I have decided that the quote- definition above is exactly who I am! I have just come home from a fabulous long weekend at Yamba – a lovely little town in Northern New South Wales, where I got to spend time with some of my favourite people.

This weekend was about celebrating a milestone birthday with a girlfriend that I met through a widow’s support group – the original Echo chamber of misery (as the boys used to call it!). She and I connected at her first catch up and we have been friends ever since. We have travelled together to Malaysia and have friendship that I value deeply. … a perfect excuse to head down there.

We had dinner and breakfast, and fabulous conversations and I am already looking forward to next time!

I also caught up with another friend who I have known for a very long time, and is always a joy to spend time with! We went for a drive to Woolgoolga and spent time with his daughter and her in-laws and had an amazing day! I went a little bit wild and took myself for a wander around the headland – absolute magic except for the blisters I have ended up on the soles of my feet from getting burned! Oh well… I still think it was worth it!

Spending time by the ocean has been such a huge thing for me since Claytie died. It’s a full mental health and perspective reset for my brain. There is all kinds of science around why it is so good for us… it lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), releases dopamine (the happy hormone), the sounds of the waves are soothing and help with mindfulness, the vastness helps with perspective…. There are a million reasons why it is so good, and I feel like I use all of them.

Often I can feel a build up inside of myself, anxiety simmering and just a kind of restlessness… and I know that a day (or more if I can make it happen) by the water will make me feel better. I absolutely love it, and I’m so glad I could do all of that as well as quality time with great people, before the full on craziness of the Christmas season hits.