Summer Spectacular

Summer Spectacular

Hi lovelies,

I hope you all had a special summer. It was a hot one in the UK this year. How did you cope with the heat wave? I survived with an endless supply of ice pops and lying flat in a shallow paddling pool. I always say to my son that I was born in the wrong country because I love the sun and the heat. However, this time I admit that I struggled with daily life in the 30+ degree heat. It was the air condition and the sea breeze that I was looking forward to most when we went to Greece on holiday, not the sunshine!

I wanted to share with you a little about my summer. After miss judging a camping stool at Glastonbury, I spent the summer in a plaster cast on my right wrist. The doctors thought I had fractured the scaphoid bone, but it turned out I had badly sprained my thumb. That was a relief, but I was in the cast for 7 weeks and during the heat wave. Safe to say I was uncomfortable and not being able to work was frustrating and damped my spirits.

I wasn’t going to let it ruin my summer, so I had to get creative. I put a bag over it for the paddling pool and opted for different cast colours, obviously!  I couldn’t massage but there was so much more I could be getting on with, such as developing my well-being KAM Programme for the Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) community. I learnt to use my left hand for things which I still find myself doing now after the cast is off. So now I look at the incident giving me an opportunity to strengthen the weaker parts of me.

I’ve also taken time to reflect on it all. I remember getting frustrated with the universe when it happened. Thinking, ‘please leave me alone, have I not already got loads to deal with and have I not been through enough’.  At times I thought, ‘I am being picked on again!’. I allowed myself a moment to moan but quickly pulled myself out of that. I notice this negative talk a lot easier now and can flip it whilst remaining kind to myself. When it happens, I draw on my practices that promote positive thinking, relaxation, and gratitude.

So, I flipped the unfortunate situation around. Afterall there was nothing I could do to change it; I couldn’t go back in time, although it would be cool to have a DeLorean and a doc! I couldn’t magic my injury away, but I could give my body time to heal, and I could plan!

It was Dylan’s last summer before high school, potentially the last summer he’d like to spend hanging out with mum, so we spent the days together We played games in the paddling pool which most consisted of me throwing balls for him to dive and catch in the pool. We met up with family, went on holiday and met new friends and got ready for a new phase of our lives. I enjoyed every moment, and I was fully present and that was better than retreating and feeling sorry for myself.

I also focused on the work I could complete. I set up my senses circle, finalising the format and securing a venue. I concentrated on the K.A.M programme I am developing for those with CBS. I ensured the information was ready in all formats, the kits were made, and the structure was designed and ready to go. Not being able to massage meant I could give this my full attention which was a help.

K.A.M stands for Knowledge, Acceptance and Management. K.A.M is a wellbeing programme designed as a launching platform into holistic therapies for people living with or new too CBS. This is a condition that causes silent visual hallucinations in people who have lost over 60% of sight through any means. It is a project very close to my heart.

It has been a warm, challenging, and exciting summer and I would not change a thing. I believe through change we grow and evolve. I have learnt there is always a way to solve a problem, we need to look hard enough and be open to support. Change is not the end of the world, there is always a guide through the dark and that guide can be you.

As I write I can hear the rain coming down heavily. We are on the brink of a seasonal change and about to enter the next phase in our lives. So, I invite you to look back on your summer. What stood out for you, where was there gratitude and who was there with you. Perhaps send them a note to say thank you. I invite you to do the same for yourself.

Thank you to every one of you that come each time to read about my journey. Knowing I can share the rollercoaster that is my life gives me a sense of grounding and I am very grateful for the opportunity.

Whether the road is clear or bumpy ahead we remain positive and present.

Sending love and light,

Nina XX