One thing that's keeping me going just now is finding all the wonderful heart lifting stories out there. Stories that restore your faith in humanity. It's not all doom and gloom on Facebook.
The beautiful Isle of Tiree is a place very close to my heart.
I am fortunate to have been able to travel there many times to work with carers, and have shared the island with many mainland carers now thanks to the generosity of the Hebridean Trust, who have donated many breaks at their property at Hynish to us over the years. Of course this year's visits are all put on hold, but when I do go back there with a group of carers I'm sure we will make it feel even more special.
Since I started running our weekly Zoom coffee mornings it's been so lovely to have a carer from Tiree join us for a chat, and to help reduce the isolation that is even more difficult for carers to cope with right now.
Yesterday we chatted about the Tiree Tractor Run, which I had seen mentioned on Facebook, so I'm now sharing that brilliant story - https://lifeontiree.com/2020/04/13/tiree-tractor-run/?fbclid=IwAR0f4hbJRz37NwNMH_e5kiMMvxCo0lbDAtgUydXxxBwcnH0OiDDptkUg1-k
Watching this wee film I can smell that sea air, and almost feel the Tiree wind on my face:
Well done Tiree.
I'd love to feature more stories from our island communities, who are doing amazing things to support each other, so if you have a story you think is worth sharing then please send it to me: mairi@northargyllcarers.org.uk
I look forward to hearing from you.
With all our restrictions on movement just now we are all living on our own little islands to a certain extent. It's no easier for me to visit my family right now than if I was marooned on a desert island, and it's the same for all of us. As someone who loves to travel I'm finding this one of the most difficult things to deal with, as I'm sure many of us are.
Maybe if we try to imagine that we're saving up for the trip of a lifetime, when we'll be able to visit all the people we love, wherever they live one day, it could help reduce our of feelings of sadness and frustration?
There's no need to save actual money for this trip of a lifetime though. Try saving things to share with your loved ones. Maybe have a jam jar to store them in. When something pops into your head - a funny story, or a special memory, write it down and save it in the jam jar.
You know when you see or hear something, or something pops into your head and you think 'I must tell …….. about that', pop it in the jar.
And the good thing is - the longer we're unable to travel, the more we can save up for that trip.
Yesterday a friend suggested that we should make a list of all the things we've not been able to do because they've been cancelled. I didn't like that idea! Far too depressing I thought.
Instead I'd like to make a list of all the things I've been able to do because of the lockdown -
Having a second cup of tea in the morning, instead of waiting out in the rain for the bus,
Taking the dog for a walk every day, when she would normally be at work with my husband,
Being able to enjoy a delicious lunch, without having to buy takeaway,
Watching my husband complete DIY jobs,
Having more time to think about cleaning jobs, haha.
Simple pleasures!
Is there something that you're enjoying more than usual just now (apart from wine)?
And finally, here's a clip that made me laugh this morning:
See you tomorrow. Mairi