“Joy is the essence of success” – the label on my cup of tea

So today was quite a long and wonderful day, I’m totally just gonna go on a ramble and get it all out so I hope you have fun reading it lol. A glimpse into a day in the life of me.

I woke up quite hungover to a phone call answered by my friend, saying “yeah, 10 or 15 minutes, cool.” We unwrapped ourselves from each other, got up and put on some clothes, had a cigarette and some water and I walked back to mine. The cat was lying in the grass when I arrived, eager for his breakfast, the light was left on outside… I didn’t mean to be out all night, I had something important to do today, but I still felt happy.

A joint and some tea fixed me right up for my meeting about an upcoming trip to Estonia. I arrived at the place where the meeting was held, Turning Point. This keeps on turning up… the same phrase whenever something significant is going to happen. When I moved away from the city, when things get better. It’s some beautiful symbolism, it reassures me that I am walking the right path.

We all introduced each other, all the people who will be going on the trip, and all the people planning it. I knew a few faces here already, everyone seemed lovely. We chatted about what we’ll be doing, visiting rural areas figuring out how to get involved in local decision making, the themes we will be focusing on this year were decided by last years groups; mental health, tourism, environment and employability. I’m particularly interested in mental health and the environment. But all of them will be fascinating to learn about. The activities sounded amazing, I can’t believe it’s a free trip and that I got a space!!

My friend Fiona went last year, that’s how I found out about it. We met up on the last day of it last year. She had been away for a week visiting places in our region, camping under the stars, dancing at Celidhs, visiting art centres and a Buddhist monastery, and on the last day she helped out with a local festival. This was when we met up, she was on the badge making table and her brothers band played afterwards and we drank and danced by the river. I promised myself I would apply this year. Symbolically I wore the same badge I made that day to the meeting today.

We drank tea and bonded a bit… I definitely spoke about my cat during my introduction with no shame. The organiser Debs congratulated us on our applications and securing a place on the trip. We gave suggestions to a mental health group about a video appealing to young people encouraging them to reach out, and then the meeting was done and I went to find my dad.

We drove to the beach where I got a beer to sustain me and we collected stones. My dad was looking at the fossils on them all, whereas I was looking for ones I could paint. The fossils were fascinating… and the patterns quite beautiful. Strange to think that a wee sea shell or sea creature could have made those designs, they were artists in themselves.

My dad took some photos of the sea (and attempted to be sneaky taking some of me) as I trawled through the beach, collecting more stones than was probably reasonable. By the end of the walk I was hugging them like they were to be my newborn child. And couldn’t resist picking some seashells to add to my already massive collection, as well as a wee tiny dead crab I called crab-man, I brought him home and now he’s my buddy.

Anyway now I’m back home, sufficiently supplied with weed and comfort, and ready to share a poem for today. It’s a bit roughly done (again with the lack of editing, silly abbie) but I had fun writing it. My thoughts tend to go to rivers and it’s been quite hot lately here… I was thinking about how amazing it would be if a river just followed you around everywhere so you could swim whenever you wanted, I’ve had this thought a fair few times but this time got inspired to write a poem about it. I find it quite amusing really…. I hope you do too, enjoy! 🙂

sun is glaring
heat is swelling
but its ok
my pocket sized river
will take me away

i can disappear
into the depth of sapphire jewels
cool down in the flow
and dip back out again
to this reality we call home

to seek refuge in your perfect world
what a beauty it would be
when troubles are getting heavy
just run away, flee

a safe space in a pocket
a wonderous spontaneous submersion
cool down by the rocks and the water
bring a friend filled with laughter

it follows me everywhere
i never want to leave
my pocket sized river