For a 5ft2 pint-sized person, I sure do used to drink a lot of wine. I’ve never been the go-out-every-weekend-and-do-shots-in-nightclubs kind of person, but since I turned 20 (five years ago) you’d rarely see me after 18:00 without a glass of wine in my hand. This was just a part of my evening routine: get home from work, pour a glass of wine, make dinner, have some more wine, watch TV, have another glass of wine. I didn’t think twice about it and didn’t think there were any side effects aside from the standard hangover…
My accidental soul-searching journey
Sitting outside for the first time this year, soaking up the sunshine and smelling the fresh scent of the grass, I embrace the feeling of calm. The last few weeks have been really, really stressful and there have been some huge alterations in my life. Dealing with these has meant I’ve been away from home, my routine has been massively disturbed, and I’ve been unable to study or work. It isn’t just the logistical changes that have been hard – there’s a lot of emotion to process, too.
They say distance makes the heart grow fonder and up until now, I’ve been fortunate enough to never truly understand the gravity of that statement.
What Christmas 2020 meant to me
My favourite Christmas tradition is to wake up early whilst the rest of the house sleeps on, shrouded in darkness. I pad downstairs in my dressing gown and slippers and turn on the Christmas tree lights, breathe in its piney scent and watch the lights twinkle lazily, hearing only the reliant ticking of the clock.
One big change I’m making for 2021
We can all agree 2020 has been a shocker of a year and quite frankly I’m tired of feeling like a passenger in my own life. Granted there’s not much I can do to cure Covid-19, and Cancer still exists, but there is one thing we all can do to make this place a little more bearable for the future (kudos to Joe Biden for being the only good thing to happen to 2020 so far).
Back to university
When I started my Open University degree in 2015, nobody could have predicted that 5 years later, online study would be pretty much the only option across the whole of the UK. Open University must be leading the way for many other universities in how to move all lectures and activities online… Perhaps now OU will start getting some of the recognition it deserves.
Getting back in the (literal) saddle
Speak to me for five minutes and you can guarantee I’ll incorporate horses into the conversation somewhere. My nickname is Shetty, my office computer is adorned with a pink fluffy unicorn pen, my house is covered in horse pictures and I would most definitely wear my riding stuff everyday if my boss would bear it. It is a confident assumption to say that, yes, I’m one of those ‘horse-women’.
Buying our first house in lockdown
Cheesy grins all round
Being the superstitious worrier that I am, I’ve delayed writing this post to avoid jinxing the very motive behind it. Clearly the House-Buying Gods smiled down on me and appreciated my thought because thankfully this blog can go ahead. We own our own house!
Why I Work in Talent Acquisition
When people think of a Talent Acquisition role, they often think ‘recruitment’. Yes I earn commission for hires, work to monthly ‘starter targets’ and am focused on hiring into a company. I spend the majority of my time on the phone to candidates and embrace the target-driven and incentive-focused nature of the wider company…
Mental Health in Lockdown
As someone who has notoriously struggled to prioritise improving my own mental health, I’ve always been great at finding welcome distractions to ensure it’s never at the top of my list. But, deprived of interruptions through lock-down, I gave time to think about the way I think.
Teenage Life in the Country
Visiting home is like being taken back in time. Nothing really changes in the small seaside town we’re from but it seems a lifetime away from our ‘new normal’ in West Sussex. Coming home provides the opportunity to reflect on my teenage years spent in the country and identify the differences to those who grew up in central towns and cities.
“68 Pieces of Unsolicited Advice”
I stumbled upon this brilliant article, written by Kevin Kelly, on WordPress recently. Take five minutes this morning to read the full article – I promise you’ll find one thing that you needed to hear today.
How Writing Changed My Life
At the ripe age of 24, I’m still embarrassingly proud of winning a ‘performing arts’ award at eight years old. The award certainly wasn’t for my artistic prowess nor my shining acting ability, but for my writing.
From Seaside To City 