April 2011

To be entirely honest I have just dumped my straw hat on the table in my garden meditation spot to write this having been inspired to write about a number of hot topics.

Firstly, I feel that I must say how proud I am that the marathon this year in Brighton was so fantastically well supported. A particular charity I support is St Dunstans, an organisation who have offered support to service men and women who have lost or damaged sight serving their country. This may not sit comfortably with some, but so many young people are traumatised losing their sight in combat, hence my support of the runners this year.

Of course my support also goes to those who are running for THT and every organisation connected with HIV -- a personal friend of mine completed the run in full green fairy fancy dress to raise awareness and money for a children's HIV charity. I applaud his efforts but sadly our own community was slow to offer sponsorship. A sad indictment indeed...perhaps it is worth me reminding all of you out there that prior to public funding for HIV, support to those affected by HIV and Aids-related illness was based on charitable support and volunteers. It is in part because of the hard work of those who have gone before that the service remains today. The staff at THT work very hard as do the many volunteers...no fanfare needed but perhaps time to pause and consider the effort put in by many for us all to benefit from.

The weather is absolutely fabulous and the garden here is wonderful -- so much activity and our nesting boxes are all full of breeding garden birds. For me the song of garden birds is magical. If you don’t notice bird song may I suggest you stop and listen next time you are out in the park or countryside. The array of song right now is overwhelming...a great way of being mindful of who and what we are. Trust me, it is a great form of relaxation.

Mindfulness is something people ignore with the stress of day-to-day life and I hear so many guys in lounge groups at THT say how difficult they find it to relieve anxiety and stress. Being mindful of your surroundings wherever you are is one of the first steps. I am aware that this is repeating what I have written previously but please give it a try. Next time you find yourself on the bus or train rather than playing with your iPhone look out of the window and take notice of what is going on around you, try and take note of something you pass regularly but haven’t noted before...it may be a tree or building. Changing focus will form part of the relaxation process by making you mindful of your surroundings.

As we grow older or just bored with the routine of taking meds or work we naturally switch our attention to the news and to often negative information. This is a natural part of how we view the world as we mature. For those reading this who would like to perhaps understand this more I would suggest reading some basic levels 1 to 3 counselling literature, much of which talks about the process of ageing and how we change our way of thinking.

The information can be obtained from visiting the website of BACP which is The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Personally I feel that a holistic approach is preferable. For example, practising mindfulness, yoga, meditation even going for a walk or exercise, such as going to the gym or perhaps something more gentle .

The season is very advanced, speaking from a horticultural point of view. The garden here, which is diverse and organic, is out of its usual timing with fruit trees already in the immature stages of fruiting and herbaceous plants which flower in the summer already in bloom. It's very confusing for the wildlife, insects, etc. The natural pond is full of froglets which provide no end of entertainment for the terriers who watch them continually.

The progress of the season is great to be part of and I know it enhances our health being part of this dynamic thing called nature.

Truly a soulful time.

Keep well and more next month,

Richard

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