Slow down and watch what this is REALLY about.
This month started off really well. Back in January I was named in the f;entrepreneur top 100 female entrepreneurs across the UK and for International Woman’s day I was invited to the house of lords for a celebration of female entrepreneurship. There were four of us from Northern Ireland and it was a huge honour to be named alongside Amanda Sloan of Thankful Cow Solutions, Virginia Mendez Meson from the Feminist Shop and Juls Abernethy from The Body Retreat, The funny thing is I’m from Scotland, Amanda’s from Canada and Virginia is from Spain, the only true Norn Irn one amongst us (Juls) actually lives in Devon!
It was a great day of celebration and networking, I met some amazing women and it was really nice to meet up with Camille Pearson a fellow float centre owner from Brighton, delighted to see our wee industry being so well represented!
In September last year I had the absolute pleasure of being introduced to the most amazing bunch of women who were exploring the idea of starting a new network. Through open and honest discussion we wanted to provide a space for women from all over the world with a whole host of backgrounds and lifestyle directions and choices. In January 2020 JoinHer was born and we launched and held our first event in the Merchant hotel Belfast, Champagne reception, Polish/Scottish/Irish/Bollywood dancers, XFactor singers and a chance to take part in a Board Room apprentice session, all in all a fantastic night.
Well March has indeed lived up to its name. Historically, planting and war go hand in hand in March. Named for the Roman god of War, Mars, March became a time when armies began to march again and farmers tilled their soil. While farming and the military have both dramatically changed since Roman times, March and spring still holds a power over both of them and none more so than this year.
It is with Military stealth this awful COVID19 has swept across the globe knowing no boundaries in its path. How it arrived, what it is hiding, who started it, what caused it are some of questions asked with many conspiracy and abject misery theories to answer these but the fact remains, we are in times of great uncertainty and no one knows what the future holds. Lots of events, conferences, and annual gatherings cancelled with St Patricks Day losing its usual glitz and glamour
March is the month of spring and with it comes a lot of activity in nature. Birds migrate. Animals begin to mate. Plants begin to grow. Even the full moon gets involved. The full moon in March is called the Worm Moon. It earns this name because of all the insects beginning to hatch.
This March will see so many new beginnings all around the world., families everywhere are being forced to spend time together, people who have been lost to the work place are starting to life their heads and realise life is passing us by every day.
So if you are self isolating or are being forced to spend your time doing something other than your usually daily routine take that time to reflect on what you have to be grateful for, what and who means the most to you and most importantly who are you without all your usual daily demands. I’ve been reflecting on what the next few weeks/months may mean to me and how fortunate I am to be surrounded by people who genuinely care, from the messages asking how I am to the random acts of kindness I see all around me, I am realising what’s important and who actually gives a shit!
In Italy they are seeing Dolphins and Swans return to the many canals of Venice, what are the things that are right in front of you that you sometimes don’t see or have discouraged from coming close … what would you welcome the return of and how can you bring it back by simply slowing down and becoming aware
Keep well, keep safe but most importantly keep in touch.
