New Beginnings… again… and again!!

It’s always tricky when I’ve not posted anything for several months… not knowing quite how to begin again!  Do I acknowledge or make excuses for the huge four month gap?  Or just dive in again as if it was only last week?  …Or waffle on a bit about not knowing how to begin!!!

It’s so easy for the majority of us to let good habits slip… with all the best intentions a weekly post can quickly become a monthly one, or fall off the radar altogether when life’s pressures get in the way… and we’ve all had more than our fair share of those just lately!  But the important thing to me is to not let ‘falling off the wagon’ stop you in your tracks. It’s ok to pick things up again when the time is right and carry on your journey.  In fact, no matter how many times I might ‘fall off’ – when it comes to the things I enjoy – something inside me just keeps on starting over… and so here I am again today.

January wasn’t a good month for me… all the so-called inspirational ‘New Year’ posts left me feeling overwhelmed.  With low energy and a deep inner resistance towards “planning” anything at all, let alone the year ahead, I crawled back under my duvet and vowed to stay there until Spring. January always seem like the wrong time of year to be setting intentions and starting new habits… the rest of nature is still asleep, nurturing it’s roots under a frozen earth and waiting for the warmth of the sun to bring new life.

Last year I wrote a list of “20 things for 2020” inspired by my good friend Lisa Walker of White Apple Thinking… a mixed bag of things to do, places to see, new projects to try and targets to achieve… but 2020 had other ideas!!  So you’ll forgive me for not rushing into that again.

What 2020 did teach me was the importance of nurturing my roots… how to thrive in the face of uncertainty… and that it’s ok for plans to change and goal-posts to move… just lately I’ve been questioning whether we need the goal-posts at all.  A tree doesn’t care how many seeds it produces each year or how tall it will be by the next season… it just grows!  Time and time again I seem to find the answers I’m looking for by observing nature and following it’s example.

Which brings us to February.  Like the earth I’m stirring out of hibernation – albeit slowly for now… a bit like poking your toe out from under the blanket!  Some days it’s safe to venture out… other days remind you that we’re not quite out of the dark yet.  Freezing temperatures this week have tested the limits of our little caravan, which is clearly reaching the end of it’s life with us… work has been slow going and my motivation has packed its bags and left… until last night when the brain fog finally started to lift.  So this morning I’ve been for a walk… five miles around our beautiful countryside.  Crisp snow and ice underfoot but blue skies and a warm sun overhead… assuring me that Spring is indeed just around the corner.

It’s time now for those new beginnings… to pick up my feel-good habits once again and continue the journey.

Not just with writing…

• As some of you will know I had planned on walking Hadrians Wall last year and that’s still in my sights, but I need to get my strength up again first. So regular walking is definitely back on the agenda.

• Since 1st January I’ve been making a point of ‘noticing nature’ everyday which I’m finding really helps keep my mental health in check. It’s about taking a moment to pause and appreciate the world around us and I’m documenting this with photos on Twitter for anyone who would like to follow my #365DaysWild.

• I’m also trialling a mindful living group which I hope to roll out to the public later this year. Sharing my tips and personal experiences to help bring more peace and awareness to our busy lives.

All of which I will share with you as the weeks and months progress.

But for now just remember that every moment is an opportunity for a new beginning. We might struggle, fail, give up now and then, but that’s ok… we’re only human. It’s never too late to try again… to keep on starting over… again… and again!

Until next time.

Jac.x