Welcome to Cupcakes Land!
The random musings of a crafty introvert
Welcome to my first ever blog!!
This is the place where I will be sharing triumphs and failures, good times and bad times, and basically anything else that pops in to my head!
I can't guarantee that any post will be very long, but each one will be an honest representation of who I am, what I feel and what I believe.
So stay tuned! More blog posts coming soon! Yay!!!!
Here in Wales we are slowly coming out of lockdown. Which is good but also really scary.
Sometimes I feel incredibly anxious about going where there are other people.
Part of me thinks this is a silly reaction but then another part of me remembers all the people who have died (including my cousin)
The thing is, I suppose, is that life will probably never be quite the same again.
And maybe this is a good thing.
Stay safe my friends and keep loving xxxx
You know kindness is underrated.
Being nice is underrated.
Caring for strangers is underrated.
This last week has been very difficult for so many people.
Racism comes from a place of anger and fear. It is not rational.
You might as well hate someone for the colour of their eyes or the colour of their hair.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by your inability to change anything.
I've already written about some of the ways in which we can change our world for the better and I guess this is along the same lines.
I cannot write about the situation of so many people of colour. I am white and have no conception of the fear that many live in.
However, I can write about what I know.
I am human and I write to all other humans regardless of race, colour, gender or sexual orientation.
Here in Cupcakes Land we welcome all people without exception.
We live in a fractured world, disassociated from each other - not always through choice.
So, here's the thing.
What if each of us takes responsibility to change the world?
Through kindness.
Through caring.
Through being nice.
Now I'm not talking about a Stepford Wives sort of scenario. That would just be creepy.
But how about giving up your seat on the train? Giving way in traffic? Holding the door for the person behind you (my pet hate! Don't just drop the door without checking who's coming through after you!}
How about saying hello to your neighbours when you see them?
Ok, I agree, some of these things might mean people look at you a little strangely, They might even be rude to you or assume you have an ulterior motive and are going to rob them.
But, you know, it's worth the risk.
Yours might be the only smile someone sees just when they need it.
Yours might be the helping hand someone needs when they are having a bad day.
Your "Hello. How're you doing?" might be the only conversation that person has all week.
Kindness and caring takes courage. Not everyone understands.
Be brave my friends. Smile, talk, care.
Let's change the world together.
Love from Cupcakes Land xxxx
Today, I am sitting in my living room looking at a blue sky with just a few clouds and contemplating this weird situation in which we find ourselves.
Some people are coming out of lockdown but here in Wales we are still being told to "Stay home, stay safe, save the NHS"
But what about later? What happens when things get back to "normal"? Will it be the same normal? Do we want it to be the same? What do we, as individuals want the world to look like post-pandemic?
Here's some thoughts for you to mull over.
Each one of us can do something to change the way things are now.
We can vote in elections for politicians and parties we think will actually change the way things are done.
We can protest, peacefully, against injustice, pollution or anything which makes the lives of ordinary people harder. (Did you know that just 1% of the world's population hold 44% of the world's wealth?)
We can actively change the way we live to improve our planet, pick up litter (don't drop it in the first place!), recycle, use products sustainably.
These things are mostly self evident but what about us as individuals?
There is only one person I can change and that is me.
I can choose to be selfish, arrogant, cruel, or mean. Or I can choose to be pleasant, caring, kind, helpful. Each one of us can start to change the world around us simply by being that little bit more thoughtful. None of us can know what someone else is going through so we should try not to judge or get angry by another's actions (there's always a chance they're just an idiot but give them the benefit of the doubt. They might be having a really bad day you know nothing about.
So, post pandemic lets change the world a smile at a time. Be kind, be helpful, smile at strangers, make eye contact, don't cut someone up in traffic, hold doors open behind you.
Small acts can change the world one smile at a time.
Here's to the end of lockdown and a new normality xxxx
Oh, hello May!!!!
Nearly half the year gone already. Oh 2020 you are a one!
All this isolation lark has got my brain working overtime, which usually means at 3am I'm awake and wondering about something completely random which only Wikipedia can answer.
Anyway, one of the things I've been thinking about recently is perfectionism.
Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with striving to be the best that you can be. Otherwise how would we grow and mature as human beings?
No, striving to improve and challenge oneself is good.
What I'm talking about is "Instagram" perfect.
When you look at someone and compare yourself to them and decide that you don't come up to scratch.
But the picture you are looking at is the image that person wants you to see. They don't want you to see the slobby them in their pj's, without make up and with spotty skin.
So be kind to yourself
Learn to love your imperfections as they are what make you wonderfully YOU!
You are truly a unique and amazing human being. In all the whole world there is no one else quite like you.
Celebrate your uniqueness xx
Perfectionism can be a catalyst to improvement but don't let it be the brick wall that stops you achieving all the things you want in life.
Nothing anybody does is perfect. The most famous artist or musician will always think they could have done better.
The difference is that they don't let those thoughts stop them from doing what they want to do. They practice some more, work a bit harder, learn something new, and then carry on.
Wherever we are in life, whether we are young, old, somewhere in the middle or refusing to grow up at all, we all have the same insecurities about not being good enough.
Always work to improve but don't ever stop.
Don't let those voices in your head get the better of you.
You are a work in progress and you are enough.
Now go and be the best version of yourself that you can be and stop comparing yourself to anyone else.
Embrace and celebrate your uniqueness. You are one of a kind and don't you forget it
xxxxxxx
Well, here we are, nearly at the end of April. How are you holding up?
Hope you're managing to get out for a walk or some exercise every day. It might not be "normal" but I think this is an amazing opportunity to consider what is "normal" for each of us.
Is it really that daily commute, crushed on public transport or idling the car in endless traffic jams?
Is it really rushing around everywhere without taking time to look at anything around us?
Is it really buying stuff like mad just because we can and with no thought to where it's come from or how it's been manufactured?
Maybe, after this, we make a new "normal"
Taking things a little slower.
Enjoying simpler pleasures and appreciation of the things around us.
Learning a new skill or revisiting a past passion.
There is good in everything, it's just that sometimes it's a little difficult to see it.
May this strange time be a time of renewal for you. A time to reconsider what is important to you.
And a time to think "outside the box" as to what we want our lives to actually be.
Love to you all and to those you love. Stay home, stay safe xxx
April 5 2020 and it feels like April Fool's day has been extended and not in a good way.
If, like me you are unsure how to feel in these mega weird times I just want to tell you that that's ok. The vast majority of us have never been through something like this before and so it's absolutely ok to have wobbly days.
Everybody talks about "taking care of yourself" but what does it mean? And more importantly what does it mean for you in particular?
To have our daily routine so brutally suspended is a shock to the system and it's far too easy to stay in our pyjamas all day binge watching tv. Now there's nothing wrong with that - I've done it several times!!!!! But it's not the only thing.
This enforced isolation is an excellent opportunity to take stock.
Who am I? Who do I want to be? Am I happy? How can I become the best version of me it is possible to be?
Oooh, got a bit existential there!!!!
Anyway, we can use this time, not just to complete that 50,000 piece jigsaw puzzle to to also ponder some of life's bigger questions.
Meditate! There are lots of apps out there and if, like me, you can't sit still for hours on end, many of them are very short and an excellent introduction.
Explore! So many opportunities! Explore online music - opera, jazz, something you don't usually listen to. Explore theatre - lots of companies are putting stuff on Youtube.
Explore faith - notice I said faith not religion as the two are not always the same thing, but absolutely feel free to explore religion if you want to.
Let's use this unusual, unsettling time to grow as human beings.
We have the opportunity to change our world. Let's start now, let's start with each of us as individuals, let's start with us as community wherever we are.
Peace to you all. Stay home, stay safe xxxxxx
Random fact about me - I collect unicorns! Not the fluffy, cutesy kind (although I have those too) but the badass, sophisticated, dangerous looking ones. I've got porcelain ones, glass ones, wooden ones, heraldic ones. All sorts really, bought by me or my friends and family. At least when you collect something nobody is every stuck for a present!
There's something about unicorns that appeals to me.
They are so beautiful and seemingly gentle but are wild and untameable. In fact the only way you can catch a unicorn is for a maiden to sit in a forest and wait for the unicorn to put it's head in her lap. (Oh, so much innuendo in that sentence)
Anyway, the point is that unicorns are special. Outwardly they are all flowing manes and tails with butterflies and magic, but they've also got a deadly pointed horn on their heads. They are wild and magical and beautiful.
Ok, so I know they're not really real, but then I'm not a maiden sitting in a forest so I have zero chance of catching one
Maybe what I like about unicorns is the fact that they appear one way but have a hidden side.