Words from the Wild

“It is clear that the books owned the shop rather than the other way about. Everywhere they had run wild and taken possession of their habitat, breeding and multiplying, and clearly lacking any strong hand to keep them down." - Agatha Christie, The Clocks

Women from the Wild

Dolly Alderton is a major millenial girlcrush. Fresh out of university, I discovered Dolly and her podcast with Pandora Sykes The High Low and fell in love with her. Born and raised in the outskirts of London, Dolly had a dream to be a writer.

Many millenial pals will have looked to Dolly for the cultural highlights of the week for years, and even more now are discovering her story with the fictionalisation of her memoir Everything I know About Love.

Which I have just absolutely devoured, by the way.

Dolly has a beautiful way of writing that is so touching and connects you so immediately to the world and people around you. She writes so powerfully about all sorts of relationships, but what stands out to me is the strength and meaning of female friendships. And I have to say, since reading her memoir, I have felt so much more gratitude towards my female friends. 

Nothing quite like them. 

If you haven't watched the programme yet on iplayer, its brilliant, and Dolly's real life Made in Chelsea TV producer role translates particularly well onto screen.

Thoughts from the Wild

A few weeks ago, I put a wash on and was disappointed to see my earbud tumble out with my clothes. Its always a bummer when something goes in the wash that shouldn't (nothing worse than the dreaded tissue in the pocket though!)

But something really unexpected has happened for since this accident. I've been going about my days without having something playing in my ear as I walk and move around. Rather than popping a podcast on when I walk to the shops to get some Minor Figures oat milk, I'm listening to the birds tweet. Instead of going for a walk and listening to an audiobook, I'm being much more present to the nature I am in. 

Don't get me wrong, I'll still play something while I'm candle making and when a migraine hits, but I've been getting a lot more comfortable with silence. 

I've noticed this comes in waves for me. I'll go through periods (particularly stressful ones) where it is much more difficult to be alone with my thoughts. And then once I start breaking out of bad habits and make a more conscious effort to be present and mindful, it becomes easier to sit in the silence. 

It is a bit of a chicken and an egg, but it has been a great encouragement for me to not have the choice (because of my broken headphones). Could you challenge yourself to a day with no headphones? Or even a week? And notice what shifts...

Words from the Wild 

"Be a person with knowledge not just opinions." - Bernadine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other

Women from the Wild 

Born as Chloe in Ohio, USA, Toni has been an important Black voice throughout the 20th and 21st Century. Writing on the lasting impact of slavery, and becoming the first black female fiction editor at Random House. 

Morrison wrote the critically acclaimed Beloved and subsequently won the Nobel Prize for literature.

And if ever there was a strong female character in the literary world who rejected the accepted idea of 'feminism' it was Toni. 

She did not want to be labelled a feminist, as she felt it would constrict her creativity and impact the way the world saw her. What do you think? For someone to denounce that they are not a feminist, what does that make you feel?

Thoughts from the Wild 

It has been a while since I have properly sat down to journal. I've gotten into a habit of quickly jotting down my gratitude at the end of the day, and tracking my menstrual cycle with one or two words, rushing through a problem in my mind on a piece of paper to work it out. 

At times in my life, journalling has been such a huge coping mechanism. It has helped me to see what a situation is, what I am feeling, possible solutions for moving out of that space. I have had such huge shifts in the way I see the world and how to process events and emotions. 

And so opening up my journal and properly focusing on speaking to my younger self, I was surprised at how much came up. How some of those older demons I thought I'd moved on from have been creeping up upon me. 

When was the last time you considered what you would say to your younger self? How would you speak to her? What would you do to support her through a difficult time? 

Can you bring some of that self talk to your inner self today? I'd love to encourage you to write your younger self a letter this week and see what comes up.

Words from the Wild

“Illusions are to the soul what atmosphere is to the earth. Roll up that tender air and the plant dies, the colour fades. The earth we walk on is a parched cinder. It is marl we tread and fiery cobbles scorch our feet. By the truth we are undone. Life is a dream. ‘Tis waking that kills us.” - Virginia Woolf, Orlando

Women from the Wild

Rupi Kaur is the definition of a badass woman. She is a poet. And everytime I read one of her poems, I feel like she's reaching into me and bringing out my soul and the souls of all women of all time in the most beautiful powerful way.

And at the age of 21 she was told her work would not be published. So she went ahead and self published her work and has now sold over 10 million copies of her first two poetry collections. 

Her writing style is distinctive, she illustrates her poems too, and now tours the world with her Spoken Word. She makes women feel seen and real. (Can you tell I'm a fan?) 

She uses only lower case letters to reflect the Punjabi Gurmukhi script, and to represent the equality she wishes to see in the world for humanity.

Thoughts from the Wild

A long time Emma Gannon fan, I've just started listening to her podcast again - Ctrl Alt Delete. Emma has fascinating conversations with all sorts of people - authors, researchers, podcasters, about life, side-hustling, squiggly careers and creativity. 

And what has really struck me getting stuck back into her episodes is her positivity around the internet and technology. 

We are bombarded by negative conversations and opinions about what the internet has changed for humanity and the negative aspects of its impact on us. But Emma openly compliments the amazing things technology and the world wide web has given us, and how we can use it to improve our lives and increase our creativity. 

I love this perspective and its made me stop and be grateful for everything this modern world has to offer us. 

There is so much love and connection in our lives as a result of the internet, and I have met some of my closest friends through the web, and we are able to connect because of it. How beautiful. 

What are you most grateful for in this modern world?