It is very important to listen in life and in days gone by I wasn't very good at that. Then I began leading quite large teams so I taught myself to listen. I listen to my family most of all because they know me best and I have been listening to them very carefully since my return from Eigg. They had observed that I seem to have got myself into a bit of a cycle of relapses and further observed that was to do with my life being over full. They, of course, are completely right. Since early June I don't think I have taken breath except from my wonderful days on Eigg. Scottish island mum went slightly bonkers after the article in the Sunday Post and I do need to catch my breath. This will also break the cycle of relapses and get the pain back under control. I always maintain that when I can feel searing pain in my ear lobes it has got a little out of control. I have lots of pain in my ear lobes.....
So, after a very long chat with Pete I have agreed to seriously review my diary for the next month. It is not something I like doing very much but it is necessary and I have heard their messages. I am trying to think of it as a sabbatical rather than a break and shifting things around accordingly. We have our family holiday in the second week of September and I do want to be completely well for then. Time all together remains the most precious thing there is and with two grown up children it is even more precious. Although the review process is not complete I already feel a lot lighter and able to think more clearly. Spending time in my tunnel the last two days has reconnected me with the smallholding and that has been a very good thing. I have begun the process of emailing people to inform them of my withdrawal from a few things and the response has been really supportive. I feel these are good steps I am taking.
This little sabbatical will allow me to concentrate on my writing more and catch up with projects that keep falling off the day as other things take over. I am planning to stay on Hazelbank as much as possible just to use the time to recharge a little. I am also hoping to get back to my beloved beach and into the swimming pool once again. I have already begun to update this site with some new pages. I have added the page I promised about the Eiggbox scheme so that you can read all about their visionary plans. Scottish island mum will be following the project and so I will be putting updates on that page as they happen. I also added a post script to the creative piece that I already offered called Walking with the Land. It was based on experiences on my final 24 hours on the island. I do hope you enjoy it.
I have added another section to The Balanced Child page that speaks about the need for children to feel secure and some of the very important ways that can be achieved. You just need to scroll down below the section you will have read before.
It occurred to me that the site was slightly out of balance with all this wonderful talk of the Isle of Eigg. I hadn't even got a page dedicated to our lives on Arran. Although I talk about all that in my daily postings I thought it would be useful to have a page that could act as a scrapbook to our lives so have begun that today and will add things as I go through the rest of the year. I do hope all these additions are interesting and engaging as Scottish island mum spreads her wings just a little further.
I am very aware that I am behind in replying to emails that have come in since my return from Eigg and I promise to get to them as soon as possible. Now you see the need for a small sabbatical just so I can catch up. Scottish island mum is a massive part of my life now and, after the family, it is my focus. I might not have predicted the following that it would create but I am absolutely doing my best to respond as we go through the year. We are now in August and there is still so much I want to do with the site and then there is the sister site One Soul Many Hearts to launch in October. Do remember that this site will offer lots of ways that you can get involved. Click on the link and have a look.
So, I am quite excited about my little sabbatical as it will allow me to focus and I think that is very necessary. I am off to harvest green beans for supper.
Until tomorrow. xx
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