Day 8. Today I’ve reached new heights and Iβm so pleased with myself. More than that, I’ve healed myself. All my life Iβve never been able to get off a chair or sofa without using my hands and arms to bear some of my weight. Standing up without using my arms to push off was in fact not an option. In the last few days I can feel a strength Iβve never felt before. I can now get off sofas and chairs with only my legs to help me. I can feel muscle. My legs are waking up. I don’t get fatigued after doing lots of knee lifts. Before I did three and my muscles felt they’d atrophised. My body had almost given up. Now I know it’s possible to change. Iβm dancing every day and it’s making my body SING! Yippeeeeee π Today I listened to John O’Callaghan at Luminosity Festival. Yum.
Day 7. Epic beats and epic thoughts. Mainly about compassion and empathy. And how much to care about things. And how I make up stories and dramas in my mind that haven’t even come to pass yet. π John O’Callaghan you are a legend! I needed to hear Big Sky sooo much just then π
Around this time last year I went to my first rave in twenty years. After a serendipitous moment, I found out about a great trance night at a club in the city where I lived (Gatecrasher; Sheffield). I went alone, parking in a posh carpark nearby (sensible) knowing I was only drinking water. I drank a smoothie with Guarana powder in it before I left (a fruit with lots of caffeine) and took some Maca tablets with me to keep me going (a South American turnip) which I amusingly had to smuggle into the club even though they’re completely legal. I wasn’t taking the whole packet with me to read to the door staff. That would not have been cool. So I found another way of getting them in π I was nervous with excitement and anticipation of the night ahead. I just wanted to dance with other people, hear them whistle and whoop with enthusiasm, get into the beats and feel the power of being free in my body. It was amazing. After no trance for years, all of a sudden I was listening to Ferry Corsten, Standerwick and Scott Bond. All of a sudden Iβm 19 again and dancing my ass off for seven straight hours. After an epic 25km of dancing (Smartphones these days hey π) I felt totally satisfied and smiley. I even met some fellow dancers along the way who said I had the aura of an angel (they were wasted but Iβm totally taking that compliment!). It was a bit weird, being around really drunk people but I ignored all the silly stuff and just went for it, using my dancing arms to help keep distance π€© It rekindled my love for the dance. It reminded me that even though my legs and body can give me a tough time, when I put trance music on, everything melts away as I soar into inspiring and uplifting melodic beats. I love trance β€οΈ ππ§ββοΈ *Disclaimer - I always wear earplugs when listening to extremely loud music.
This is a photo series of an eager, slightly scary panther like cat trying to break into our house-sit. This happens multiple times a day from different windows. She’s a beautiful cat, but quite hissy and feisty and not our cat to look after! We’re trying to sort the situation out and have contacted her ‘owner/guardian’. I was doing some stretches and then…cue Jaws music…
Day 6. Dancing through the pain. Today was about trying to stay relaxed (I think Iβm looking relaxed in this picture) and move through the remnants of tight muscle spasms and pulls. No one wants to go into those nooks and crevices. They can be scary and painful places to explore. The more I could relax though and be soft meant the more I could unclench and let openness in. It was all about being gentle and letting go today because really, I can’t quite believe how tense I am for most of the time without even realising. My body is always doing something. It never thinks to totally stop and let go when it’s still awake. Everyone needs some stillness each day. Iβm reminded of going in a floatation tank. I really love that experience. Now that feels like true relaxation right there. Floating in space. Exploring the cosmos of your mind π Cold Blue I thank you for your beautiful music β€οΈ I feel so happy when I listen to it (The Wave is just amazing!) π€©
What a powerful film. The cinematography and stylisation were beautiful, magical and the message full of raw strength. I smiled and laughed and cried. So many emotions all at the same time. Respect to everyone involved in the movie and beyond. All power to all people ππΊπ
Oh Buzz. You are a beautiful squishy furry thing. I love your head butts and unwavering calm (especially when Leo is trying to muscle in and bite your bottom) Thank you for making me feel safe when I stroke you. This is a beautiful quality which you don’t even know you have π
Day 5. A mixture of dancing and running around with purple ribbons being followed by cats. I also enjoyed swirling the ribbons too. They’re very floaty and fun. They seriously make the best patterns. The cats can’t get enough of them. Me too. Great for arm muscles and strength yay! I danced to @markusschulz set live in Madrid. Looking forward to being back on form to really get moving with him tomorrow π His set sounds awesome. There was a particular track that made me fly ππ π I love this horse. So sweet natured and kind.
We have a situation at our latest housesit. An attention seeking local farm cat patrols the perimeter of our house for most of the day trying to find a way in. If she gets in, she hides in the most awkward place (under the cupboards) for days. Luckily it hasn’t happened during our stay. I hear her coming before i see her. Her husky, urgent, demanding call. Her flashing eyes coming out of the dark. Iβm glad I hear her because I can run back inside (ridiculous behaviour I know). I felt sorry for her at first and my maternal instincts kicked in wanting to make sure she was ok so I let her approach me in the garden. She immediately jumped on me with huge muddy wet paws, digging her claws deep in my leg (unsociable affection) when I tried to get her off she swatted me and hissed. I was a little way from the house (and panicking) so had to walk back with her attacking my pink crocs every five seconds and getting in my way (literally blocking my path even footfall) I felt pestered, stalked and a bit trapped actually.
She lives in a barn down the road, but she doesn’t seem to want to be there. Maybe they don’t feed her enough. They wanted her to catch mice. She’s part feral so I suppose a barn life is as good as she’s going to get if her behaviour can’t be tamed. She’s afraid of the three cats who live at our housesit which is useful and also makes her desire to get in the house continuously even more confusing. From now on I’m taking a bodyguard cat into the garden with me π It’s amazing that you can spend a lot of money to live in a beautiful house for a peaceful life and end up with a crazy cat stalking your every move. Luckily Iβm not here in the summer. I can’t imagine what would happen if she found me sunbathing ππ€ͺπ Here we have Cookie, the official Guardian of the Cat flap. Even the boys wait until she gives them the go ahead before letting them through (it can take a looong time). Here’s hoping the other kitty doesn’t sneak in (the cat flap doesn’t always work properly aaarrgghhh)
Here’s some cuteness for you. In the form of Buzz the Burmese. Always appreciative of a stroke. Has a purr like a little song bird. Mild mannered until there’s catnip around π»
Day 4. It’s pretty hard to dance when you feel like you’ve got wooden shoulders. Ouch! So there was definitely more simple movements happening today rather than the usual me flying around like a bee high on nectar. I used the floor more and worked with gravity (that sounds cool heyπ). I also explored the idea of completely forgetting about my pain by only focusing on good things and positive vibes. It kinda worked. I could definitely see how my mind can control the pain depending on how much energy I give it. Interesting stuff. Happy Saturday everyone. Iβm enjoying a rhubarb cider now yum!
Today Iβve been helped by Constructive Rest. Iβm feeling kinda tight and ouchy in my shoulderblades (Curaheat patches in place). So I needed to stop, everything, completely. For at least 15 minutes. Because I never actually do that…without a phone nearby. I never actually lie down and consciously relax every part of me. I’m glad I made the effort. Because it feels great! I feel so much softer, fuller, lighter, happier, calmer. Alleluia!! Even gonna do it again later too π Was listening to Max Richter’s music ‘Sleep’ as I rested. It’s incredible. Thank you beautiful music, beautiful life, beautiful Simon for suggesting I lie down and look after myself today π
Day 3 of my own personal dance off challenge - a solid 2 ½ hours of dancing through a set from MarLo (incredibly epic beats and sounds, wow I need more of you!) and Estiva (thank you for dropping Rainbow in the middle of your set. Love it soooo muchπ€©) This dance showed me how much I can worry about things in life. Big, small, they all keep coming. Then I realised, Iβm worrying a lot of the time without even registering it. And it doesn’t help. Anyone or anything. So I worked on shaking it all out because worrying makes my muscles tense. It felt amazing. To dance it out. All that existed was the melody, the beat and my body. No matter what I thought, my body was more powerful and brought me back to myself. I was traveling through space. Dancing with the stars. Sliding down rainbows, smiling my head off. And I had a cat for company too π» Now Iβm stronger, more assertive and moving forward on steady legs. I wanted all my stuck stuff, aches, pains, emotional baggage to leave. When something that didn’t serve me came up I would dance harder and faster until I was shaking everything out! I was looking back to childhood situations where I could see different traumas entering my body and worries forming. So here was my chance to release it all. I shook it all out. Electronica makes me feel so uplifted and pumped. Iβm going to take in a bit more of this magic each day. And that can only be a good thing. I already feel AMAZING π if a little weary this evening. Happy Friday!!
Omg I found ANOTHER big spider (this time green π©) under my clothes this morn. I finally looked up what the Amerindian medicine cards had to say about having a spider totem. Create create create is the big thing, writing about my progress and changes in life so I can reflect on them and grow some more, be wary of entanglement in situations that aren’t serving me. I learnt my lessons. No more spiders pleeease π€ͺ (except Lucas - he’s cool and cute and talks π)
Day 2 of the 30 day challenge. To dance every day for at least one hour. Today - Will Atkinson ASOT 900 (those bagpipes β€οΈ) and Cosmic Gate (yum of a set) π₯° Danced my face off for hours tonight. Feeling core muscles Iβve never felt before going all the way up to my neck! And feeling grateful for my legs π Iβm trying to get the cats to dance with me to moderate success π One of them sits on the speaker though π»
Leo sounds like an incoming helicopter when he purrs. He also weighs a ton and Iβm finding it difficult to breathe π
One of those twice in a lifetime things happened to me tonight. I felt a tickling on my head and my hair floped over my face a bit so I shook it a little to move it out of my eyes. Ten minutes later I find a huge spider on my little finger. I had made it fall off my head and onto my body where it had slowly crawled onto my hand. Aaarrgghhh. I’d been walking around with it on me. To say I freaked out would be an understatement. There was some running, some shouting and some shivering. Spider was fine though π
Happy dance face. I am so high in this photo π₯³ Last night I had an incredible dance in my new house-sit. With epic speakers and awesome uplifting banging beats (thanks Armin) I learned some more about myself. I delved deep, barely remembering where I travelled to but feeling like I integrated everything that was wise and clear. It’s therapy for me. I go to places long forgotten. My mind slows down and I can see things illuminated. I find the clearest path out of my problems and challenges. Then I fly. One big lesson from last night was this - try to always see things through the eyes of a child ie without judgement and with lots of enthusiasm.