25 Oct

The Yin & Yang of Procrastination – Why procrastination is not always bad…

Many years ago during my coach training I remember a critical moment when I realised that procrastination isn’t simply a negative thing… it can be positive too.

One of my learning leaders made a comment that has stuck with me ever since. It put a positive spin on procrastination, which I had previously thought of as an entirely negative ting.  He said…

‘procrastination is just your subconscious telling you that you haven’t got enough information yet to make the decision…’

This simple comment changed my life.  I realised in that moment that I wasn’t lazy or dim in my procrastination (which had been my underling belief until then)…  I was simply being true to myself.  I didn’t have all the pieces of the puzzle in place, so I wouldn’t decide to move.

It is often hard to know the ‘right’ thing to do, but as I have experimented with this in the ensuing years I have begun to really trust my instincts and listen to my intuition a great deal more.  I find that when I am ‘striving’ to make the ‘right’ decision it can be very difficult, but when I trust, relax, be patient, mindful and let my subconscious deal with it I can stop procrastinating and move forward.  The pieces can fall into place… they may not yet, and that is fine too.

What do you need to let go of to move forward?

Maybe nothing, maybe the only thing you need to do is not judge yourself for not being ready yet.

Let the pieces fall into place when they are ready…

08 Aug

The Magic of Coaching Continues to Impress – My Personal Story

I have been through a rough patch lately, but thankfully I am now through to the other side… and can tell you about it… partly because I think it helps to share these stories, but partly too because in this world, as adults we often expect ourselves to be perfect… but we are not. We are human and therefore perfectly imperfect…

Wonderfully I had a coaching session with Kristen (my coach) a few weeks ago and lots of good things have come from it.  The session gave me a good dose of an alternative perspective and a chance to reflect on the journey I have been on for the past year.

I usually have a coaching session each month, but Kristen has been a bit busy lately; five months ago she had a beautiful baby boy and we had lost touch for a while.  I hadn’t wanted to bother her, remembering how intense, amazing and exhausting the first few months of being a Mum can be… I also thought, ‘I should be able to handle this…’ but I was wrong… this one coaching session made a huge difference.

We all have ups and downs, and sometimes just when you think you have a handle on life – a little voice of uncertainty can creep in…why aren’t things working the way I want them to?  What have I really got to offer? Why don’t I get asked for job interviews?  Why don’t I fit in to what employers are looking for?  Why did I spend all those years studying to be looking at doing this?  Things can swirl around in our heads and we can become paralysed with fear of making the wrong decision as self-doubt creeps in…

Trusting that the right opportunity will present itself in time is a difficult thing…  How do you hold your nerve?  What allows us to say yes to something that we feel in our heart to be the wrong direction? It is doubt?  Doubt that we are good enough? Doubt that we know enough? Doubt that we are worthy?… Berne Brown says

“Overcoming self-doubt is all about believing we’re enough and letting go of what the world says we’re supposed to be and supposed to call ourselves.”
― Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Change and transitions for parents, is want I have been writing and thinking about for years now…  But even with my years of training as a coach and researching why change and transition has us tying ourselves in knots I still managed to tie myself in knots! Thankfully I have Kristen to turn to when things get tough.

It has been almost a year since Ardyn, my youngest son started high school. Even going into this change with my eyes wide open I have still had a challenging time trying to make sense of what was next for me.  In a flurry of activity in the last part of 2017 I opened to possibilities of what my next direction might be.  With Kristen’s help  I let go of writing blogs and trying to get workshops filled and put my energies into finding what was next…  Through this I found myself considering options that I had previously shied away from, retail, full time 9-5 work, any number of positions that I had not considered for years. This process, although often deeply challenge, has also allowed me to feel a freedom I haven’t experienced for a long time…   This process has led me in some new and exciting directions!

I am excited to announce that the result of moving through my ‘rough patch’ I have been able to realign my values and now alongside my work within Your New Wings – Life Coaching, I am now:

Director and Co-Founder of Enhanced Relocation, where my very talented business partner Linda Spencer and I offer a new way for families to relocate and integrate into the Heart of England. We would love your thoughts on what we have created! Check out www.enhancedrelocation.com  Any and all feedback very welcome…

Lead Coach at Teen Direct, where a team of experienced coaches provides career coaching for 13 – 19 year olds to empower and build the confidence of our young people. Teen Direct is the teenage component of the local company Career Seekers Direct the inspired creation of Eva Harrison who has been developing it over the past 5 years. www.teendirect.biz

An Independent Consultant for Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic, a multi award-winning English wellbeing and beauty company whose environmental and ethical values are closely aligned with mine. This allows me to offer trusted, ethical, gorgeous products to families to enhance wellbeing not just for themselves, but for the planet… uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/tina/ 

I have recently learnt a new word.  Multipreneur… I guess that is what I am…  Human, imperfect and a work in progress, as we all are…

This whole experience has highlighted to me what I have always believed.  We all need a coach… Coaching is an almost magical experience where we get to choose who we want to be and get supported to create that in reality.  The journey is not a straight line, more like a 3D scribble!

Soon I will be updating my landing page for Your New Wings to better reflect the range of  what I do.  And remember, our journeys are not straight lines, but more of a scribble.  Adding coaching is like adding magic.

Who do you want to be?

xx Tina

29 Sep

Have you noticed?

When we understand something well ourselves it is much easier to explain it to our kids.

Kids are naturally inquisitive and curious. It’s their job. If you have had a 3 year old you will have vivid memories of many ‘but why’ moments… Some of these moments extremely amusing – others infuriating!  And it doesn’t stop there, our kids are often asking us questions, to work out how the world works.  This gives us a great opportunity to help our kids to grow and accept change.

Our youngest son Ardyn finished primary school in July and his life has changed. He has now almost finished his first month of high school and it has been intriguing to follow this change. If you have a child going through a similar change then you will know all about the wonderings, the visioning, the trying to imagine with them what life will be like during this exciting next phase. And when it arrives – the excitement and the uncertainty as they become accustom to this new ‘normal’. We have been there ourselves, but for many of us it was a long time ago, (I just did the math and it is 35 years ago for me!) and often, in vastly different circumstances (different country, different school, different curriculum, different expectations). At these times I notice that what helps me most to assist our sons in these situations is my understanding of the process of change.

Having experience change many times in my life, having trained as a trainer, a facilitator and a coach I have had the wonderful opportunity to really come to grips with change – what it really means. I have some great insights for you.

When we understand the change process, we can do things that we know will help our children to adjust. Understanding the phases of change, why it is exciting and scary at the same time, what is normal, in which phase of change they need extra time to adjust. Being able to explain this to our children in a confident way helps them too understand change, and will build their resilience for the many inevitable changes yet to come it their lives. Teaching them how to navigate change and thrive is a priceless gift.

Thinking about change, about Ardyn, and about my clients I have been inspired to create a mini family guide to change – The 5 Keys to Families Embracing Change – which I am giving to you for free.

It is designed to help families no matter what change they are facing, moving, death of a loved one, divorce, a child starting nursery, primary school, high school, university, leaving home. You name it change is everywhere…

Here is a summary of the Keys:

Key 1 – Understanding that change is:

  • Natural
  • Necessary
  • Often challenging
  • Helps us grow

 Key 2 – Understanding the magnitude of change & that this is different for every member of the family.

Key 3 – Understanding the ‘Ending’ stage;

  • Often the most painful
  • Difficult to ‘let go’ because familiar is comfortable
  • We move through a grieving process
  • Important to say goodbye
  • Must let go to successfully move on

Key 4 – Understanding the ‘Transitional’ stage;

  • The old is gone, the new is unknown and you are in-between – it feels strange
  • A time to nurture self
  • Do something to feel in control
  • This is the awkward phase

Key 5 – Understanding the ‘New Beginning’ stage;

  • High energy
  • Requires patience
  • Take small steps to build your new identity
  • Try new things
  • Embrace this opportunity for growth
  • It can sometimes feel lonely
  • It may take longer than you want it to take

Grab your copy of my FREE Mini Family Guide to Change here to begin your journey of greater understanding, which will enrich your whole family.

Yours in parenting and with joy

Tina

27 Aug

Does Life Coaching Really Work?

Great question – I was sceptical in the beginning too…

So I want to share with you some research about coaching and its effectiveness.

Life coaching is still a relatively new field, and there is plenty to be sceptical about. To someone who has never heard of life coaching, or barely knows what a life coach is and does, the benefits and possibilities can sound a little far-fetched at first.

The truth is there are millions of people who feel stuck, unhappy, lost, confused and lacking confidence. Lets face it; we have all felt this way at various times in our lives.

Thanks to a study from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), there are plenty of statistics that prove the effectiveness of coaching. For example, here are 4 benefits identified by clients from an ICF survey:

  1. 80% of clients improved their self-confidence
  2. 73% of clients improved their relationships
  3. 72% of clients improved their communication skills
  4. 67% of clients improved their work-life balance

The following infographic shows that coaching not only works, but can totally transform your life!

Does-Life-Coaching-Really-Work-Tom-Casano-900

 

20 Jul

Are you a family in transition? We are…

Where have all the years gone? Come September our youngest son Ardyn is off to High School to embark on a new and exciting phase of his life.

Hand-in-hand with his excitement, walks fear – as it does for all of us…

  • Will I find friends?
  • Will I find my way around the school?
  • Will I be able to keep up with the work?
  • What is expected of me?

The change however is more far reaching than change for Ardyn. Ardyn finishing Primary School brings to a close a whole phase of our family-life. This milestone brings to an end almost 10 years of two daily trips (in term time) to school and being our boys primary carer I am feeling it quite strongly…

Almost a decade of PTA meetings, after school clubs, dress-up days and play dates. It is all morphing into something quite new, not better or worse, just different. Although part of me can’t help but grieve for the connectedness, the craft, the impromptu crazy multi play dates (which included my friends and my boys friends).

It is all changing as they both embark on this new phase which is specially designed to help them distance themselves from their parents and to become independent individuals. (SeeThe Interdependent Stage’ in my May blog).

I don’t miss the sleepless nights, the endless nappy changing (and washing), the tantrums… but I am beginning to miss the connectedness, the blind devotion, the being the centre of their world…

So emotionally I am struggling at times with the grieving of what I am ‘loosing’ but as always, each day brings new delights, which are often unexpected…

  • The witty and insightful response to a teasing question…
  • The ongoing questions about how things work…
  • The asking for advise about girls…
  • The request to play a game…

Being a parent is at the same time the hardest and yet the most rewarding thing I have ever done… The ongoing mystery of each moment never allows it to become boring. From moment to moment I may see something I am mind-blowingly grateful for or that makes my skin crawl. I can just never tell which it is to be!

And so the process of growing-up continues in our house.

I am finding that despite spending the past 6 years working towards my personal goals of becoming a coach and helping other mums with their transitions, I am in dire need of my own coach right now!

My regular sessions with my coach (Kristen) help me to connect with what is most important and give me the time and space to listen to my heart around what I need to be doing. I am extremely grateful to Kristen for her assistance in helping me be the person I really want to be and to lead the life I want to live. It is not always easy, but it is never boring!

I truly believe that every person should have a coach.

xx Tina

30 Jun

How Would You Prefer to Parent? From a Place of Heavy Responsibility or Unconditional Love?

“What it’s like to be a parent: It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.”

Nicholas Sparks, The Wedding

Of all the forms of the human condition, parenting is the one area most steeped in judgment, guilt and responsibility. As parents we live the life very much of being “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”. If something bad happens to your child (and even if it doesn’t) there is that feeling of worry, fear and guilt associated with what seems like each decision we make. Will drinking that cup of coffee adversely affect my unborn child? Should I immunize this tiny being or might it be causing more harm than good? Should I put my child to bed early because they are exhausted or let them stay up to spend time with their Dad when he gets home? Should I hold my child back from starting school to allow them to develop more social skills? Which school is the best for my child? Should I encourage them to do things they are scared of? Thousands upon thousands of judgment calls made every day, week, year of their childhood. No wonder we are all so exhausted! How would you prefer to parent your child/ren from a place of heavy responsibility or from unconditional love. Being in the moment with your child or worrying about the next day, month, year, decade of their lives? How can we be the best parent? This is a question we all ask ourselves.

Unconditional love is known as affection without any limitations… love without conditions…it is that type of love which has no bounds and is unchanging …unconditional love is frequently used to describe love between family members, comrades in arms and between others in highly committed relationships. An example of this is a parent’s love for their child; no matter a test score, a life changing decision, an argument, or a strong belief, the amount of love that remains between this bond is seen as unchanging and unconditional.” Wikipida

Unconditional love defined by Wiktionary is:

  • Affection felt for someone that is not dependent on certain qualities or actions. g. Mothers have unconditional love for their children.


Responsibility defined by Wiktionary is:

  1. The state of being responsible, accountable, or answerable.
    1. g. Responsibility is a heavy burden.

  2. A duty, obligation or liability for which someone is held accountable.
    1. g. Why didn’t you clean the house? That was your responsibility!

From the moment it is confirmed that you (or your partner) are pregnant and announce this to the world there is a sea of judgments placed on the relationship you have with your unborn child. We are all doing the best we can in a job that is one of the oldest. Why do we spend so much of our parenting in a state of heavy responsibility or fear, a state of guilt or blame?

In todays world there is increasing pressure on parents to be the ‘perfect’ parents as Brigid Schultes describes in her book “Overwhelmed – Work, love and play when no one has the time”, the pace of life coupled with the expectations society put on us and we put on ourselves:

  1. As mothers – there is the expectation to be both the ideal mother and the ideal worker at the same time. This effectively traps us into being the stay at home parent with little opportunity for external self fulfillment or the working Mother who feels guilty for not being the perfect Mother to her kids.
  2. As fathers –there is the expectation to be both the ideal worker and the ideal provider – which effectively ‘trap’ them into not having time to spend with their children even if they want to.

There is judgment everywhere and we are trying to live up to unrealistic expectations that are unachievable, which results in enormous misery, overwhelm and sense of great responsibility.

Self-application

Even with the growth and self-awareness that has come from my years of studying the art of coaching, I still find that the area of my life where I still struggle the most is with my parenting. It seems that there are still buttons associated with being a parent, that I have not yet managed to defuse. Indeed it is my parenting that I am most challenged by as I continue to embark on my own journey of self-discovery and wisdom.   I can be having a wonderful day steeped in gratitude and light and then after 10 minutes with my sons I can be raising my voice and tearing my hair out! Conversely, I can be having a terrible day, steeped in self doubt and obstacles to my moving forward and I can spend 10 minutes with my sons and I am transformed into a grateful optimistic being. Nothing affects us more than the presence of unconditional love.

This is what I discovered when I took a step back and looking at why my sons can create in me such diametrically opposed states of being:

For the positive state

When my children are displaying behaviour in line with my expectations of them. They are being kind, thoughtful, resourceful and I am uplifted and experience a feeling of succeeding as a parent.

For the negative state

When my children are being argumentative, vengeful, mean and disrespectful, I feel empty and frustrated. In these moments I feel I have failed as parent.

Is it reasonable for me to expect them to behave as I wish all the time? No, they are learning, they are coming to terms with their owns interaction with the world. I need to be an impartial interface. I need to love unconditionally, let them know this and relax my expectations. They will be much more able to deal with the world if I can show them how and be a good mentor. They need to see me fail sometimes, this allows them to see that we all struggle sometimes and that it is OK.

As we release judgement we become better parents. As we set our children free to find their own truth, we become better parents.

We tend to think of ourselves as teaching our children, but ….

What can we learn from our children?

  • Children have the amazing ability to live in the moment. How can we meet them in these moments and connect?
  • Children have natural curiosity and wonder. How can we better experience the world through their eyes?
  • Young children have the enviable perspective of freedom of expectation, judgment and blame. It is us who teach them these things in order to survive in our world. How wonderful to be able to work together to be able to find a better middle road and for us to learn a way to re-embrace these wonderful characteristics.

Coaching application

I believe that through coaching it is possible to help parents take the time to reflect on their lives. To truly analyse what is most important to them. To help them let go of expectations (internal and external) and allow themselves to then construct their lives in a unique way that best suits their values and goals. This helps to shift the balance of child rearing back to that of unconditional love and living in the moment rather than feeling the heavy responsibility of our children’s future and being overwhelmed by the sea of expectation that surrounds families in our society. Parenting is hard; expect to fail sometimes because no one parents perfectly. It is being open to learning from these mistakes that makes all the difference in our children’s lives.

How might you more easily embrace the unconditional love you feel for your children rather than being weighed down by the responsibility of having to care for them?

Some questions to help move into unconditional love might be:

  • What have you learnt about life from being a parent?
  • What relationship would you like to have with you child/ren?
  • What have you learnt from your child/ren?
  • What would you like to do more of with your child/ren?
  • What do you most struggle with as a parent?

Reflection

Questions to ask ourselves as parents include:

  • Is there a perfect parent?
  • What is the worst thing that could happen if you make a mistake?
  • What would you learn from making mistakes?
  • What would your child/ren learn from you making mistakes?
  • What is my responsibility as a parent?
  • What are the most important things to focus on as a parent?
  • Who and how much do I want/need to listen to from others?

Conclusion

Parenting is hard.  We are all doing the best we can. There is judgment everywhere and we are trying to live up to unrealistic expectations that are unachievable, which results in enormous misery, overwhelm and sense of great responsibility. I will continue in my quest to defuse my buttons around parenting.  Coaching has truly helped me to analyse what is most important for me and to become a better parent. I am not sure the defusing job will not ever be entirely done, but each time I notice a shift toward unconditional love I find immense joy permeates my life.  Hopefully shedding light on my struggle as a parent can help you to achieve more joy in your life too!

If you have found this blog useful, you may like to download the FREE Summary Infographic that I have made for you!  This has all the key concepts I mention above in a handy A4 page. Put it on your wall, in your glove box, anywhere that might serve a a reminder to you of how you would prefer to parent.  All you need to do is follow this link, sign up for my newsletter (which you can unsubscribe to at any time) and you will get the Infographic!

Wishing you much joy in your parenting!

Tina xx

 

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/

https://www.wiktionary.org/

http://girliegirlarmy.com/lifestyle/20140510/how-to-give-unconditional-love-when-you-didnt-get-it-yourself/

Schulte, Brigid 2014. Overwhelm – Work, love and play when no one has the time.Botross, Suzie 2013. Break free from Motherly Guilt.

 

04 May

Parental Development & Stages of Parenthood: We change as our children do

In my first Video Blog in March I spoke about parental transitions. Here I want to take a closer look at the developmental stages of parenthood and the transitions we undertake.

As parents we take on new roles as our children develop, transforming our parental identities as the developmental demands of our children change.

Because parents are critical to a child’s development a great deal of research has been focused on the impact of parents on their children.  Far less is known, however, about the development of parents themselves and the impact of children on parents.

Parental Development

Parenting is a major role in an adult’s life and there are Six Stages of Parenthood:

1. The Image-Making Stage (pre-birth)

Prospective parents get used to the idea that they will become parents soon and what parenting will bring. They think about and form images of there roles as parents, what type of parent they want to be and may evaluate the relationships they have with their own parents as a model of their roles as parents.

2. The Nurturing Stage (child between birth & approx. 2 years)

The parent’s main goal during this stage is to bond with their baby.

Parents often have to reshape their conceptions of themselves and their identity as they work out how much time for the baby and how much time to devote to other aspects of life. Parenting responsibilities are the most demanding during infancy because infants are completely dependent on caregiving.

3. The Authority Stage (child between 2 and 4 / 5 years)

Parents decide what kind of authority to be, how rules are set, what rules are, when they are enforced and what happens when they are broken.

4. The Interpretive Stage  (child approximately primary school age)

Parents respond to their children’s (easy and not so easy) questions and concerns as children are increasingly exposed to the world outside the family. This causes parents to review what they think, believe and value and to pull together their own beliefs so they can translate them to their children. This is a demanding and challenging process. Parents have to negotiate how involved to be with their children, when to step in, and when to encourage children to make choices independently.

5. The Interdependent Stage (child in teenage years)

Parents need to deal with many problems that they feel inexperienced in handling.

Two important facets to concentrate on:

  1. Communication with teenagers.
  2. Setting limits and giving guidance.

Parents must accept that the teenagers’ major task is developing a separate identity. Separation is a gradual process. Through this stage the parent / child relationship is redefined. The new relationship involves swinging backwards and forward between distance and closeness, separation and connectedness.

6. The Departure Stage (when the child leaves home)

At this time when the child leaves home parents evaluate the entire experience of parenting. They must redefine their authority and renegotiate their relationship with their adolescent child who is increasingly making decisions independent of parental authority and control. Parenting in this stage involves a complex set of tasks; caring, being available, helping without controlling, accepting the grown child’s’ separate identity. In accepting this separate identity, parents learn that to accept separateness implies the beginning of a new connection. This stage usually spans a long time period from when the oldest child moves away until the youngest leaves. The parenting role must be redefied as a less central role in a parent’s identity.

Quote from Associate Professor Marissa DienerEach of the above stages bring new challenges and things to learn for parents There is constantly a need for new strategies and techniques to support our children to grow through their own developmental stages. These stages also require different amounts of our time as parents, for example a newborn child requires 24 hour care, where as a teenager is often largely independent, but it is important for parents to be around an the ‘right’ times and this can be highly unpredictable.  The key is to maintain a strong connection to your child while pursuing and fulfilling your own life’s desires. No small task!

Parental Transition

I see parenting transition as the movement between these phases of parental development. I myself and many of my clients are currently in the midst of parenting transitions and it is something that isn’t often talked about. When our children move from one phase to the next our focus (understandably) on them – their excitement, hopes and fears – but I would like to focus here on development and transitions for us as parents.

As my youngest son Ardyn is off to High School in September I find myself reflecting on how these big changes affect not only Ardyn, but also the entire family – as needs change, logistics are rearranged and our lives morph into a new version of daily life.

Small transitions are constant (such as being able to help out with tricker chores or as they grow from one size of clothing to the next), but the change becomes more apparent at these types of milestones. Inevitably parenting transitions as I see them are integrally linked to our children’s developmental stages and consequently our schooling system. Here is a brief summary of the major ones (although as mentioned this is really almost continuous and different for everyone).

  • Becoming a parent
  • Deciding to return to work (or not) after maternity leave
  • Youngest child starting Primary School
  • Youngest child starting High School
  • Last child leaving home

Parenting is a complex process in which parents and children influence each other. The complexity in families further increases with additional children and sometimes complex adult relationships.

Knowing the best way to support our children as they develop can sometimes be challenging.  But recognising that we are constantly growing and changing as parents as our children grow and change can help us give ourselves permission to not expect perfection, as we don’t expect perfection from them. Each new challenge we face is a new challenge for both us as parents and for our children.

If your child is coming up to a big transition soon, (e.g. starting primary school, starting high school or leaving home) know that you are in transition too and give it is natural to be feeling challenged. The best way to support your child through big transitions is to allow yourself the time and space to get a clear idea of what you want and need in the future yourself. This piece of mind for yourself allows you to be more relaxed, calm and able to be more fully focus on your child’s transitional needs. Above all remember to be gentle with yourself and your expectations through this complex time of new experiences and emotions.

It was because of my struggle through parental transition that I created my signature programme – The Revitalise Programme for Mums. I wish it had been around when I was in the midst of my struggles! It is specifically developed to help mums navigate this challenging but exciting time of transition.

I am working on a wall chart to more clearly show how the developmental stages and transitions fit together along with the common questions and decisions at each point. If you would like a free copy of the wall chart please email me tina@yournewwings.com and I will be happy to send it to you.

Yours in parenting

Tina Smith

 

References:

Diener, M.L. (2017). The developing parent. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psycology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. DOI:nobaproject.com (http://www.nobaproject.com)

Galinsky, E. (1987). The Six States of Parenthood. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books

 

26 Sep

My Autumn harvest soup

Feeding my family…

Feeding my soul…

My Autumn harvest soup…

It is Autumn in the UK and yesterday I was exploring what I need to do with my garden in this new phase. In contemplating this I found myself drawn to deeply connect with nurturing my family and celebrating what we have managed to grow over the summer months. I reflected on how, in our modern life, we have come to be so removed from the process of growing what we eat. My grandparents on their dairy farm were almost totally self sufficient, and we today as a family are not.

I have a garden as a hobby. I love to be connected to the earth and the pulse of life. It slows me down, it helps to keep me sane…but at best what I grow is a supplement for what we buy in to eat. I realised I wanted to see what it was like to eat only what we have grown and thus created our Autumn harvest soup…

Collecting items and preparing our soup was a hugely grounding and humbling experience. It was a meditation that brought a deep appreciation for and gratitude towards those earlier generations who were deeply rooted in the earth and spend a large proportion of their lives simply putting food on the table.

Our family all enjoyed our soup dinner last night…the only ingredients not from our garden were…the salt … and the butter…

With ease and joy

Tina