You know when things happen in life to test your resolve? Well today has been one of those days.

Today has been weird. And wonderful. And challenging. Plans changed continuously. Realities shifted. It was a bit of a merry go round. I tried to put it all into perspective - I live incredibly well and I’m in good health. But I still felt frustrated. And annoyed. I noticed my neck felt strained. I could feel my emotions and stress were getting trapped up there. This has led to weeks of pain in the past. But I caught it and acted. I stretched and danced to shake it out. I cried a bit. And laughed. And felt grateful.

Not having a house means we rely upon our car a lot more. It’s our little house. All our belongings fit neatly into it. So when it’s up the other end of the country, has been out of action for a month and still hasn’t been fixed, my resolve is tested.

This morning, my idyllic month in Dorset, visiting the sea multiple times a week was in tatters (dramatic I know but I’ve been looking forward to this month for aaages). We’re in the middle of nowhere. Everything is super hard to get to without a car. This was going to be my mermaid moment. And this morning that all changed. I had a minor inner child tantrum.

But I accepted it. And for whatever reason, we knew we were being tested. For whatever reason we were being made to stay put. It’s a fabulous place here. Beautiful catto. Beautiful people we’re housesitting for. Lush setting. We could happily stay here, get on, get creative. A whole month though is a fair while to be in one village. But still, we’re lucky to be here so I came to my senses and surrendered to the flow of the situation.

Then three beautiful things happened to brighten my day. The delivery I received (full of cat treatos and superior cat litter from Canada) arrived courtesy of a lovely delivery driver called Phil. His cheery attitude was so kind. It lifted my spirits immediately.

After that, the car hire company we’ve been using waived a £100 fee. So grateful they empathised with our situation (that we’d spent way too much money on hiring cars). It’s a beautiful thing. Talking to humans. Sharing stories. Making each other feel better. Being helpful and kind and sensitive. We sent them a yummy chocolate box in the post for being so sweet.

Finally, our house-sit friends, currently travelling around Canada said that we could use their car. Just like that. And I felt so high. So appreciative. And somehow free again. Free from the constraints of a challenging situation. Everything was positive and light.

I have taken lessons from today. Here they are. If things are confusing, stop. If there are too many options and you don’t know which one to pick. Stop. For a moment. For an hour. For a morning.

Take the path of least resistance. Find the one which makes the most sense inside. Find the one that gives you the most peace.

Be grateful for what you’ve got. Count your blessings. Remember feelings and emotions pass. Nothing stays the same for long.

Do a constructive rest to calm your body down. Work with gravity. Sink into yourself. Relax your neck. It’s a place where you hold a lot of tension.

Dance, move, shake out any negativity. A good shake (to awesome rhythmic drums) goes a long way to helping shift emotions.

Talk to people. Talk about your emotions. Not too much. Don’t rabbit on unconsciously and endlessly about every moan you have. But don’t be proud and say everything’s ok either. People like to help. It’s what human beings are meant to do. Help each other. And they do.

We’re off to the beach soon. With big smiles on our faces. My heart. It soars.