Everything

As I lie on my back with the warm grass tickling my skin, I look up. The sky is crystal blue and the dazzling rays twinkle through the swaying branches overhead. The plane full of people draws a white line 37,000 ft above and disappears behind the trees. I close my eyes and feel everything around me-the slight breeze on my arms, the warmth on my face, the money spider struggling to make its way across my hairy leg. I love those moments where I can shut out the world and just be. Life is so full of ‘stuff’ that we sometimes get lost in it like my eight legged friend weaving in and out.

I watch the family walking past and wonder if, one day in years to come, the little girl will lay on the grass looking up and remember that beautiful sunny Easter morning she took her mum and dad to the park.

My reverie is abruptly shattered by the sound of a screaming girlfriend being unsuspectingly pushed into the lido pool, followed by a big splash and louder laughter. I smile as a bee buzzes past my nose and makes me move my head to the side.

Everything is perfect, and for the briefest of moments, I have everything I will ever need.

Life is beautiful.






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Blue Spandex

‘With great power, comes great responsibility’

Uncle Ben – Spider-man

There is that beautiful scene in Superman where our hero flies right up out of the Earth’s atmosphere and using all his incredible strength and speed, circles our planet to reverse its spin. This turns back the clock and he is able to get to his beloved Lois just in time to save her life. She never finds out what her true love did for her on that sunny afternoon.

I have always been captivated by the power of love and what it can force us to do whether we like it or not. It makes mothers lift up cars to save babies and people run into burning buildings to rescue a perfect stranger.

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes and even in the absence of blue lycra or a truth lasso, we are amazing. We can use our super-powered hearing to really listen to someone who desperately needs to be heard, and tune our X-ray vision to look right into the heart of someone who is hurting and needs a hug. Hell, we can even use our super strength to push through limitations and knock them right out of our way.

None of us are bulletproof and at various points in our life we feel the impact of emotional shrapnel crashing into us, sometimes unexpectedly. Sure, they leave scars, but the wounds remain skin deep. We are stronger and more heroic than we give ourselves credit for.

And sometimes the change from zero to hero can happen faster than you can run into a phone booth and spin around.

Now, more than ever, this planet needs superheroes.

So what is your special power?

April showers

As the darkening clouds churn above and quickly expand, I know what is coming.

Feeling the gusty wind pick up to send the white blossom dancing around me like confetti, all the hairs on my body stand up to greet the change. That familiar scent hangs in the air; a mixture of damp, woodland foliage and floral cardboard. Remembering how the sun had tenderly stroked my hair this afternoon, I quicken my pace along the tree lined street towards home.

I start to think about our beautiful season that has returned once again with a pile of delicately wrapped gifts stashed under her arms and a little surprise. I have missed this old friend.

Spring always fills me with optimism and hope - a breath of fresh air to carry us along our journey. It is the season to forgive and forget, to let go and grow.

I smile as I close my eyes and feel the first few drops of cool spring rain splash onto my face and run down my neck. The heavens open and in less than 3 seconds I am soaked through, but it doesn’t matter one bit. Spring is back!

The woman beside me

Someone is following me.

It has been happening for years. I always feel them right behind me as I am walking home through the abandoned street market in the chilly midnight hours of Sunday, slightly tipsy. And they are there too as I weave in and out of the crammed streets of Covent Garden on a Saturday and even just before I open my eyes first thing in the morning. Sometimes I keep them closed for a few seconds after waking just to see if they make a sound and give up their position. Inches from my fingertips, I could almost reach out and touch them. But I never do and the second I flash open my eyes to the early sun, they have vanished again.

When I was six my beautiful mum made a promise to me and judging by this constant presence in my life, it has never been broken. She stayed true to her word.

I have been blessed to witness the many different relationships that people have with their mothers and the unbreakable bond that connects. It is truly beautiful.

Having this one day a year to acknowledge all that is maternal is a golden opportunity for us to say a heartfelt thank you to those amazing women and to celebrate our connection to the one person who lovingly carried us into being and allowed us to shine our light into the world.