The Ideal Time for a Reboot

Hello Everyone, I hope all is well with you over this special weekend, here in the UK, we actually have sunshine which is always welcome. I am very aware, that some of you will be celebrating Passover while others observe Ramadan, obviously, I hope you are able to share these very important days with your family and friends. I'm not sure, but I would imagine it's quite rare for differing faiths to have somehow converged on this particular weekend, not to mention, there's a full moon tonight, so it would seem there is literally something for everyone to engage with and take time out from the normal routine. For the Christian community, this is Easter which is traditionally a period of reflection and a new start. So much has happened this year already, some of which has not been positive, the war in Ukraine, the ongoing health issues with COVID, the financial worries which dominate so many of our economies, etc So it would be easy to feel as if it's all an uphill struggle without any end in sight. But regular readers will know, I cling to hope as if it were a lifeboat on a stormy sea and I see no reason to abandon it now. Although I can't do very much about the global issues our world is facing, I have thought, this might be the ideal time to look at my own life and maybe kickstart it in a new direction.

I think it might be a mistake to just throw everything out that has featured this far into the year, but there's certainly room to maybe tweak a few things while adding some new. Thankfully, fingers crossed, my physical health is improving, so I'm certainly going to continue with the dietary changes and the increased exercise routine. Mental health is still something of a minefield but I have recently started a new approach which I hope will make the bleak days less dark and maybe even make more infinitely brighter. I had hoped to be free of all the prescription medication but that's not quite happened yet but I still think it's possible. So with all the major boxes ticked, I'm now faced with trying to decide how to make life that bit more interesting and even exciting - this is the tricky part, isn't it? I have to admit, I am struggling to make any real headway so far but with any luck, inspiration will come.

Before I forget, I have received many lovely messages about the novel 'Barefoot on the Grass', asking when it will be released. As I am writing this to you now, I am waiting to hear from a potentially interested party, so as soon as I know anything, I promise to let you all know. I probably shouldn't say it, but I do love the story and I'm really looking forward to sharing it all with you, it's hopefully very relateable regardless of where you might be from. I think with the central theme being the relationships shared between family and friends, there won't be too many people who feel it covers subjects that are alien to their own experience.

But with one novel completed, I have to say my mind has been filled with drifting ideas about the next, which, if I write it,  will be my tenth book !! I have been asked if it's easy to write a story, being completely honest, I would have to answer a resounding 'no.' It's not enough to have a basic plot, you need to be able to sustain it for over 80,000 words, so your reader doesn't simply give up and put the book down. During my time of reflection, I will admit I did briefly wonder whether to keep writing or try my hand at something else, but it's been such a part of my life for so many years, I don't think walking away would even be possible. I am well aware, that getting to create fictional lives and events do provide me with the perfect escape when reality becomes a bit too much, so to give it up would be incredibly difficult as I can't imagine anything else being able to help.

Thankfully, now that travel is possible again, I must confess to perhaps spending too much time, dreaming about hopping aboard a plane again and visiting more of the world. I do love to travel and have been incredibly fortunate to have seen quite a bit of our planet although there's still much more to explore. I know some are completely happy staying in their own country but I have always been one of those 'I wonder what's over the next hill' kind of people and so that kind of stability has never really appealed to me.

So, that's a glimpse at what my time of reflection has revealed so far and what will certainly be coming with me for the next part of the year. But what am I planning on leaving behind? Well, that is still a work in progress, but I do know for sure, that I want to shed some of the negativity which has been very detrimental to my wellbeing. I am very self-critical and have not always valued myself enough. I'm hoping this will improve as part of my new approach to better mental health. It's a strange thing to realise, we would almost never say to anyone else, what we regularly say to ourselves  - particularly when it's unflattering. As an example, too many of us look in the mirror and only see what we think is 'wrong' or needs some kind of improvement. Why is it so rare to look at that reflection and think, 'I'm looking so good today'?

Anyway, I hope if you are going through a similar time of wanting to change a few things, remember to be especially kind to yourself. I know I am consciously trying but it doesn't come easy! Enjoy this special time of year and until the next time...as always...

Take care out there xx