I have been featured in 'Poms Away! A British Immigrant's View of New Zealand' this week, with a guest blog post. Read on to find out what it is about living in New Zealand that has left a lasting impression with me. It won't be the things you'd expect!
~https://pomsawaydownunder.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/another-british-immigrants-view-of-new-zealand-a-guest-post-by-kathryn-hodgson/
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I have something to admit....and I really really guilty saying this...but...I am tired and have lost my enthusiasm.There I have said it! I have admitted that I am traveling around the world and no longer wish to see anything new because all I want to do is sleep. How on earth can that be possible?! I am experiencing incredible new journeys and sights every day and yet I have never felt so tired. Lately I find myself hiding under the campervan covers during many a winter morning here in New Zealand. I am usually a morning person and eager to greet the day at 7am without fail. I LOVE mornings, I love waking up full of energy, I adore breakfast and I love life. Until recently that is. Now I don’t like mornings, breakfast no longer delights me with its bread and honey and I am more interested in sleeping than I am in seeing anything new. My 'joie de vivre' has taken a vacation without me. Would someone be so kind as to return it to me please?
I am on this grand adventure around the globe all year, I move to a new town every few days and run a marine conservation cause with my wonderful other half (who by the way is also hiding permanently under the covers). I am also attempting to write two books and we have completed 59 public speaking events in 4 different countries the last six months. Maybe that is why I am tired? I have also lived in a different country every year for the past five years. Ah, now it is starting to make sense. I have been doing a lot of awesome things and I have forgotten to take a rest.
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Rest is where the miracles happen, where new ideas begin to bloom.
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Don’t get me wrong, I have loved all of those experiences and I wouldn’t change them but…I’ll be honest…I would give anything at the moment for my own bed, a pot of decent tea and some routine. I never thought I would be saying that and I feel guilty for even admitting it when I am on this incredible journey with my suitcase. I know how lucky I am to be here but, er, would it be okay if I just had a rest?Rest. That is absolutely what is needed here and it is something I have neglected entirely since we left the UK in February. I don’t mean eight hours sleep and I don’t mean thirteen hours sleep – I tried both and also tried two solid days in bed sleeping. None of those have shifted the tiredness because they haven’t truly rested my body and mind.People often talk of achieving, adventure, inspiring, doing, pushing, dreaming, excitement and travel and I am a huge supporter of those ideals. They are wonderful for broadening minds and living a life that is rich with experiences. I LOVE adventure and doing new things. However, people don’t often talk about just how tiring doing those things can be and that there is just as much need for genuine rest along the way.
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Nobody can wear their superhero pants all the time.
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With that in mind I have taken to resting as if it is my new sport. I am sleeping like a fuzzy bear in hibernation, I am eating like a small wiry pig with an obsession for fruit, I am reading piles of inspiring and comforting books and I am tilting my head to the winter sunshine as often as possible. It's working! The more I rest, the more my creativity and zest for life are beginning to blossom again and the more my anxieties and stress levels are lessening. It would seem that rest is vital for peace of mind, health and survival in this manic world we live in. How did I not know this? Never mind adventure, rest is where it’s at and I think it’s time for another dose.
Stopping can be the hardest thing to do but it brings the greatest rewards*
*As does a decent cup of tea
Whilst out walking at Lower Hutt, Wellington recently I came upon this community library on Hill Road. Isn’t it fantastic?! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw these two fridges and the sign ‘Little Local Library’ at the road-side. They were absolutely packed with books and it just goes to show what can be achieved for a community with a little creativity.
It was a real reminder what we can each make a difference to those around us.
I was also smitten with these thick, hairy tree fern fronds that were waiting to unfurl and their smaller counterparts. They were curled tightly, packed with potential and ready to greet the world.The ‘koru’ is a spiral shape based on the shape of those new unfurling silver fern fronds and it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. What a beautiful symbol for the day.
I have been busy with our shark conservation events for Friends for Sharks this week in Wellington, New Zealand and met two fantastic ladies who I just have to introduce you to.We were due to be speaking at Charles Fleming Ryman’s retirement village and I had high hopes for the day, as it was our 50th event! Unfortunately the area had suffered a power cut all day and we found out we had no mains electricity and no battery charge left in either of our laptops for our talks (that’s six year old laptops for you!).The residents were in high spirits regardless of this and we decided to go ahead and give our talks without slides or videos. I just couldn’t stop smiling when two residents announced loudly that they each had a banana, a good book and that was all they needed in life!Never mind that they couldn’t get back to their rooms because the lifts were broken or that they had no power all day – they were an absolute hoot to be around and I couldn’t stop smiling from that moment onwards. I was bowled over by their humour and enthusiasm and it just went to show that you can be full of life at any age if you choose the right attitude.I hope I have their positivity in the years to come…I will make sure I am armed with a banana and a good book just in case.
In my latest interview, this time with The Writers’ Lens, I talk about finding inspiration, writing whilst travelling the world and following your heart to create the life you want. I had a great time answering these questions and hope you enjoy it as much as I did! http://www.thewriterslens.com/2015/06/hodgsons-no-damage-follow-your-heart-to.html
I have been travelling through Marlborough Sounds, Kaikoura and Hanmer Springs in New Zealand this past week in our cosy campervan and I couldn't resist sharing this tree fern stump we found alongside the Queen Charlotte Track.
We had decided to spend a week exploring the top of the South Island, as we had a break in our Friends for Sharks events schedule, and Momorangi Camp was the perfect base. It was incredibly peaceful relaxing at the water's edge and we saw a number of New Zealand Fur Seals enjoying the sunshine and crystal clear waters. We hadn't expected to find such a cheerful tree fern amongst towering beech trees and other, huge tree ferns when we went walking.
It was a great reminder to appreciate the unexpected in life and enjoy peace and simple moments with nature
It is difficult finding time (and mains power!) to write whilst travelling the world in a VERY small campervan and completing a 10-month world charity tour with my other major love, Friends for Sharks. I have been lucky lately though and have found a moment or two to begin my novel. I thought you may enjoy a sneak peak, so here it is. This has to be my favourite part so far:'The beauty of George’s garden in all seasons drove Beatrice to distraction as she twitched her curtains, watching and knowing she could never create the same. Her garden was a riot of mismatched floppy tulips, out-sized chrysanthemums and every shade of fleshy begonia imaginable in summer. In winter it bore resemblance to a graveyard with its barren beds and occasional woody lavender shrubs with frost-damaged leaves.Quite whether Jonathan the gardener had created Beatrice’s vision of horticultural bliss or not was to be debated, though Beatrice didn’t entirely mind either way. So long as he kept tending her garden each summer, she could inadvertently admire his muscular backside and bronzed thighs under the cover of sunglasses whilst enjoying morning tea. It mattered not that he was a somewhat feckless man with more dirt under his fingernails than intelligence between his ears; the beads of sweat that trickled down young Jonathan’s neck as he arched his back to the sunshine had caused many a tea-soaked biscuit to drop into Beatrice’s tea cup as she gawped. Long summer nights went by in a frenzy of creativity as she imagined all sorts of ungodly ways to tame him and fulfill her unmet desires.'What do you think? I have a love-hate relationship with Beatrice but she certainly adds something with her attitude! I think I may be modelling her on The Golden Girls as she develops...
When I found myself with two runaway grooms to my name (who knew that was even possible), I searched for a book that would bring me comfort, laughter and inspiration when I needed it most. I scanned book covers, authors, websites and more but nothing quite fit my palm or helped me find all that I longed for.Because of that I wrote the book I needed, in the hope that it would uplift and inspire people going through difficult times of their own.I scribbled my story to help dispel the taboos of runaway grooms, abuse, cancer and more. To help others recognise the good in their lives, laugh often and find their will to survive.My own laughter and outright refusal to give up when life could not get much worse (but did) pulled me through every day! I created the life I truly dreamed of from the ashes and I found ways to laugh that I never knew existed – even now I recall the day I attempted to return my wedding underwear to an exquisite bridal boutique with a smile upon my face.That was a tough moment trying to explain why on earth I would return wedding underwear….http://www.amazon.com/No-Damage-survive-everyt…/…/B00R2ZF14Q
It’s the last chance to download a FREE copy of No Damage - Offer ends 11th May. Don't miss this inspiring and uplifting read.‘The stuff Hollywood films are made of!’'Incredible read: searingly honest, snort out loud funny and devastatingly emotional.'http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00R2ZF14Qhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Damage-survive-everything--between-ebook/dp/B00R2ZF14Q/
