Little Pockets

I recently read on one of the wonderfully wise Anna Mather’s posts about mother’s finding themselves.

After the fog of the newborn years, through the battles of the early years to as we slowly transition into the primary school years.

The change in routine for both you and the kids.

The change in priorties.

The change in who we all are now. In this moment in time.

And how we don’t go back.

Like the kids, we too grow.

We evolve.

And the mental battle of who am I?

What was I like before kids?

What do I like doing now?

As little pockets of time slowly creep back that we can call our own.

Without guilt.

Using those little pockets of times.

To go for a walk/run/to the gym. Meet a friend for coffee or read a couple of pages in a book. Doing something just for us.

Amidst the spinning plates of work, school runs and life admin.

We change.

Our experiences shape our character.

And we may find solace and interest in things now that we woudn’t have before kids.

It’s trying to do little things in the day that recharge you.

Light up your soul.

Not putting things off until the kids are older or (eventually) leave home.

Things do seem crazy right now. But switch off from the outside noise. Concentrate on your inner world and what you can control.

And create days that you’re living, not days where you’re existing.

A ten minute walk around the block works wonders.

Making contact with a family member or friend, even if it’s just a quick text, creates that social connection buzz of dopamine.

Reading or listening to a podcast while you have lunch provides support in organising (and reorganising) your brain.

Those little pockets of time will not only help you recharge.

They’ll also help you find out who you are. For this moment.

Love Missuswolf xx

What I’ve Been Reading: The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

Casting back to May’s Book Club read, which was The Salt Path by Raynor Winn.

I read this in snatched moments on the balcony in Ibiza while the youngest napped.

Synopsis:

Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall.

Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey.

The Salt Path is an honest and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected way

The Review:

The Salt Path is a true story written by Raynor Winn and recounts her experience of walking the South West Coast path with her terminally ill husband, Moth.

The book contains themes of nature, homelessness, and grief.

Raynor and Moth loose their home and livelihood, so their entire world is then bundled up into rucksacks and carried on their backs.

Our club had varying opinions on this book. One reader struggled to get into it while another reader found it quite interesting.

There was a consensus that it made you think about how grateful you are to have a roof over your head and how unsettling that, through one bad judgement, it can all be taken away from you.

The book describes days of walking and nights of camping along the South West Coast path. And although it’s not written in diary format, it’s a biography and this may be why one of our reader’s couldn’t get into it; no huge cliff-hangers, or sub-plots.

The length of the book was a lot shorter than the last one we read, 273 pages (as opposed to the 500+ that was Daughter’s of Night).

I personally enjoyed the book. It was interesting to hear of the couples experiences and issues while walking and camping – and how they dealt with them.

I felt pangs of empathy throughout and I now have a renewed sense of gratitude for having a roof over my head.

Love Missuswolf xx

What I’ve Been Reading: Daughters of Night by Laura-Shepherd Robinson

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