What if we just...don't?

Adopting an air of rebellion in 2023

Salted (adjective): having developed a resistance to disease by surviving it.

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Maybe it’s an age thing (forty three years and seven months, in case you’re curious. We love to know people’s ages, don’t we!)

Dare I say it, maybe it’s a ‘growth’, or ‘wisdom-gaining’ thing. Lord knows I’ve read enough/worked on myself enough/paid enough/studied enough these past few years. (My theory is if we’re here for this one lifetime, why not find out the most about ourselves? Time spent with yourself is rarely wasted).

Maybe it’s a global uprising (and if so, vive la révolution! *author totally bucking against her tight-lipped, oh-so-British polite upbringing, pah ha! Take that!).

But I’m sensing a crawling, tingling undercurrent of subtle, but strong, crowd-surging, ground-swelling rebellion.

A phrase keeps coming up in my journalling, spider scrawls emptying my overwhelmed brain, repeatedly this sentence appearing:

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“What if I just…don’t?”

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And I’ve realised, there are now many, many things that I no longer do.

Some because I can’t - which makes me sad.

Some which I’ve grown out of - which makes me proud.

But some which I have made a conscious decision, a purposeful choice, to

simply

stop

doing.

For no other reason than because I don’t want to.

As weathered women, and in particular weathered creatives, we need to fiercely guard our precious energy. We’ve been through a lifetime’s worth of shit already - less than some, yes - but more than many.

More than many.

Our time to create is sacred, whether that means making jewellery, writing a novel, designing fashion, running a coaching business, hosting workshops, painting with watercolours, scrapbooking, tarot journalling, sharing a yoga practice, playing music, helping our children with their projects, baking bread, cooking a beautiful meal, hanging out here on Substack with other weathered creatives…or myriad ways of being a human living a creative life (that’s a whole other post, hey!)

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The creative ‘what’ doesn’t actually matter, it’s the intention that only you can add, the spark behind your ‘what’, the magic that only your perfect soul can sprinkle into this ethereal recipe. You are the vital puzzle piece.

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And in order to strip back to your true ‘you-ness’, you have to clear out the clutter. You simply have to.

I have spent the past four years ditching much of the baggage that has weighed heavy on my shoulders since childhood. No doubt I will commit to continuing to slough the dead wood, forever shapeshifting (keep up if you dare!) for my remaining, hopefully plentiful, time.

For example, off the top of my head, I no longer:

• eat mammals

• run on hard roads

• sleep in the same room as my husband (and we’re both fine with this!)

• intermittently fast

• write for magazines for free

• use social media

• workout at the gym (I manage one as my day job, yes, but my body doesn’t like using one)

• watch the news

…and my life is richer, and brighter, and less overwhelming for my highly-sensitive, weathered, creative self, as a result.

I lose the things I don’t love, in order to have more time and energy for those that I do.

And I live the most wonderful, joyful, rollercoaster life, with all of the highs and all of the lows, as a result.

Just as we should.

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Your turn!

• Can you sense a rebellion?

• What things do you no longer do, simply because you don’t want to?

• Do you mind sharing a couple of examples? The ‘comments’ are open, as always.

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From one weathered woman to another,

x Luisa

P.S my Sunrise Sessions beach yoga events are back on Minehead beach! Starting Tuesday 21st March at 7am - 7.30am and continuing weekly until August, these are donation-based, pay-what-you-like. I just need you to fill out a health form here and please join the Facebook group (my last remaining piece of social media interaction!) to stay in touch about weather etc. See you on your mat!