elaurian-mh

[elaurian-mh]

Another rest and recovery day. It's OK to be annoyed at the need for it, be annoyed, and do it anyway. Bloody mindedly resisting the need for rest just burnt me out over and over again.

My wife is in Glasgow overnight, it's just me, Fester, Taskmaster, and maybe some knitting.

Look after yourselves, lovely friends 🐌🦥

ID - A blue staffy under a brown wool blanket, his head sticking out and resting on a blue and white striped blanket on a couch. There is yet another blanket, a pink and black messy patchwork one, just beyond the dog's head.

[elaurian-mh]

It's been a really busy, really emotional couple of weeks. I had a 2.5 hour nap yesterday and still managed to sleep for a mighty 7.5 hours last, night, which is unheard of for me recently.

And I can see needing the same again today. And even though it's frustrating that I can't "just get on with" the things I really want to do, I have a responsibility to myself to just slow down and rest. Or I will burn out.

I do learn, eventually!

[elaurian-mh]

Frozen leaves! Good sound!

#Glimmer #FrozenLeaves #WinterGlimmer #WinterJoy

#EarthMagic

ID - My legs and feet, walking through frozen leaves on the ground.

[elaurian-mh]

I've been listening to the podcast hosted by Kathy Burke, Where There's a Will There's a Wake. Guests come on and talk about their dream funeral. It's hilarious and interesting and its made me think about how I'd want to be seen off this mortal coil.

She's also just fucking cool. She's been a veggie since the 80s (80s/90s Britain was NOT kind to vegetarians as I remember from my own first stint into veggiedom in my teens!). She takes a puff and zero crap from anyone. She's honest and compassionate and would rather be "woke" than be an ignorant fucking twat! Legend!

ID - A picture of the actor, writer, director, comedy performer, and podcast host Kathy Burke in black and white. Next to the picture is a quote from her that says, "I love being "woke". It's much nicer than being an ignorant fucking twat."

[elaurian-mh]

Badgers are one of my big special interests, my daemon (see His Dark Materials!), and a huge source of joy and inspiration.

They don't seek trouble, they will often use their mighty legs to burrow away from danger, but if pushed they are FIERCE! (Not as fierce as honey badgers, they are scary!).

I try to take inspiration from that and be fierce when I need to be!

Look to your passions, see how they can inspire and guide you!

[elaurian-mh]

In a society that teaches us to hustle, seek, attain, and burn out in the name of profit, prioritising self nourishment is punk as fuck.

In a culture that prioritises individualism, community care is punk as fuck.

Self nurturing is resistance.

Collective, community, and political care are self care.

Rejecting individualism doesn't mean not caring for ourselves as individuals, it means prioritising care for all as well. Not Borg, but Federation!

I've been feeling directionless, stuck, unsure of my path. But there's something in this that's really important to me. I'm still working on wording it in a way that doesn't make me feel like a total wanker, but that may be my internal RSD at work, still navigating that part!

But for now, let me say, go look after yourselves as best you can, my fellow punks, witches, neuroqueers, disabled folks, headcases, weirdos, and wonderful souls...for your own sake, and for the collective good!

ID - A lit tea light in a large shell, in front of a cute little mushroom shaped vase with 2 red roses in it.

[elaurian-mh]

Be a fucking weirdo, embrace what makes you stand out from our fucked up society!

ID - A background of skull drawings, with black writing on a red background that reads "IF OUR FUCKED UP SOCIETY IS WHAT'S CONSIDERED NORMAL, I'D RATHER BE A FUCKING WEIRDO."

[elaurian-mh]

Nothing is perfect, no one is perfect. Literally everyone and everything has at least one flaw!

Arguably, having flaws, fucking up, being imperfect, is one of the few actually universal experiences! Which kind of sucks on one level, sure. But it can also be really freeing, to accept that mistakes are part of being human. To accept that perfection is an unfair thing to expect of ourselves. It makes it easier to try new things, to go for what we want in life, and to take responsibility for our mistakes in a constructive, healthy way.

It's not easy to let go of the need to be perfect, it runs deep. But learning to embrace imperfection takes so much pressure of ourselves and others.

I read that some artists will fill the first page of a new sketchbook with deliberately silly, "bad", scribbly, work. They consciously avoid trying to do anything "good", just storming right past that urge to only use it "perfectly".

Total power move! I've been trying to find ways of bringing that energy into my life, because the need to do things perfectly, to be perfect, holds me back so much in life.

So maybe try to embrace imperfection this week, see how it feels? Might take a bit of pressure off at least 💜

ID - A starry sky background with white writing that reads "I don't remember signing a contract agreeing to be fucking perfect!"

[elaurian-mh]

Got some new stickers printed, spreading the Good Word!

In a society that teaches that tears are a weakness, crying is punk as fuck!