Monthly Musings 02/2025
What's that you say, Florence, oh my...
So it turns out the dream I had back in November about my slow fashion clothing label having been chosen to show the Whispers of Dùthchas collection internationally wasn’t a dream after all. Yep so now not only am I knee deep in moving boxes as we try to prepare our house for sale, I am also being wholly distracted by planning for a trip overseas, that coincidentally lands at the very same time that my side kick offspring turns 18!
I mean who woulda thought?!?
Ostello del Bigallo, Florence
So how’s February been for you? I’ve never been one for paying much attention to the the Chinese New Year or lunar cycles but over the last couple of years—what with the seasons changing and being a Northern hemisphere gal living upside down—I’m becoming more and more conscious of being in tune with something way outside of the Gregorian, white man, utterly meaningless way of recognising time. I have long since believed in cycles—you can thank PMDD for that—but ever since I was super little I have had a sense of swaying with lunar cycles. But more recently I’ve known that there is a force far less hormonal that impacts my decision making and mood.
Not to get all woo woo on you but seriously if the moon can exert a gravitational pull on the earth’s oceans then who the heck am I to think that sh** doesn’t impact me!?!
And so enter the year of the Wood Snake which was first brought to my attention by the somewhat indescribable enigma that is Bo Wong (go do one of her retreats—you can thank me later). Now I’m not even going to start explaining any of this. I have zero connection nor cultural understanding to enable me to do that but there was something about the way this year began that got me thinking. January was odd in so many ways but at the turn of the Chinese New Year there was an almighty tumbling of thoughts and experiences Jenga style that was followed hastily by an incredibly satisfying Tetris like turn of events. And so it led me to a smidgeon more reading and I feel like I’d discovered the clearest guide I have ever had in planning towards a new year.
I found this online and let me tell you, it’s like a wee guiding star, lighting up a brick laid pathway, through tumbling weeds and thorny bushes.
Focus on Creativity: Engage in creative activities like painting, writing, or learning a new craft. Ok so that one’s a given for me! This year supports innovation and self-expression.
Nurture Relationships: Take time to build deeper connections with your loved ones and work on improving communication in relationships. Well our move down South is so grounded in wanting to spend more time with my (some may say long suffering) beloved. I reckon he’s up for that too, having texted me that the local pub is only 487m from our, soon to be, front door.
Embrace Change: The Wood Snake invites personal and professional transformation. Be open to new experiences and trust the process of growth. Yep I hear ya Florence!
Be Patient and Strategic: While the Wood Snake encourages growth, it also values patience. Avoid rushing into decisions—take your time to assess and plan your moves carefully. Well anyone who knows me is well aware of the painstaking pros and cons lists attached to every seemingly wild decision I have ever made, but for those of you who are new to my ways, believe me when I say that, if it looks like an overnight decision, you can be sure that there have been endless nights tossing and turning, making lists in the middle of the night, and the occasional migraine thrown in before a seemingly wild, out and of the blue, choice appears.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to cope with being a human. Yeh I know it’s a big topic right, I get that, but I’m just looking at a small part of it just now.
Fear.
In particular, my internal response to perceived fear. Whilst writing this letter I am in the middle of giving away some free furniture on the Facebook Marketplace. I’ve never posted free furniture before and so I wasn’t at all ready for the massive influx of “address” “is this available” “where is pick up please” “hi, are the drawers still available by any chance…”. I’ve never had so many notifications EVER but what struck me was the instantaneous fear that arose. I first felt it with my heart beating faster. Then I noticed tingling in my arms and then my thighs. And then my breathing was shallow and rapid.
All this from wanting to give away free furniture. An act of kindness but what followed was fear and it hasn’t gone yet.
It makes me wonder about acts of kindness in general. About how my perception that what I do might not be received in the way it was meant, can often stand in the way of action.
I wonder about you?
I wonder if this is just me?
I wonder what we would do as a community if we knew it could only be received with kindness? I think of my adopted Big Sis, Janine Browne who lives her life with kindness as the essence of every thing she does and I wonder how it feels to be so brave.
I’d love to hear your thought on this. Do you even ever feel like this? Are there any other super sensitive folks reading this right now and nodding along?
Well needless to say, I’m still a bag of nerves, but after the first 30 minutes of painstakingly going through each message and waiting ever so patiently for a response, I have automated my method with a copy and past response, and although I am still feeling anxious inside I do know there are no woolly mammoths coming for me and hopefully by the end of the day all the furniture will be gone and I’ll have learned something useful from this experience.
Till next time, Le gach deagh dùrachd,
Leuca