Hello Restless Peeps,
I’ve gone off-piste this week. I had actually written (or half-written) an entirely different post about friendships but then I went and did a cool THANG and this post tumbled out of me.
I’m sending it to you from Geneva (yes, again!) where I’m gearing up to speak to a few hundred kids and parents today about sport and adventure. So I see mountains from my window… mountains! Hurraaahh.
A mega thank you to everyone who sent in their questions for ask me anything, I’m leaving it open for a few more days so if you’ve got something you’d like to ask me (anything) just hit reply on this email.
Have a cracker of a week and if you end up writing your own letter from Joy — please let me know. I think we should all do it at least once.
Lorra Lorra love,
Anna xx
Identity Crisis? Joy to the Rescue.
It is 9 o’clock in the morning and I’m walking across Hyde Park in London. The world around me is alive with colour. There’s lush green grass, slick with melted dew drops.
Daises are scattered here and there, petals fully open and soaking up the sun. Trees are bursting with fresh leaves and the cherry blossoms are in bloom — some pink, some white. It’s a warm day, but the air is cool. I should be at peace amid all this natural goodness, but I’m feeling unsettled.
‘Where are you going Mummy?’ Storm asked as I left Gloucester that morning.
‘To creativity school.’ I say.
‘Is it like nursery?’ She frowns.
‘Errr yes. It’s like nursery for adults.’
‘Do you get to play?’
‘I hope so.’
‘Are there snacks?’
‘Oh Yes.’ Is my reply because I have scoured the weekend agenda for that crucial info.
In a new and improved bid to do things for myself, I’m heading across the park, bound for a two-day creativity workshop with one of my favourite writers —
Although I’m excited at the prospect of two days of indulging in a love of all things creative and wordy, I’m also feeling like a new kid at school.
I mean, heck, I spent 10 minutes in the train station toilet at Paddington trying to decide whether, today; I want to be the kind of person who wears a headband or the kind of person who doesn’t.
Usually I don’t give two hoots about my appearance, but I know exactly where all this overthinking is coming from… it’s not about the headband.
It’s about my identity.
I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently. There’s a whole other post in this someday but, for the time being, I’ll say that even now, three and a half years into Mummahood, the questions of Who am I? and What am I doing? Are still dropping by the see me on a weekly basis.
You know, just rocking up uninvited, hanging out and staring at me, waiting for an answer.
It’s really quite rude of them. And it’s exhausting.
So imagine my delight when I go to the creativity workshop with
and find something that helps to ease the mental merry-go-round…It all starts with a series of exercises that Liz sets us. For these exercises we’re asked to think about a specific powerful force in our life (like Fear, Resilience, Love) and imagine them as a real person.
Then we have to write a letter from that person, to us.
All the letters start with ‘Dear (your first name) I am your (Fear / Love / Resilience) and this is what I want to tell you…
The Fear letter is a mega beast, but by far my favourite letter is one that Liz encourages us to write from what she calls ‘Enchantment’ but I’m going to call it Joy.
It’s about all the things in life that make you feel nourished and content.
I want to share that letter with you. Here goes…