March 2021: Being hope

This month I continued to experience the feeling that there’s no point to my life, plus I had some exceptionally difficult family stuff to contend with.

Rather than having hope, though, I became it by setting myself a yearlong goal; of getting my mixed media art business off the ground. In working on it for two and a half hours a day (starting March 1st), I felt more motivated and connected to my art. I ordered my first digital art prints from the very helpful theprintspace.co.uk and learnt small (but very useful) things, for example, how to do the copyright symbol on an iPad.

Something also pushed me take action regarding my Tudor Crescent Village In The City project (creating a happier, healthier and more eco-friendly sense of community in my street). I say “pushed,” because I’m not at all a social butterfly and often make sweeping negative judgements without foundation about my neighbours… I made a village builders flyer on Canva, and was proud of myself for challenging my ‘COVID-19 contamination’ OCD by delivering these flyers to every house in my street. Neighbours Max and Meena expressed an interest and I set up a Zoom meeting for the first time.

I wondered what support there is out there for those with physical / mental health challenges who want to set up a micro-local village?

Even if this project doesn’t bear fruit, I’m grateful to be a part of meaningful global communities that enliven me.

The exciting webinars and Zoom meets I participated in this month: ‘Income Streams for Authors’ with the British Library; ‘Wholeness and Self-leadership’ with the Teal Network; Collective Presencing; Projects with Presencing; ‘Flourishing with Mindfulness and Character Strengths - Body and Mind Focus’ and ‘Cloughjordan Ecovillage Deep Listening (4)’.

I’m doing so much to take my life in the direction I want it to go in and things are happening in unexpected ways because of the manageable efforts I’m putting in.

‘The Big Window’ by Gemma Boyd