Don’t lie. You did.
You worked? Then, you’ve managed to save. Oh, you haven’t managed to save (me neither mate. I live in Oxford and the rent kills me). That’s fine though, you worked. Sharpening skills, or realizing you’re ready to move on, or challenging yourself, or whatever work does for you.
Or, you stayed at home because being outside, having a job, is too much right now. Well that’s okay too, you’re knowing your limits and you’re using this time to work on yourself, to heal. You’ll go out when you’re ready. Not all explorations are mountains and road-trips.
I had truly felt that I had done nothing this summer. And I have spent FAR too much time being miserable about that. So, I made a list…
- I worked a lot. I got moody, and tired. But I also have had the luxury of being laid back whilst still being super productive. And I get to be as Vegan as I want.
- For my birthday – I got two (!!!!!!) new tattoos with my partner
- …and we went to the LUSH spa
- I went on some pretty cute days and evenings out
- I took some bomb ass selfies. Confidence increased 10000 XP.
I also took some not so bomb ass selfies.
- I went home twice, to cuddle my poorly pup (and moan about Brexit), and then to celebrate my amazing sister becoming a mum (any day now!)
- I had a ton of baths.
- I went down to Poole to be sassy and Vegan with other sassy Vegans.
- I made some jewellery. The beginning of a slooooooooow journey, but a journey nonetheless.
- I visited an animal sanctuary with Kate. AND CUDDLED KITTENS.
- I saw a friend I hadn’t seen in SEVEN years and we did yoga and had a picnic at an amazing yoga event in Milton Keynes. Kate and I also got lost and saved a chicken.
- I sat in the park, I felt the sun and the calm. I took my shoes off and felt the grass, eating snacks and (once) doing yoga.
- I went to a Peace Festival. Like, a real one. Not one that is all about pretense, and commercialization, and appearances. It was multi-cultural, diverse, unjudging, and vegetarian. For most of it I felt Peaceful, albeit hungry.
- I wrote some more. This is a big achievement for me. I am both lazy and nervous and writing is hard for me. For somebody who wants to be a writer. I am a nightmare. But, I wrote some really difficult personal pieces as well as other things.
- And, I’ve planned some pretty amazing events and days/ weeks out for the next few months coming up – at work, with friends, with my partner. My calendar is getting a little bit full and it’s deeply satisfying.
Turns out I’ve been a bit too hard on myself, for somebody who’s been working the busiest summer of my shop’s history, full time. I totally lied. I did do some stuff.
The small things are just, just, as important as the big things. If you enjoyed them, it’s a thing to say. If you felt calm, or happy, or excited, it’s a thing to celebrate. Sometimes we (definitely I do) forget this when we’re looking around at everybody else’s lives, stories, feeds, walls. You do more than you think.
What’s your list?
A Vegan Adventurer 