What Shade of Green is your Envy? — More than ever lately I’ve found myself comparing my life to women who are my age but who chose not to have children. I realise that I’m comparing polar opposites, it would be hard to create a life more full of children than that of a single mother of four…

Regardless of your job, gender or life stage, there is only one thing that matters — The best advice I was given as a teenager was to get to know myself. My own thoughts and opinions, my own ambitions, and dreams. I was urged to forget everyone else and search for myself in amongst the noise. For a teenager drowning in hormones and family drama, that…

Three practices to keep you centred — The battle to be ourselves is a constant one as we are inundated by messages on how to think, act, and live. As we move through our day the threads of social media, entertainment, well-meaning friends and family all wrap around us, tripping us up and suffocating us with other…

Our desires might makes us vulnerable but they can fuel daily life if we let them — There are words that generate a reaction the moment you think them, and desire is one of them. The mind instantly rushes to sensuality, and from there to fantasy or to shame dependent on our mood and the messages we were given as we grew up. …

We may crave comfort but is it what we really need more of? — In every area of life, we seek to find the sweet spot. That moment in which there is no push or pull, no resistance, just the comfort of being at peace. More and more as I find my inner world pulled in two opposing directions, I’m starting to wonder if…

Learning how to practice alone while in a class So, there I was, soft cushioning of a new yoga mat beneath my feet, the smell of incense lingering in the air, the low murmur of excited voices around me as we embarked on something as terrifying as it was exciting……

What lies beneath the noise and distraction of anger? — “I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” ― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time Have you noticed how easy it is to feel anger? It surges through you…

Tell me lies tell me sweet little lies… — What scares me the most about myself when I think about lies isn’t how varied the shades of grey are, it’s how often we cover up the truth from ourselves and use other people’s words to do so. I think we all know when something isn’t quite right. We might…

You decide where you are meant to be. — Here’s the funny thing about feeling lost… you can’t be lost if you don’t have a specific place in mind you are supposed to be. I’ve been thinking about the feeling of being ‘lost’ since the theme for this month’s blog hop was released by my writing community, Illuminate, and…

We wear many layers of protective masks but what if we could make those representations of ourselves a deliberate and empowering choice? — As we arrive at the time of year when we choose a new mask to wear for a night of fun and revelry on Halloween, I’m wondering how many masks we are already wearing. The daily mask of makeup as we begin each day reshaping what we confront in the…

Death has much to teach the living and perhaps we are more acquainted than we think. — It might sound like a crazy question. Surely, if I had died I wouldn’t be here to connect with you, but I believe life is a spiraling process of birth, life, and death on repeat, and I’m not the only one. ‘You wake up. Then you wake up some more…

I’m not scared of taking risks, I’m terrified of a life of regret. I am terrified of regret. I always have been, although that’s a strange preoccupation for a young child and I have no idea when it started. …

Fairytale relationships do exist when they are sustained by the small things. — This year has been marked by so much, but what will leave an indelible scar that I cherish were two moments death came to visit. Each time I was offered a lesson on just what love can be. The year opened with the death of my children’s grandparents, Rueben and…

The Parent Immortal — As a teenager, the vampire myth appealed to me like no other. I romanticized the idea of living forever and of maintaining a hold on the youthful invincibility that even then I feared ending. …

The truth of belonging. — Sat at the table, so many of us present that our arms pressed tightly to our bodies so we can maneuver enough to still eat. The bustle of the room is a noise all of its own, the chatter from the table just the loudest piece. With laughter and conversation…

Saying goodbye is always hard but sometimes it is necessary to create space for something new. My first thought when I think about saying goodbye is the people that have departed my life for many reasons over the years. My second thought is for the aspects of myself I’ve had…

Changing your perception can transform work into play. — Work in my house doesn’t seem to mean the same as for everyone else. I’m not sure where it started but I think both my partner and I have always had a different take on it. Work is the thing you do because you are driven to. It keeps you…

Are we speak from a need to share or a need to be right. Mahatma Gandhi said the following about truth… ‘Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the Truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct, or for being years ahead…

The simple realization that became a gamechanger. — The need to be seen, heard, and valued. Isn’t that the core motivator for most of the things we do? It seems as though we can run ourselves into the ground quite happily as long as it is benefiting someone else. So often I hear people around me bemoaning their…

Blossom rain on a summer's day. — I distinctly remember being a child staring out of my bedroom window, watching the blossom trees on the small patch of green between the buildings of our council estate. I remember wishing I could go down and lie under them as they showered me in soft barely pink petals as…