Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott strolling slowly back home after an evening walk.
It's been a bit grey and cool today and as I was walking across the moors I could feel the southwesterly very strong and the southwesterly is renowned for bringing in wet damp weather and there was a sort of hint of wetness on the wind I could feel it and the threat of rain as I look at these very grey clouds passing over and this is probably what we're more used to as an English summer which is grayness dampness and the threat of rain a far cry from the baking heat we had last week and I think there's some more warm weather coming our way and so I'm just going to really enjoy this coolness whilst I can and today's five minutes in nature comes because of a conversation I was party to in the women group that I lead and facilitate.
It was the final day of a six-month journey with a group of wonderful wise women.
And I felt so privileged to be with them.
I talked to them today about how it's felt like a journey of fellow pilgrims as we've walked along life's path,
Not together for the whole of this six-month journey,
In between meeting up we've done our own things,
But it's just been wonderful to come back to this space with good-hearted people and to feel that connection.
And as one of the group said,
It just makes my heart sing to be amongst people like this.
It's one of the reflections from one of the women today that I want to talk about.
She touched me,
Moved me deeply with what she said.
And I think the reason I felt so deeply moved was because she spoke with such quiet authenticity.
And she explained that as a youngster,
She'd been extremely bright and seen as a high flyer.
And here she was now as an older woman.
Being the main carer for her parents.
And she just said,
I love it.
She said,
I love caring.
One of the things that she's got from being on this journey with us is a slow deeper realization of who she really is.
And rather than being embarrassed about saying,
I love being a carer,
She is just able to say,
I really enjoy this.
Society might nudge me towards saying I want to be a career woman or successful in my business,
But no,
I actually love caring for my parents.
And that actually reminded me of a conversation I'd had earlier in the week with another friend,
With an aging mother who's just started in a care home.
She's unable to look after her mum herself,
So she's found a really lovely place and her mum is settling into it right now.
And my friend was having a coffee with me and she looked at the situation I've got with my mum,
And as you'd know if you follow me here on Insight Timer,
Four siblings help look after mum.
I could tell that she was nudging me or encouraging me to consider looking at a care home for my mum.
In her world,
It made complete sense.
And I was surprised when I looked inside me and just thought,
No,
It feels a privilege to look after my mum,
To care for my mum.
I feel very lucky that I'm part of a family group with four siblings where we all want to take care of,
First of all,
My dad,
Who died about 18 months ago,
And now my mum.
It's not onerous.
There might be a time when it's right to look for additional care for my mum but at the moment it feels like a privilege.
So the words of that lady today really resonated with me.
Being a carer,
It's tough,
It's challenging.
I'm not doing it all day,
Every day,
But when I do it,
I feel,
It's hard,
But I feel a sense of deep love for my mum and really wanting to be there for her and cherishing the times that I can do this for her at this stage of life.
So today is a reflection on just owning up what you actually really do feel drawn to do and you feel happy doing.
And it might be against convention.
It might be against what people thought you should enjoy doing.
It might be against what you thought you should do.
But actually,
What is it that lights you up?
What is it that makes your heart sing?
What is it in life that you feel authentically drawn to?
I'd love to know what that is for you.
Don't forget,
Of course,
To join me again tomorrow for another five minutes in nature.
