Slow & Simple Moments | 10.24
As we head towards November, my body feels heavy and tired. The lightness and freshness which I so chased has proved strangely elusive, but there is renewal in the air and small joys to celebrate.
In this series, I share some of the things I’ve been getting up to, places I’ve been, and other beautiful and special slow and simple moments from the past month.
Even though it was hundreds of miles away, Storm Ashley made its presence known in The Midlands. As I type this, the garden is strewn with debris - thousands of tiny ‘helicopters’, piles of leaves, and the odd twig or too. There wasn’t really a storm here, but it has been very windy the past few days. It’s a been a strange warm wind, unsettling, as if summer has completely failed to relinquish its grip.
has written a lovely post here about her experience of the storm on the Isle of Arran, and the way in which nature journalling has helped her notice the small changes in the seasons.
But amidst the lingering humidity and warmth, the leaves are relishing their glorious display of autumn colour which seems to become more impressive every day. The past couple of months are, by far, the busiest of the year for me. I suppose they’re busy in a good way, but I have to resist my body’s urge to shut down. This isn’t ideal, and probably not sustainable. We all have to face those questions about where our boundaries lie, what really matters, and whether we give of our time and energy too freely. As I approach my 41st birthday, I recently shared a very personal reflection on the past four decades. I reflect on some of the things which, as I look back and ponder, I draw from those years, including, once again, time and energy. If you missed that post, I hope that you might be inspired, wherever you are on life’s journey:
Reaching 40: Time, Place & Acceptance
As we approach, and then pass, ‘milestone’ birthdays, I think it’s more than a little natural to look back and to ponder. I think that in my 40 years, a milepost I passed in December 2023, I’ve spent a lot of time looking back and pondering. Perhaps as the years pass, these ponderings become more acute, deep, and maybe even wistful. Anyone who’s been following my Substack journey will have read some of these, so I make no apology for this slightly deeper, and indeed, lengthier post.
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October 2024
As we head towards November, my body feels heavy and tired. The lightness and freshness which I so craved following the humidity of summer, has proved strangely elusive. I reflected at the end summer (you can read my reflection here) about my urge to reassess my relationship with that season, one which, for me, comes with baggage. As the days and months pass, I perhaps come to realise that all seasons, in fact, life, comes with needs for continual reflection and reassessment. These are not easy decisions, but they are necessary. As we transition through autumn, a time for shedding the old, to winter, an opportunity to reflect and recharge, I hope to make available the necessary time and energy to ponder these questions.
Here are some of my slow and simple moments from October. I hope they might inspire and encourage you to seek out your own in the months to come.
Chasing Fog
I have very much enjoyed reading
’s Chasing Fog this past month. I have devoured it in sizeable chunks at bedtime, waking each day in hopeful expectation of a foggy morning. It is beautiful to immerse oneself in Laura’s evocative storytelling, linking this most natural of phenomena’s with history, culture, myth and legend. If it’s not yet on your to-read pile, it comes highly recommended. So far, a foggy morning has proved somewhat elusive, but hopefully, there are some mystical and misty mornings and days to come this autumn and winter.
Hunter’s Moon
I don’t think any of us can have failed to marvel at the stunning Hunter’s Moon which has hung over us in the skies this past week or so. This photo, snapped quickly on my phone, shows the moonlight almost as bright as day. You can just see the moonlight catching the gold on the tops of the cathedral spires here in Lichfield. Hunter’s Moon is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon, the name originating from a time when our hunter-gatherer ancestors prepared for the long, dark winter months ahead. As the brightness of this magnificent full moon fades, it offers us a beautiful reminder to prepare for the darker months and season which will soon be upon us.
What might you need to illuminate now, in order to feel recharged and refreshed in the winter months to come?
Good News
In many respects, whilst Substack is an extension of A Life More Creative, and of course, Rediscover · Reconnect · Re-Emerge is a publication in its own right, it’s also a very personal space. I’ve shared writings here which have touched on topics I’ve never shared openly about before. I enjoy the personal dimension, and I hope that it gives my writing a distinct human touch. Much as in real life,
and I come as a pair online too. In a world of bad news, doom, gloom and negativity, we were delighted to receive some good news this month. Above is the happy face of who’s Crohn’s Disease is in remission, and has been told she can come off the Infliximab infusion she’s been having every eight weeks for the past six years. I think it’s good to share the good news as much as the bad, something which, at various times in our lives, we forget to do. For her, and for us, it’s a simple moment of joy after many struggles. In this autumn season of shedding the old, this is a welcome step forward on a long journey.I look forward to seeing which slow and simple moments November will bring. Why not let me know in the comments some of your special moments from the month of September.
In case you missed it, the autumn edition of A Seasonal Notebook is now out and it’s packed full of things to enjoy through the whole season:
A Seasonal Notebook | Autumn 2024
As we approach each new season, we do so with expectation, with hope; sometimes with excitement, sometimes with trepidation. The cycle of the seasons offers us a deep and mindful way of rooting our own seasons of life within the reassurance and continuity of the natural world. Each season, I invite you to open the pages of my seasonal notebook, a place to reflect, to set intentions, and above all, to reconnect with the rhythms of nature. Together we will journey through the seasons, learning from the past, and embracing each one in a way which can offer us with a firmer foundation for the present.
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Heartwarming moments captured with your exquisite prose David. Thank you for sharing. Even though I'm in the oppositional seasonal cycle to you, I completely relate to your autumnal feelings. Even though it is one of the most beautiful seasons, it is the most challenging to navigate in my opinion. Sending spring vibes your way 🌸
A lovely read David. I'm so pleased to hear the wonderful news about Clementine 😁 I didn't realise you were a fellow Midlands resident, I'm East Mids 😊