Hi - it’s edition number four of Sunday Glimmers and I am feeling very glimmery as I write it.
I’m currently tucked up on the sofa, it’s sunny outside and I’m just back from a stroll with one of my children. We got coffee (well I got coffee - this particular child needs no extra stimulation). We’re awaiting the start of a football (soccer) game on TV and we have no plans after that, which feels nice.
Sunday glimmers is a weekly post for paid subscribers - but I really hope everyone will read it at least once with the free post thingy that’s hopefully in here somewhere to press. It’s a round up of all things glorious - well, things that have brought me joy, hope and inspiration in the week. I share moments, movies, podcasts and pretty much everything in between - oh and brilliant stuff from fellow substackers.
Oh AND from this week I’m introducing a writing tip (of sorts). I’ve been working as a writer for twenty years-ish now, so I’ve amassed a fair few bits of useful stuff to pass on, I hope.
A soul settling forest
There’s something in the vastness of the pine forest I visit, the way the top of the pines tower out of sight and the trees stand stand together in endless rows, splitting the sun across the forest floor, that makes me feel like anything is possible.
The little girl in me still wants to believe that magic exists - and it does, all around us, in nature. The deeper into the cool of a forest you go, the deeper you feel it.
With no phone signal I feel detached there, able to tune into myself and make decisions. It never fails. I chose one of the longest trails (I do like to go rogue but I get lost so try to stick to the trails if I’m alone) and headed through its twists and turns. One of the best things about the longer trails is that you don’t really see any other humans, especially on weekdays. The forest floor was still breaking down the autumn shedding, piled with tissue-thin layers of leaves, so pale now, the skin of the forest being pulled into the ground, the cycle above already much of the way through its rhythm. Being part of that for a few hours, listening to nothing but the rich trickle of birds and the patter of squirrel on tree trunk always has the power to soothe me, to set me straight.
The glimmer in this one, isn’t just about the magic in the forest, it’s about having the knowing around when you need to seek out spaces that make you feel good - and doing it.
Podcasts and people: This week, is a bit of an ode to Minnie Driver.
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