Money is the thing that gets me down Time and again it makes me frown Because much as I like to be Happy and wild and free It really isn’t all that funny When you don’t have any money
Cat bills, vets bills, all the food Wow this doesn’t get me in the mood For play, for joy, for laughing and smiling More like ‘perhaps it’s time for slimming’
How can I save more Have some leftover It’s not easy to see What can go… errr
Not the food, the vets bills or school fees Perhaps the trinkets, the bracelets and fripperies? Of which there aren’t really many But something must give Cos it simply ain’t funny Not having money
Information
There’s so much information out there It hangs in the air And I wonder if that’s part of Seeing that some people really don’t care
So much about others They’re able to pass by the homeless man on the street The tired, anxious mother Struggling, dog tired but still on her feet
It’s kind of overwhelms, consumes Fills up even the biggest room Voices, opinions, everything certain So by the time you pull the curtain
To go to sleep, your own voice can be drowned out Because everything else was just so loud It feels like an addiction, a strange time truth be told And I wonder whether back in times of old
Life was simpler, no social media And wonder “do we need you?” On our phones, macs, iPads, On our TVs, though our earbuds
It all feels so constant A need for distraction? To stop us from taking More useful action?
Because whilst it strikes me the information is everywhere Sometimes it feels a little like many don’t care I ponder as I drift into slumber “What is this spell we are all under?”
It’s sort of overwhelming It’s a strange feeling This constant noise Above all else, I lose poise
And feel I grow smaller, Quieter somehow Unable to express my points of view Do you notice this too?
Almost a battle, a constant din Do you see? Does it ‘do your head in’ Do you feel this, or is it just me?
I feel a need to return To a time gone before When, like in homeopathic philosophy ‘Less is more’
And I’ve stepped away from much of it Because overwhelming was my word For how it felt, and instead I might knit Or crochet a shawl for when it is cold
So much fear
There’s so much fear On both sides of the fence It seems fun perhaps to scare Everyone senseless No matter what voice you are following Which truth you are seeing
There’s so much fear out there Whether it comes from the BBC With distorted, manipulated ‘truths’ Bear with me
For a moment as I explain This isn’t nonsense pulled from my brain But a direct experience my daughter had With a show and reporters that she met
Where they asked her what her opinion was And she told them, bless her socks But it wasn’t what they wanted to hear So they asked her again, to be clear
And she repeated her own opinion Because that’s what they told her they wanted But Her thoughts didn’t fit their narrative So they told her what to say And that’s what she was heard saying on TV that day
In schools around the country (It wasn’t a small show) But no one watching would know That she doesn’t live her life feeling worried Of climate change and increased flooding Like they told her to say No, what she actually said that day
When they asked how she felt because friends couldn’t make it in Due to flooding that meant Roads were blocked in
Was ‘It’s nice, school is quieter today’ But which version aired? It’s not rocket science An unease alliance Between the news And the world views Someone wants us to have
Now I’m not denying any issue But I am conscious of the possible manipulation From every station Having felt it so close to home
But also, my friends This doesn’t end Because the alternative news Can also hold strong views
And whether right or wrong You can get swept along And stuck again in that place of fear It takes a lot to bow out And realise
There’s so much fear out there On both sides of the fence
I’ve been chatting a lot About ‘justified anxiety’ And some part of me Feels that it’s like being in the sea
I feel the terror The fear of unknown Maybe it feels safer Staying at home
But this threat It’s bigger yet You’re not safe Anywhere
Not just a virus Way beyond that But then I sit And I say
There’s so much fear out there On both sides of the fence I need to be fully present, fully here And whether it’s truly common sense
To be scared of what’s actually going on I’m not sure that’s the answer For right now, right here This is what is, the rest may not happen And whilst I do want some preparation I also don’t want to live paralysed by fear Whichever side of the fence that I’m on
So I guess for me getting though this mess There’s a beautiful lesson Of surrender to the unknown Of not always needing to know
I feel a little like I’ve reached the other side So many videos, so many things to decide To try to uncover, understand But what I do see is
There’s so much fear On both sides of the fence And that leads me to see I need strategies
To gracefully pick my way through Crochet is one, And sitting in the sun When it shines In our northern climes
Stepping away from the ‘news’ With someone else’s’ views Saying what they were told to say Like my daughter that day
Be the change
Poo, doggie do Seems to me it’s a contentious topic And I thought I’d shine a light on it Tell a story Not for glory
But just because it exists Some would like it not to do But it’s a fact of life You put food in And poo comes out
Strikes me us Brits are all quite shy Around the topic in general But when it comes to dogs there’s a cry, A huge almighty din ‘Why can’t you put it in the bin?’
Our tale goes back many years ago When on our village Facebook site I would go And there were so many complaints From various ladies and gents
About the mess. Everywhere. ‘It’s everywhere’ they’d cry And you’d feel the collective sigh ‘Not good enough If you have a thing that goes woof You’ve just got to bend down and pick it up’
Well back then, We were in between pooches But a little one who thought ‘Mama I’d love to get a dog’
“No, not yet, no big furry pets for us Just a lizard for now” We’d chuckle at how He walked like a dinosaur All over the floor
But the point of my tale comes When on my friends foot my eye happened to fall How she got a tattoo there at all Is probably another story
I’d nearly fainted when I had mine done But this is a tangent, back to the fun To the topic in hand So one day she did stand And I saw it. It made me think
The quote, it was Gandhi “Be the change You wish to see in the world” It was all there, so my plan unfurled
Like the roll of nappy sacks I always had with me I think you can probably see Where this is going Or should I be slowing Down for you to catch up?
So that day I decided that I had to fling my hat In the ring Start to sing The song that was true to me
So instead of complaining Cos that didn’t seem to change things When poo I would see I’d get on one knee
Hmm, it’s fair to say that’s a slight exaggeration Put in for the rhyme Not the true situation But pick up I would
Every time that poo I did see Not on one knee But plopped in a bag Then off in the bin
It happened as these things do (Though not always when you’re dealing with poo) That a friend used to walk with me Up to the school And she though the idea was cool
Don’t get me wrong, not that we loved it But once you’ve tried and tried To have scrubbed it Off school shoes Well, then you’ve nothing to lose
Prevented us from having to have the stench in the sink And that made us think ‘The idea is working’ we happily said ‘Lots less poo on our path to tread’
And fast forward to today, dogs we have two I still do it now Because you never know when one you might miss So to save forgetting and feeling bad Paying it forward is an idea I had
Whilst I do try to collect every one The law of sod says I can’t be perfect So instead picking up the occasional one That might not belong to me Or if it’s blocking the path It feels the right thing to do
And just in case One time I should happen to face The wrong way I pick others up. It’s not for everyone but…
I may have already said it I love to be in poo credit
Ways to start the day
An orgasm to start the day Can help a girl laugh and play Not saying that it’s the only way But it’ll do for me today
Of course there are plenty of Other great ways you can start the day too The lovely Dr Chatterjee Suggests sitting in the sun With a hot cup of tea
Dance in the kitchen Have some fun Bake cakes, sing songs Laugh and laugh Or wash and splash Enjoying a bath
I do think it’s important we remember How our brains are wired sometimes I’ll give you a clue... It’s not for happy times It’s to keep us safe Perhaps from the tigers, the wolves and the sharks But now they’re not around Anxiety is still plenty to be found
It’s hard wired you see Or that’s my understanding So we need to be kind, seek compassion And be gentle on ourselves in times of stress
The chances are our brains can point out that which is bad Sense all, all the danger to be had Around us, but what about fun Not so much evolutionary purpose there to be done Doesn’t keep us safe When we were all sheltering Back in the cave
So in this world without tigers and wolves and sharks (Don’t get me wrong, they are about But not on the doorstep And I think we can forget) There’s plenty of ways we can still be scared Mortgage payments, overdrafts, bank loans All can give us things to moan About and panic and worry But really, what is the hurry?
I’m not suggesting irresponsible behaviour Just that we’re hard wired to stress And perhaps we can do something about this mess Perhaps something we can change you see Easier than if our tiger was waiting up a tree
So yes we have stress, we can be in a mess But I think we can also choose To see some light, On those dark nights
Starting to train our brain We wouldn’t expect a marathon to run With no training at all to be done I feel our brain is just the same
We let it lie dormant then think it’s not working It’s working of course, just needs some more learning A training program of sorts Similar but different than doing outdoor sports
There’s options out there, you can take your pick And see which one helps you to tick A gratitude journal, write your own headlines To start the day You choose what to say
Another mention of the good doctor Feel Better in 5* is one book he offers I think it’s fab Lots of simple ideas to be had
So I won’t go on and on here My cold shower time is drawing near That’s another good idea Another way To start your day
Have a great one, you deserve it :)
*Feel Better in 5 is a book I recommend to lots of clients. It's great for helping to turn things around when you feel yourself starting to dip or are in a bit of a rut.
Doing what I can
It’s easy to feel disempowered In the world today Sometimes hard to find the right thing to say Or think or do
I’ve felt it plenty and recognise the feeling It’s good to note when it starts appearing And one way I manage it now Is to take a look around and see how
I perhaps can make things a little bit better Plant a plant, grow a flower, write a letter Doesn’t have to be huge And sadly we can’t fix all that we hear of Daily on the news
Which I think is one of my problems With the ‘news’, that we need to recover from Our brains are not prepared We’re not all that ready To hear from every corner of the globe Anyone else feel a bit heady?
Or dizzy, or panicked, or really not coping? So many problems, but I’ve one solution Switch off the TV. Silence Spotify Don’t listen to the radio It’ll be OK, you’ll not die
And whilst we’re here, leave the newspapers It’s mostly made up to sell all the papers Sensationalised, good news ignored So best if we leave that in the stores
Sit a while and just be In a garden, a park or by the sea And allow your mind to wander I think with this you’ll find You feel stronger
And see whether you want, you need to go back To knowing everything, personally I think it’s a trap We can’t know it all, fix it all, save everyone So we shrink, feel terrible and stop having fun
Because we feel guilty, how can I do but they can’t I hear so many people chant And it’s not about being cold hearted you see But I think it’s about doing what I can, being me
It’s easy to believe
It’s easy to believe When you don’t think they set out to deceive Sadly so much money changing hands It’s sometimes hard to see where truth lands
If you put the word ‘Big’ in front of anywhere Big food, Big Agriculture, Big dairy, It’s pretty much fair to say They’ll tell you what to believe today
Sugar is great, cigarettes will help calm you Don’t be silly, no, none of it will harm you Big Pharma, just as honest as the rest And whilst you’re here, why not invest?
This past year you could make millions And there’s a whole host more billionaires So whilst I’m not wanting to split hairs But what vested interest could they have?
Possibly. Anyone? This isn’t just a bit of fun But words from olden times ring in my ears: ‘It’s easier to fool people Than to convince them they have been fooled’
Thanks to Mark Twain - and though it may sound awful Also the brilliant Mr George Orwell For he warned us of this fate And others who have said we’re making a mistake
Of massive proportions For how simple can it be, give up our freedoms Nothing left for me And you.
And now, after all that, Where was the 'flu? Ah no, now you’re protected Can live forever and forever And even be resurrected
Stay home stay safe, Remember hands, face, space So whilst we busily go against nature Rally at a virus we all found out later Was made in a lab
But before they admitted that, what fun to be had Mocking anyone who said so
So what to believe? Who to trust? What to read?
It’s gotten quite tricky Altogether sticky Knowing which song To sing along
So listen in and listen good I shall say this only once When there’s a chap with his finger in every piece Of the pie, wouldn’t you question Or hesitate And ponder, is this all a mistake?
The fact that the fact checkers are paid By the same one invested in what they should say That’s not impartial But only one example Of this fishy smelling place
It’s easy to believe That they don’t set out to deceive But it’s fair to say I ponder At night I lie awake and wonder
Perhaps ‘they’ know it all And we’re just too small To blow it all right open So I sit and I hope
That they’ll do it all for us Expose themselves as the house of cards Collapses upon us And we shall crawl out And then. shout
Shall we start all over again?
Simplify
A simpler life Maybe less strife? I wake and I wonder Which thing to do next To read or to write Or to take to the desk
To do a course - but if so which one? So many choices, I never feel done I like having choices Indeed no voices Telling me what to do next But to decide For myself
The choice follows through When there’s shopping to do Which tin of baked beans The choice is endless it seems
And whilst it doesn’t matter, this choice that we’re making Inside it is shaking Our decision muscle So when we need hustle It is harder to do
Keep it simple so many say Know what you’ll wear today Have less stuff to dust Minimalism is in Less stuff to have to Put in the bin
And I wonder, if less is more As many say From Hahnemann* on
*Others attribute the quote To Robert Browning From a poem However as all good homeopaths know Hahnemann was already in the know And using nano medicine in his took kit Way before anyone else had dreamed it
This could be the way to go To achieve more flow Try it and see, I’m playing with the idea To see if it brings More peace around here
Hahnemann first published his essay on the homeopathic approach in 1796, using minimal amounts of highly diluted medicines to effect healing. Browning’s poem, published in 1855 uses the line less is more - and how amazing, without internet… same ideas in different places. I think that happens when there’s a deep truth there.