As you read this I am on my way back from Manchester after seeing the wonderful Black Stone Cherry – enjoy, share a secret at the end and have a wonderful weekend!
1) I’m 5′3″ (1.6m) tall and weigh 9st1lb (58kg/126lb)
2) I am obsessed with Stephen King, Charles Dickens and Arjuna’s quest in the Baghavad Gita. I believe Mr Guppy to be second only to Krishna in the great heroes of literature.
3) I have a black eyeliner in the following places: handbag, bedside cabinet, desk drawer, cupboard at work, car glove compartment…
4) …likewise painkillers.
5) I believe in God, but have very little time for organised religion. I don’t think God has a white beard, but remain open-minded on the subject.
6) I could never get into Twilight, or True Blood or any other modern vampire fiction for the simple reason that there will only ever be one vampire story for me.
7) I have been obsessed with human anatomy all my life. Upon every visit to a library or bookstore as a child I asked if there were any new “body books” out. The first television programme I ever watched when left alone with the TV was one about childbirth. It is no wonder I do the job I do.
Giving up my addiction to celebrity gossip was far harder than giving up smoking. I am never tempted by Marlboros anymore but Heat magazine tries to catch me in its clutches every week.
9) Sometimes I wish I’d been born 20 years earlier so I could have followed Led Zepplin around the world…
10) …or 100 years earlier so I could have written awesome Victorian Gothic novels.
11) I wish I could savour fine wines, but they give me a headache.
12) I’m never happier than I am by the sea.
13) I have wavy hair that naturally dries into a 1970s Farrah Fawcett flick. I hate it and have spent my life straightening it.
14) I am really freckly on my face shoulders and arms. My body and legs, oddly, are not.
15) I have never really known what I want to do with my life. But I think I’m closer to finding it than I ever have been before.
16) I have a ridiculously large make-up collection. I tend not to go anywhere where I can wear a lot of it these days, although I have been known to teach yoga in green glittery eyeliner 
17) I start every day with a cup of hot water and lemon…
(that orange blur there? That’s my brother’s insane dog)
18) ….closely followed by strong coffee. I only have one coffee a day these days, although occasionally we have what are known as “two coffee days”.
19) I’ve always wanted an older brother. Noel Gallagher would fit the bill perfectly.
20) I really hate snark….but at the same time I kind of do like Simon Cowell. As my friend Matt says; enigma, thy name is Rachel.
Tell me a secret readers, I won’t tell a soul!
(inspired by Jenna)
(please note correct spelling of October, which is more than I could manage in my recent newsletter. A thousand apologies)
To me Halloween always marks the beginning of the holiday season. Next up is Bonfire Night on Friday (you all know about Guy Fawkes and all that malarkey right?), which is one of my absolute favourite nights of the year so watch out on Friday for a traditional Bonfire Night recipe, and from then on it’s an upwards slope of tinsel, fairy lights, eggnog lattes in Starbucks and evergreens until the New Year.
My intentions for November involve trying to find a balance between work, rest and play (to paraphrase the Mars Bar advert from the 1970s).
November Intentions
* Finish studying all nine body systems for my anatomy exam
* Get on my mat 5 times a week for between 20 and 30 minutes
* Record the next two podcasts (due out in the new year readers, watch this space)
* Continue to write in my journal every day, even if it’s just a line or two
* Finalise all details for the opening of my massage clinic and continuing yoga classes in January so that December can be dedicated to fun
* Have a least one fun outing a week with Himself and at least one full day off (very bad at days off)
~~~~
October didn’t go to plan really. As you know I spent a lot of time trying to redefine who I am in my new life, trying to keep a sense of excitement, adventure and positivity even when the outlook was cloudy and dull. I’m getting there….
October in Review
* To get on my yoga mat five times a week for 30-40 minutes. DONE!
* To establish a day to day routine with space to be, to write, to bake, to study for massage school, to teach, to read. A WORK IN PROGRESS STILL
* To write in my journal every day. DONE
* To take each day as it comes, not panic about an imagined dystopian future or worry about mistakes made in the past. To enjoy right now as it happens and to remember that vow of mindfulness I made in January. AGAIN A WORK IN PROGRESS…. PANIC SEEMS TO BE MY MIDDLE NAME RIGHT NOW!
As inspired by Kathleen and The Happiness Project.
(Kathleen also inspired me to choose my word of 2010 which will be “mindfulness” – but more on that later)
–
One: I am Rachel.
Not anyone else’s perception of Rachel,
Or an imitation,
but true to myself.
Two: I will accept
that not everything will always go to plan.
I will accept
that this is just the way things are meant to be.
Three: I know my strengths.
I know my weaknesses.
I embrace them
and am honest with myself about who I am.
Four: I will be conscious,
I will be mindful and alive
with all of my senses
at every moment.
Five: I will accept
my limitations as part of who I am,
and work
with them rather than against them.
Six: I will learn
to receive as well as give,
to be inspired as well as to inspire,
to be kind to myself as well as to others.
Seven: I will love
with every ounce of my being.
I will say
“I love you” more often.
Eight: I will accept
my past self as part who I am.
I will no longer
be ashamed of past actions.
Nine: I will always remember
that living is so much more than getting through the day,
and only I
am responsible for my own happiness.
Ten: I am not my scoliosis.
The reality is much deeper within
than even my own spine.
It cannot hold me back.
