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Adulthood Non-fiction Observations Seasonal Writing

An honest hello

As I wiped away the thick dust covering my blog, I re-read some recent (or not so recent) posts and it appears I’ve been pretty useless on the writing front for about a year! I wrote last March how I hoped to get back into it and write more regularly but sometimes I think you just have to realise that life will get in the way and this isn’t such a bad thing at all.

I haven’t written so much because I have been managing a business, managing a household and bills and all sorts of adult daily tasks. But managing I have, which is a big tick in life especially with everything being in such turmoil in the world and bills being so damn expensive.

I’ve not been so vocal because two of my closest friends moved away so I have adjusted to daily life without them, adjusted to missing them completely but knowing that our time together will be of such quality.

Blogging has been virtually nonexistent because I have been enjoying my new home, hosting with friends, loving every inch of it, sharing the space with my sister, being at peace when with people and without but also learning to be on my own on dark days – becoming stronger.

Free time has been spent in different ways and I have had some brilliant times away. I have visited my family over the sea in Northern Ireland, seen my brother get married, walked for miles non-stop chatting to the people I love, spent a lot of time at the beach.

I haven’t written so much because I have been living and to write good stuff you need to live. You need to have experiences to make up stories. Though I do know the importance of finding time.

So here’s a big honest hello…

I read something brilliant the other day written by Fearne Cotton. She said: ‘I don’t feel necessarily fired up and motivated for 2023, yet do not feel bleak about it either. I don’t want to think of a year as a block of time where it will either be great or awful.
For all of us, there will be good days, bad days, beautiful hours, stressful minutes, peaceful nights, tense 3am’s, plain sailing months, tumultuous weeks. Ebb and flow, peaks and troughs, ever-changing everything.’

Exactly that.

I’m not going to promise a third novel will come out of 2023 I just hope I write more. Baby steps… I hope spring brings joy to all, I certainly can’t wait for it. My wish is for there to be more good days than bad and more sunshine than rain. I hope that by the end of the year we can all hold our heads high and say truly that we gave it our best shot.

Categories
Adulthood Non-fiction

Community is key.

The biggest, most important thing in all of this is coming together, it’s community.

Yes, I spent my Sunday mostly alone and losing myself in the fictional world of my book, forgetting about reality for a while. However, while being on my own, while those of you who have taken the decision to isolate are doing so and everyone else out there too – we must be together as well. Virtually together, but together.

We are in this together.

While we are encouraged to remain apart for the safety of the vulnerable and to help prevent spreading the virus, it is together we must do this.

Together we must wash our hands, be mindful. Together we must remain apart, two meters apart to be exact. We must work together in keeping small businesses afloat by getting involved in their takeaway options. We must volunteer together to even out the workload by offering to help neighbours and communities.

Our village is brilliant.

I work at the village stores and post office and I am proud to do so. In the week we got a notice through from Post Office Ltd informing us that we are key workers in this crisis and boy do I feel that way.

As tired, exhausted, baffled at the stock piling as I am, I am also proud and feel useful and extremely ever so extremely lucky to be in the position that I am. I know many people out there are struggling, terrified, distraught and worried about the outcome and how this will affect them.

Each day I walk to work I ooze with gratitude.

I’m grateful to be working and helping the community. I am happy to be posting parcels to keep small businesses going and seeing small business still booming in the current shit show that is the economy. I feel lucky to be helping out locals in desperate need of certain products (sadly not toilet rolls or pasta). PLEASE STOP BULK BUYING, THE WHOLESALERS ARE EMPTY AND WE NEED TO STOCK FOR VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR VILLAGE AS WELL). I know how lucky I am and I wish to help as many around me as possible.

On Monday BBC news dedicated a page to positive news. I felt this was a huge step forward and something that needs to be done more often long after this crisis is over.

It’s not all doom and gloom. It’s never all doom and gloom.

I’ve decided to link all my posts for the time being to the current global pandemic because what better time to write creative things and make people smile than in a crisis, but for today I will leave you with a good experience.

I was at the wholesalers the other day. The same old story. The shelves were bare. People were getting angry and frustrated. Due to the sheer demand of products on our shopping list I still found myself dragging a trolley the weight of a large horse through the car park.

I had to take it even further than usual because the place was rammed and someone had TAKEN OUR USUAL SPACE. And breathe. While trying my best, but clearly outwardly showing my struggle, a kind lady offered to help. You’d never get that usually. Together we dragged and we made it to the van. Thank you. If you are reading this. Thank you again.

There is light in this all. There is hope. It will end.

Take care, stay safe xoxo