by Marianne
What a crazy year and a half this world has had, and it may be ongoing in one way or another for the foreseeable, and what a strange 7 years for me…
My world changed when in 2014 and 2015 faced with multiple family bereavements, I could no longer sustain my somewhat frenetic work pace and I slipped rather bewilderingly into chronic fatigue or ‘burn out’ (never acknowledged by my GP’s). After a lot of research and dedication to resting and rebuilding my health, I was just beginning to feel that I could operate more or less within the realms of normal life again when Covid became a reality. That odd, numb, small, space in which I had operated for years extended, for everyone.
Initially I thought ‘I can do this, I know this’, but it turns out that I didn’t. Full lock down is not the same as when the world is going on without you, even though I felt isolated in my illness previously, actually being isolated by mandate is not the same, we need to connect, in whatever way we can.
My friend and I decided to have a day out together, she thought that I would love WanderWomen’s excursions and she was right! I am a botanical illustrator, so the environment and the plants around me are absolutely essential to my job, my well-being and my curious nature, and having a day out focusing on the ecosystems around us and connection with friends and new like-minded people was just what I was yearning for after 18 months of Covid!
This WanderWomen Experience was absolutely the right fit for us, Anna’s trips are really thoughtfully scheduled, allowing us to enjoy the outdoors at a relaxed and thoughtful pace, taking time to think about and consider our surroundings. Do a little meditation, a little activity, a bit of chat, a cup of tea around the fire – bliss!
We went on the Mermaids and Smudge Sticks excursion, which was so revitalizing, I may as well have been birthed new into the sun, I recalled comforting feelings that I had as a child on the beach. We met with Anna and were lucky with the weather, it was a glorious sunny day.
We walked silently for a bit gathering a few bits and pieces that caught our attention, we shared stories and walked barefoot, we meditated, and then we went down to the beach for a float before coming back out to eat lunch and bind smudge sticks in the sun.
Anna had collected a bouquet of herbs and presented them with their traditional medical uses which we bound together with rose petals and collected grasses.
We came away feeling so refreshed and gently energized – what a feeling.
I highly recommend refreshing yourself with a wander, you’ll love it!
To find out more about Marianne’s botanical illustrations, check out this link www.mariannehazlewood.co.uk
