Back to Basics

Hey everyone,

Today I want to talk a bit about life and how it’s been these past few years (*sobs* *laughs* *collapses*). Good god it’s been a long couple of years hasn’t it?! As I’m sure we all know, even at the best of times, carving out the time for things that are enriching to your soul can feel like an uphill battle. Even more so if you have a busy career, a family that requires your support, a demanding social calendar or mental health issues that dampen your motivation and ability to unwind. The past two and a half years have been difficult for so many (living though a pandemic will do that), and throughout that I’ve noticed a collective sense of people pushing themselves and one another to just ‘keep on keeping on’. As helpful as that notion can be when needing to push on with your commitments in stressful times such as these, this eternal drive and push forwards can quite easily send you into a tailspin. The drive to push on is powerful, and essential when people rely on us, but it can also become unhealthy. It can also present a major shock to the system once you have the chance to be still, and let the adrenaline fade. So how do we straddle the ups and downs of life when we come out of survival mode?

The last two years have been a time in which I’ve focussed on my career. It was one of the most constant things that I have had, and provided stability in between moving house, absorbing the stress of the impact of COVID-19, and being unable to strive towards the larger plans that I had hoped for (travel, creative pursuits etc). Work kept me busy and made me feel useful, which was vital. As restrictions have slowly lifted, but with COVID remaining a constant concern, finding a new normal hasn’t been easy.

Undoubtedly, the things that bring true joy in life- time with loved ones, creativity, art, being our in the community, good food- have returned to our lives. But what has come with this return is also a steep rise in cost of living, inflation, insecure housing, and the wider world facing so many painful issues (war, loss of rights, attacks on minorities). After going through (and still experiencing) the pandemic, I feel that we have all become acutely aware of the fragility of life, of the societies we live in and the joys we are afforded, because we have seen how quickly these things can disappear. Learning to live with the duality of these truths it key. I think that finding a balance between being present and joyful, and the knowing that every moment, both good and bad, will pass, is how we will recentre ourselves in the storm.

It can be easy to become cynical when life has been difficult and the world has shown us its ugliness for so long. But no matter how long the night is, the knowing that the dawn will break is never doubted. So instead of waiting for more light to break, lets try to make the inbetween as beautiful as we can. Find the pockets of joy that you find in your week, even if they are as simple as a kind smile from someone on the street, a hot shower after a long day, or an evening of laughter with your favourite person. Lean into those moments. Don’t resist the knowing that yes, these times don’t last forever, but that is the thing that makes life so sweet.

Big love,

Kirsty