Hello, It’s been a while!
It feels great to be writing to you and I also feel overflowing with ideas of what to say. I last wrote to you in February and since then so much has happened. I have been very focused on my course in London and also busy with life in Brighton. A couple of months ago, my housemates and I were served a Section 21, which means our tenancy is ending in early June. Also, my course is coming to an end so I’ve been thinking about my next chapter and hoping to continue my training.
Rather than look for a new home immediately, I’ve decided to do more house sits and spending time in Brighton and Kent over the summer as well as hopefully volunteering at festivals with PsyCare or the Insecurity Guards, both which I have recently trained with. PsyCare is an incredible, grassroots charity that provides welfare and harm reduction at festivals. Earlier this month, my friend and I attended the training at The Fold in Worcestershire where we met lovely people, received solid and rich training, were immersed in nature and even saw the Aurora Borealis.
My home life has been challenging, including the WiFi being extremely unreliable, so I decided a few weeks ago that I needed to find ways to get out the house and routine in yet another transition period. Things that have been extremely helpful include joining a coworking space - Platf9rm in Brighton and walking my neighbour’s beautiful dogs. I walked up to my neighbour a couple of months ago and said on first meeting “Would you like me to walk your dogs?” Days later and I had a twice weekly slot taking these absolute babes on a 90-minute walk.
They are the most well-behaved dogs I have ever looked after and they have brought immeasurable joy to my life. Speaking of dogs, the coworking space is also dog-friendly, which makes me feel extremely happy.
Something else that has helped me stay on track has been life coaching with the brilliant Donna Burgess. Donna has held space for me to spill everything present for me and then break it down to manageable in a really constructive, insightful and encouraging way. She’s helped me tap into my own wisdom around commitment and discipline including keeping on top of my sleep routine, room tidying and taking care of myself. Her kindness and care have helped me remember my own self-compassion and self-care. I thoroughly recommend her. Visit Donna’s website for more info.
I’ve also continued my Personal Training with my now-friend Marios Iacovou and I’ve also started doing yoga with a new friend Naze, of You’re Grounded. I can be quite an airy person with a defence of sometimes almost floating away when I’m triggered, so the focus on grounding combined with Naze’s warmth and intuition is really working for me. I was even lucky enough to have a 121 session in Naze’s garden last week and have decided to book into a series of 121 sessions to hone my downward dog and warriors!
More Things That Have Brought Me Joy
Oh wow, May is QUITE the month for things to happen in Brighton. There’s the Brighton Fringe, the Brighton Festival, the Spiegeltent and Artist’s Open Houses to name a few things. I think I might have to do another post of pictures I want to share from these things, otherwise these newsletter will be never-ending. Biggest joyful highlights include Brook Tate’s musical Birthmarked, which is coming to Manchester and London imminently and I can’t recommend it enough. I also loved United Queendom: Smooch at the Brighton Spiegeltent, with a review going up soon on We Love Brighton. Medicine Woman was also super provocative and funny and I adored Paul and Laura don’t give a sh*t (Sorry) and I’ve loved visiting local artist houses on the Seven Dials trail.
Last weekend, the incredibly talented and humble Becs Pearson invited me to her Storytelling Beyond Words showcase at Emerson College in Forest Row. I was blown away by her immaculate performance and ability to move me to both tears and laughter through her deep vulnerability and sharply crafted words. I also had the privilege of being in the audience as five other storytellers shared their work.
I was also invited as a guest to my first ever Huddlecraft showcase by my friend Dan and the theme was Entangled Places at the end of April. The event showcased some fantastic ideas, was a chance to meet some really interesting people and helped me feel connected and remember my love of trees, when I have been so focused on the sea.
Something else that brings me SO MUCH JOY is my friend Sarah, of viral Dry Robe video fame’s Day of Musical Joy, which is a day of singing at her home for friends of friends. DOMJ is also something Sarah runs at festivals and events and more information can be found out via her Power of Uke website.
Uplifting News Stories
Letting grass grow long boosts butterfly numbers, UK study proves | The Guardian
Insects and Other Animals Have Consciousness, Experts Declare | Quanta
London Marathon: Runner with Down's syndrome gets youngest record | BBC News
Worth Sharing
The Six Tent Pegs | Donna Lancaster via Substack
Five ways to bring more awe into your life | Positive News
Street Pastor to take on seven challenges to celebrate turning 70 | Catching Lives
Teacher is running 1,000 kms for Catching Lives | JustGiving
Orphaned ducklings are rescued from motorway | BBC News
Dear diary: why are we so obsessed with recording our private thoughts? | Plaster
Recommended
Dan Simpson of Connection Jam is running An Introduction to Authentic Relating on Sunday 2 June. Details here.
Donna Lancaster is running two more ‘Soul Biscuits’ online sessions; Embodying Love on 26 May and and Soul Focused Living 2 June. More info here. Her book The Bridge is also now out in paperback.
OK, I think that’s it for now. I’d love to hear from you in the comments something that’s recently brought you joy and any uplifting news stories you want to share.
BB X
Wonderful to read your news Becky and thank you as always for your generous support of my work. Shine on xxx
🙏🏻