…after a great Friday night out! On Friday, me & a friend went to a gig – we went to see CMAT at Alexandra Palace in London and it’s something I haven’t done for such a long time! We had a great night, and I loved being part of a 10,000 strong crowd with music, silliness and connection. It was great and just thinking about it puts a big smile on my face.

In a world which is increasingly lived online, I love being around people in real life, catching up with friends, and those micro doses of connection, where you don’t know someone, but there’s a brief connection of smiling back at someone, saying hi, ordering food and drinks, talking to someone while you’re queuing for a cab, even getting my feet stood on doing the Dunboyne Two Step (the woman in question was very apologetic and it really was fine!) There’s no substitute for the joy in being around people, in connecting, whether that’s a deep connection or a fleeting one. 

At the start of the year my plan was for more connection in my life and more joy, building on last year where I set aside one weekend a month to do something out in the real world, whether that was a theatre trip, a walk in the countryside, a museum or art gallery.

My aim was to spend at least 1 day a month doing something different and I planned it out. I went to the theatre, saw Shakespeare and The Devil Wears Prada, and I visited the local art gallery that was part of a Renoir tour, as well as a trip to the Tate in London.

What are you up to this weekend? 

 

What would be different for you if you consciously added more joy and something novel into your life? 

 

How would you feel taking some time out to recharge and reset?