A Reminder

Sometimes we get wrapped up in work and busy- ness and we forget to look up and watch the clouds and celebrate the small beauties in our day and remember to stop and breathe and remember what life is about.

Living.

Right here right now. Today. This is life, not one day, some day, perhaps, maybe one day I will, next week I will but now.

I learned this when I got cancer, that I wasn’t living my life properly, I had my priorities wrong, I was busy working and not looking up, hurrying on for the one day I will and then it stopped me and reminded me. A big wake up call that life is happening right here right now. Today.

I am working on the next book, the summer book in the Tales of the Turning year series. It is about small joys and inspiration and fun and tricksy mischief. All that summery joyful fun we think of with summer and sunshine.

I’ve also been sorting the Chokliteers Tribe memberships which is a mammoth task of sitting at the computer pretty much for a month, answering emails and packing boxes and filling in spreadsheets and notebooks and sorting and helping, A lot has been going on and I have been forgetting to look up.

I have a tendency to work too much, mostly because I love my job, but being creative is tiring and we all need a break and to stop sometimes. Those that have followed me for years will know I keep talking about having days off and breaks and yet I rarely do.

In a bid to make sure I take time off, I’ve been logging when I have a day off work. I colour in a square each day. Orange for work, green for a day off. (the numbers are something else I track) As you can see not a lot of green on there. The visual element of it helps me see starkly that I really need to take time off sometimes.

This month is busy. Very busy. I have so much to do this month and I have been getting a bit head down busy not looking up and forgetting my own advice to stop, take a moment to breathe and look at the clouds, do something fun, joyous, mischievous just cos. I have had some social media unkindness too, I had to lock my personal twitter account after getting a pile on of nasty right wing anti trans people calling me hateful things, telling me my cancer was fake, I had a review saying my tribe was exploitative. It all felt a bit much and I needed to get away and have a break.

So today I took my own advice and that of the foxes and I did a bit of mischief. My friend Sally, who is also a Chokliteer has been doing an amazing challenge. She loves outdoor cold water swimming and she has set herself a challenge to swim in every county of mainland Britain. She has a scratch map and is scratching off the counties as she goes. She messaged to say she was passing Monmouthshire today and did I fancy a swim with her?

Why yes said I. Of course I do. I adore swimming but I am a bit of a fair weather swimmer. I don’t like ice and too cold but July would be fab I thought . Little did I know that today would be cold and rainy and windy! But we did it anyway. So I posted off a million boxes and then went on my way, stopped in to say hi to my boy and his lovely wife on the way. . The big hill in the photo is called The Blorenge. At the summit is a big pond called Keepers Pond and you can swim in it. So I met Sally at the foot of the hill and we drove up the mountain to the top and in the cold wind and rain we went for a swim!

I didn’t swim quite as long as Sally as 13 degrees is a bit too cold for me to be in there for too long but I had a beautiful lovely long swim and she swam the length of Keepers pond and back again. When she turned to come back, I got out and ran round the edge to take some photos of her.

There were some other women there shrieking and laughing and taking photos and it was just joyous. My skin tingling with cold and wearing ALL the clothes, we drove down the steep hill t to the cafe at the bottom to have a warming hot choklit and sandwiches and cake cos it was also Sally’s birthday today!

Happy birthday Sally and thank you for making me do something I’d have never done today if you’d not asked. I loved it so much and we talked a bit of living your life and doing fun stuff just cos, and I feel alive and happy tonight.

Thank you.

You can follow Sally’s challenge on facebook here Her page is called Turkey Tit on tour as she is a member of the Blue Tits swimming club and she has been known to swim with a turkey on her head at Christmas.

It is just joyous to see the connections and friendships and re-aquaintances she is making as she swims her way round the country.

So today I had a good reminder that I need to stop and be joyful and silly and do fun things just cos sometimes. Work can wait and I hope you forgive me no film or photo today because I was up a mountain laughing and shrieking and swimming. I suggest you do something ridiculous and fun too.

If you look carefully you can see Sally bobbing along.

I dare you to do something joyous and silly. You know that thing you want to do but you think oh yeah but I should… I ought to… but… just do it. Go on. Imagine the shriek of joy when you do.

I may well go back up that hill for another swim soon

Karin