Hello Dear Friend,
Welcome to another Sunday missive, thank you so much for being here, I truly do value your company.
This week I have been thinking about self-care. How do you look after yourself? Do you go on long walks?
Do you visit the beach or the mountains?
Do you visit your local coffee shop? You know the one where everyone knows your name and your order… My favourite coffee shop is in Freshwater and is, in my humble opinion, the best on the Isle of Wight. If you visit tell them Tracy sent you 😁It won’t get you anything, but will make them smile…
Do you journal?
Do you meditate?
Do you create - art, gardening, crafts, baking, or something similar?
Me? I meditate, not as often as I would like to, but the only thing stopping me is me if you know what I mean. I journal, morning pages, simply put it is free hand pen to paper writing, usually just a blurt of whatever is in my mind at the time. Sometimes it helps just to put it all down on paper, sometimes it can make sense of whatever is going on, and sometimes it doesn’t. But at least it is out of my head for a little while. My main outlet for self-care is creating, many of you will know that I create knitted animals and crocheted goldfish for a local craft centre, Quay Arts. It does create a little bit of stress as they sell quite well, but that feeling when they are all dressed. Or even before that, when they have their faces on, you know their eyes and their mouths have been embroidered when you can really see their cheeky little personalities peeking out. That is a moment of joy which cannot be replaced.
Creating
There are many sites out there to help you create things, depending on your poison so to speak. Papercrafts, Embroidery, Baking, Gardening - all have dedicated sites to inspire and encourage you along your way.
The best site for knitting and crochet pattern porn is Ravelry
It is a huge repository for patterns, and it also has community pages, so you can follow your favourite designer or technique. One group is dedicated to creating a pair of socks for each week of the year - 52 Weeks of Socks. Although just finding the link I see that they have changed it to 52 Months of Socks, time pressures get to us all in the end.
Journalling
The best course I ever took around journalling was Felicity (aka Felix) Ford’s Bullet Journalling - Bullet Journalling for the Messy and Inspired I took it in April 2020 as we entered the first of the lock-downs and the scary time of Covid and it really helped me. I am not a neat check box type when it comes to journalling. I love to add stickers, receipts, tickets, doodles, and washi tape, alongside information I look for regularly like postage rates, and my favourite recipes.
What do you do to nurture yourself creatively? I would love to know if you are willing to share.
Until next time, as ever, may your angels and guides watch over you and protect you until we meet again.
Love and Light,
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Until next time, bye for now.
Links:
Freshwater Coffee House - School Green Road, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, PO40 9AJ
Quay Arts Centre, Sea Street, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5BD
52 Months of Socks Group on Ravelry
Knitsonik Bullet Journal Course - details here
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My amazing contemplative writing teacher Miriam says “don’t wait, meditate” which I absolutely love (although can’t always manage - especially when waiting for a delayed train). It helps me get more meditation in! Contemplative writing is my favourite way to write and pay attention for sure - it connects me to something away from the noise of productivity and “shoulds”. Lovely piece - thank you ❤️