something. And maybe that’s nothing to do with how I behave now (& maybe it does?) but I really struggle to go to bed when I’m tired.

I generally sleep fine once I get there, but the getting there is a hurdle. I like to finish the day sorted, so I tend to empty the dish-washer or hang up laundry on the way to bed, and then when I get there I’m wide awake!!

Yesterday I heard someone talking on the radio about how we would benefit if we treated ourselves like toddlers, and I really connected with that idea. Children tend to have a sleep routine – a bath, quiet time, a book, a cuddle, soft lighting…so why not do the same for ourselves?

I had a small win last night because I was falling asleep on the sofa and instead of staying there, I actually got up and went to bed. Maybe the toddler idea will be a big help going forward…

Movement:

This one is my fairly easy win!

I have a dog so he gets walked every day, no matter what else is going on., but he’s possibly nearing the end of his life so I wonder if I’ll walk every day once he’s gone. I hope I will, but can imagine that there will be days when it doesn’t happen. I love to hike so I am signed up to #walk1000miles and I also try to walk 100 miles and complete a round-Bewl walk every month, so those things are great motivators. I find it’s good to have movement goals, especially if you find yourself struggling to move more.

I’m lucky in that I move for my work so most days incorporate movement of some kind. I also try to include two spin-bike sessions each week but it’s very easy to let them slide when I’m not feeling great. Last week, feeling sad and poorly nourished, I didn’t find the energy to cycle, and I decided to be kind and let myself off, which is totally ok but not a long-term plan. I’ll be back on the back tomorrow for sure!

When we get distracted by life or injured or just don’t feel like it on the day, it is easy to let go of our movement habits, but often we’d feel better if we just did it any way. Sometimes going through the motions is what will get us moving again – we might need to adapt what we’re doing but doing something is always going to be better than doing nothing.

Being creative:

The act of making something – regardless of what it is – is such a good foundation for a healthy life. And it’s not about making something brilliant, it’s just about the doing of the thing and the distraction it provides.

I do a daily photo project on Instagram. It’s often a tiny moment in my day, maybe only using my iPhone (because the best camera is always the one you have with you!) and sometimes the prompts that I follow are really annoying!! But I haven’t missed a day since January 2016! And not having missed a day is what keeps me going because I do not want to break my streak now!

One day last week I cried about my photo because I didn’t have anything I wanted to post, but then I had a word with myself, posted what I had, and moved on. That simple act reminded me that we can always move on, there’s always another day/photo prompt just around the corner and what does it matter if the photo isn’t great anyway??!

Life is hard enough! Make sure you take some time to do something creative, for no purpose, just because you can – paint, draw, write, make pretty patterns with leaves, grow things, sew things, knit things…

Putting it all together:

The goal is never to feel like I HAVE to do everything, simply to recognise that when I do certain things, I feel more ‘me’.

These are my healthy foundations. There are others I didn’t mention – eg. not drinking alcohol, social connections, feeling valued at work – but these are the things that I keep coming back to when I feel off-balance.

Yours may not be the same – although I suspect that food/sleep/move is key for all of us – but I think it is important to find out what your things are, and then do those on a regular basis.

I’d love to know what your healthy foundations are – let me know…

Posted on

Plans for 2023

New year, new whatever?!

I’m not a huge fan of planning ahead – I quite like to bimble along and see where the road takes me – but I also like to give myself some stepping stones for the way ahead.

By chance I was awake in the middle of the night just as we entered the new year – fireworks woke me up and then my brain switched on! I used the bonus middle-of-the-night time to jot down some thoughts about the brand new year.

I wrote that 2023 is my year for ‘re-braving’.  

The idea came from Jeff Brown who wrote:

“I am re-braving, after a difficult stage that un-braved me. It is my hope that 2023 is an opportunity for all of us to restore ourselves, and to re-brave ourselves. A re-braved humanity will not tolerate anything that obstructs our possibilities. A re-braved humanity will craft the world of profound possibility that is our individual and collective birth-right.”

Whether we read that on a global level (as intended) or an individual level, I think it is a really positive idea to carry forward with us. And even if we only focus on the individual aspects of re-braving, we will surely create a force for good along the way.

Living a half-life:

I also wrote that I didn’t get through breast cancer to only live a half-life. I don’t have a strong picture of what a fuller life would look like but I know that for a few years I’ve been hiding & holding back & stopping myself from feeling, so I’m going to work on that this year.

So in the early hours, with these thoughts as my guiding light, I jotted down some things that I can/will try to include in the coming 12 months.

In no particular order (apart from the first one which is top priority right now!)

Here’s to 2023:

  • rehab my feet – I hate having sore feet because it impacts so many things that I like to do but I’m also not very patient so this might be an interesting battle!
  • walk 1000 miles in 2023, and hopefully also walk 100 miles every month (feet allowing!)
  • take better care of my teeth
  • reconnect with my body – forgive it for having cancer; pay attention to how it feels and what it needs from me; support it with breathwork, sleep, nutrition, kindness; apply moisturizer occasionally!
  • keep taking a photo every day – now on year 8 of doing this! (you can find them here if you’re interested)
  • get a passport because there’s a whole world out there and I’d like to explore more of it
  • cover some more miles on the Pennine Way – maybe another week-long section or perhaps the rest of it (feet allowing!!)
  • journal one line per day (some of them have been quite deep thoughts but one day I simply wrote ‘tired today – that’s all’ – either way I like having a record of my day)
  • take my Mum back to Yorkshire – I don’t know where she wanted her ashes to go but I reckon the highest point in her home county is a pretty good spot, so she’ll be hiking up Whernside with me at some point this year
  • feed myself – books, food, education, music, cinema, art…
  • move house and find a new view

I like to think of all these things as gentle ways to make good use of the year, rather than things which I achieve or fail to achieve. Just a few stepping stones across the river of life. A chance to celebrate being here. An opportunity to be more present.

In the past five years I have lost both my parents, which is obviously significant, but I think the recent death of my Dad has somehow set me free to be who I always meant to be. Not that him being alive stopped me being me, but I no longer see myself reflected in his eyes and I feel lighter as a result.

Perhaps 2023 will be the year that I finally get brave, and step into my body and take up the space that I’m meant to take up…#watchthisspace

How about you? What does 2023 mean for you?