As U2 sang, "what a beautiful day". Wow.

I love days like these, crisp, clear, the sun shining brightly and the birds chirping happily.

I taught an early morning class out by Pleinmont this morning so I decided to make the most of the opportunity and walk down to the fairy ring. There was no one else around and I had one of those moments where your eye catches the rocks glistening with dew and the early morning sun and the solitary seagull gliding by and it all feels so familiar and so peaceful, like trekking in the mountains of Nepal, so strong and just there, you know, like it is all okay, it is always there, morning to night, day to day, jut there, nature, a natural rhythm to life, or something, I can't quite explain.

Someone has left some limpet shells on the mound of the fairy ring, they look kind of cool, like an offering, or the left overs from a fairy party the night before!I spotted a bright red breasted robin resting on one of the dry brambles, and you know what they say about robins...can you see him...



It is the start of Lent today, so I guess that means we should give something up? Not for a religious reason necessarily, maybe a pre-summer detox or to prove you can go 40 days without chocolate...I don't know, maybe we should be giving up something we don't really enjoy, you know self compassion and all that, something we feel obliged to do or feel we have to do, for example staying in a job that you loathe, or staying in a relationship as you are worried that there is no one else out there (didn't Pink Floyd sing something about that), or meeting up with half-friends through a sense of obligation even though they totally drain you, or worrying about the stuff you can't control...

You don't need to do all of it, or indeed any of it, but it can be quite helpful to work out what you really don't enjoy and then figure out a way to give that up so that you have more space, time and energy to do the things you do enjoy. I have spent a large percentage of my life feeling obliged to do stuff I don't really enjoy, figuring that is the nature of life...the 'no pain no gain, life is a struggle' kind of attitude...but I still haven't found the rule book that says it has to be this way. Life is to be enjoyed surely. Or balanced at least. Easier said than done, I know!

They say you should create space in your life for miracles to occur. I guess this is what Jesus was doing, it was a fairly minim list life he was leading, or so I understand.

So space creating it is, out with the old, in with the new.

I think I'll go and eat that chocolate now then.

Lots of love and happy Lent

Em xxx