A personal share, as we start the new year 💌
Hello friends, from a rainy day on Exmoor!
I hope you’re having a happy start to your 2023, however it’s looking right now. I hope you got to take some time out to rest, to celebrate, and to acknowledge all that last year held for you and for us.
Over the holidays I visited my family in West Wales and in South Devon, and then hosted loved ones here at the lodge with my partner for New Years (that's all of us in the photo!). It was so cosy and sweet. We are blessed to have a new baby in our family, Ceyln (meaning ‘Holly’ in Welsh). He is bringing so much joy to us all... Time with him honestly feels MEDICINAL. It is!!
Since everyones gone home I’ve been easing back into work, preparing for upcoming shoots, writing, and completing work on Decembers photos. In the quiet of the house, I’ve also been making some space to reflect on the year gone, and to feel into what I’m desiring now, for myself, my family, my work and the world.
(Nisha Moodleys incredible annual workshop Envision really helped with that! I checked with her team and it's still available to purchase as a replay till Friday, I highly recommend if you'd love some soulful, gentle, wise council as you reflect, and space held for you to dream and plan into your 2023!)
While I love to set intentions and goals at this time of year, I’m also holding them with a lightness. Life brought a lot of opportunities to recalibrate to changing circumstances lately. Also, I REALLY don't feel like a whole year has passed since we were last celebrating New Years!!? So many of my projects and plans for last year are still in progress!!
As I look back on this past 12 months, I’m so thankful to all the amazing people I’ve had the joy of working with this past year around the UK, Ireland and Italy. THANK YOU to the returning clients - it’s a real honour to get to document your journey over these years in this crazy world together - as well as new clients, I'm so grateful for your trust in me. I love getting to know you and hold, share & connect with the soul of your work. Photographing you in all your beauty, wonder & power is my joy. (If you'd love to have magnetic new brand photography this year, book in a call here!)
I also look back happily on our second full year at the lodge in this river valley, and at this beautiful land… the view from our windows a work of art that changes in colour & mood every day, the River Barle transforming from an alarming torrent in the winter to a sky mirror in Summer I like to float in, the glittering starry nights, the home we've made for gathering loved ones, the enchanting calls of owls on the roof that weave into my dreams, the moss-on-moss-on-moss, the mud on my boots that remind me of here wherever I go, and all this beauty I longed to live amongst.
And… I’m feeling a new adventure stirring… a desire to be amongst more humanactivity, and to be even closer to some of my family.
It would feel strange to talk about the year gone without sharing something very personal that’s happened in our family. In early September, my lovely Mum Alisurvived an acute Stroke. She is doing well, and is on a steady journey of recovery, absolutely determined to make the best recovery possible for her. It was very frightening at the time, a huge and terrible shock that none of us expected which we are of course still coming to terms with. Mercifully, her cognition is unaffected, although she has been impacted physically on her left side. She is constantly working to regain movement & get her brain talking to her body again, one day at a time.
Recovery from stroke is a monumental undertaking (as you may know). What were once simple, everyday tasks can now literally feel like an extreme sport to her. It's incredibly humbling to witness Mamas journey (and the impact of Stroke on many other women at the hospital while she was there). She has made huge, meaningful progress so far. There is a long way to go, and she IS going there.
I'm beyond proud of her for how she's dealing with all of this; her courage to face every day with a fierce commitment to her healing and her freedom, her total drive to meet her edges in physical-therapy sessions whenever possible (rather than going for the safer, easier option), her tenacity, her strength of spirit, her sense of humour. I'm so grateful for the laughter & the silliness we share, the tears & the realness. It’s absolutely not easy, but she's fighting, and we are all so lucky to share this life with her.
Below, I am posting some links to info and resources I have found helpful as I’ve been learning more about Stroke and recovery, as well as a few personal notes from my experience I felt called to share. Strokes are so much more common than I realised, and I now recognise it’s really important to be informed about them. While I pray you'll never need this information, the faster you can notice when they’re happening and act, the better a persons chances of survival and recovery.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read.
May your 2023 be a year of joy & connection… of aligned expansion & beautiful visibility in your business… creative inspiration, meaning-making, and tender, loving moments with the ones who matter most.
With much love.
— Becky
P.S. My mum isn't on social media these days, but if you'd like me to pass on a message of encouragement to her, you're so welcome to message me.
Resources & Learnings following my Mamas stroke
1. Know what the symptoms of Stroke are. The F.A.S.T. test can help you recognise the most common signs: Facial weakness, arm weakness, speech problems. Call 999 if you see any of these signs. Learn more here.
2. We truly never know when something like this could happen to us or someone we care about. Make the most of the time you have now with the ones you love. Let them know what they mean to you. Make happy memories together now, so you'll always have something to smile and laugh about when harder times come. Do the things you talk about doing together sooner than later. Have the adventures. Make the recordings. Take the photos. Write the letters. Ask the questions. Make the move. Follow the callings of your heart.
3. Unfortunately, Strokes are common, and they can occur at any age. Apparently a quarter of Strokes happen to people who are under the age of 65. The cause of a Stroke can be linked to lifestyle factors, but is not always known. (Mama still doesn't know the cause of hers.) We can lower our risk by getting our blood pressure & cholesterol levels checked & monitored, and take any warning signs we notice seriously. Don't brush off any potential strokes symptoms you see or experience, as they can be a warning for the occurrence of a mini-stroke or full stroke, and help you act quickly. Find out more about the symptoms here.
4. Every stroke is different and affects people in different ways. Because the blockage or haemorrhage that causes Stroke occurs in the brain (and every brain is wired differently), every stroke is unique, as are the effects for survivors.
5. Call your doctors surgery to make sure that if it was ever needed, they've got your permission to give a hospital access to your medical records, as well as current/past medication, to avoid any delays in receiving medication or treatment in hospital if needed.
6. Books & podcasts. I found this book 'Healing the Broken Brain' very enlightening. It explains what Strokes are, research on the Stroke recovery journey and more, in an easy to understand, informative Q&A style. I also found listening to Stroke survivors stories on this podcast useful, inspiring, eye opening & humbling.