Weekly Round-Up
This week’s posts touch on the ways we find ourselves again after difficult experiences, the importance of kindness towards ourselves, and the comfort we can find in friendship, creativity and the natural world.
We start this week with a question from Gabby that will resonate with many who have finished cancer treatment: why don’t I feel like myself again? Drawing on her own experience of inflammatory breast cancer, she writes about the changes to our bodies, confidence and sense of identity that can remain long after treatment ends. Gabby encourages us to consider who we are now and what we want from life, offering gentle suggestions for rebuilding confidence, setting boundaries and rediscovering what brings us joy.
The ways our experiences shape who we become are also at the heart of a beautiful guest post by Caroline, who writes about painting a portrait of her lifelong friend Suzanne. Having known each other since they were seven, the two women share a history of friendship, creativity and loss. As Caroline studies Suzanne‘s face, she begins to see traces of Suzanne’s mother, who died of breast cancer when they were teenagers. It brings back memories of her own sister’s death from the disease and the support Suzanne gave her during that time. Her portrait becomes something more than a likeness, capturing the memories and connections woven through a friendship of nearly fifty years.
Art is also central to Beth’s reflections this week, although she approaches it from a different perspective. Beth writes about the striking contrast between the patience and encouragement she offered her students throughout her teaching career and the harsh criticism she has so often directed towards herself. She traces that inner voice back to discouraging experiences in her younger years, which left her afraid of making mistakes and sometimes unable to put brush to canvas. Through psychotherapy, she is learning to treat herself with the same compassion she has always shown others and to find pleasure in creating without the pressure of perfection.
And sometimes, when life feels particularly heavy, comfort comes not from doing more but from allowing ourselves to slow down. Connie has been struggling with grief following her nephew’s death, alongside the sadness of hearing about others facing serious illness. Finding herself less inclined to dance, she has instead been taking long, unhurried walks with her boyfriend, noticing the autumn colours, listening to birdsong and enjoying the quiet of the woods. She writes about how these moments in nature have helped settle her restless spirit, reminding us that sometimes simply being present in the world around us can offer the comfort we need.
Until next week,
May the days ahead bring moments of kindness towards yourself, comfort in the people and places you love, and the freedom to move through life at your own pace.
Much love always,
Marie xxx
