January 28 2021
Causeway Coast
Charity AWARE
Swim Distance 1.3km
THANK YOU FOR CONTINUALLY SHARING AND DONATING. Donations now over the £6900 mark!
AWARE NI https://aware-ni.org/
Find Your Moon! The moon moves in cycles, it does not and cannot light the darkness all the time but when it does we need to take advantage of it because there will be other times that it is not there to light our way and we must again rely on ourselves and trust our instincts to keep going and move forward through the darkness. I think that accepting this is key to accepting that life has good times and it also has not so good times but we need to create anchors for ourselves that keep us going and grounded so that we can attempt to maintain a steady level of happiness regardless of what the elements are throwing at us. I refer to this as YOUR MOON!
It might be exercise, it might be gardening, it might be anything at all but I believe you need to find Your Moon and use it to your advantage to light your way through life. By embracing something it will likely take your mind and imagination away and open doors to opportunity and experience. I am a big believer in the outdoors and I think it is so important in grounding us. I strongly recommend that you find Your Moon outdoors through pursuing something there. And it costs virtually nothing but time!
Your Moon is a constant in life, yes it goes through cycles and at times will light your path better than others but its always there and will come back even when it disappears from sight.
At times we persevere through pitch black but those times never last if we try our very best to keep our head above water and not get swamped in everything that comes at us out of the dark. It's easier said than done I know, but if you are reading this believe me if you can break what you are facing down into smaller bite size chunks and chip away at it whilst the brightness of the moon comes and goes, I believe you will be able to help yourself in some way.
Something as simple as creating a reason for you to put down whatever you are doing, even for a moment or two, and go outdoors everyday will most likely lift your mood. I'm not one for going to the gym and lifting weights or doing exercise without a reason, I like or maybe need a goal to work to or something to be training for. It is a great motivator. Try it for yourself, before long you will be getting up and out chasing that goal down, it could move to become more of a priority than some of the things in life that maybe aren't that good and it will breathe all sorts of goodness into you.
Last night was beautiful. Almost like the reward for the bitter cold chaos of some of last weeks swims. Sometimes we have to persevere through the chaos and at some point the night brightens. Last night was so bright it was like there was a subdued day light out among the waves, like a filter over a light bulb.
I was not solely reliant on sound and the oceans movement to find my way last night, as I have been for numerous nights when the moon was not there. I could actually see very clearly, which kinda defeats the purpose of swim through darkness you might say, but no, that's not the case. Just like the lives we are living, even in the darkness there are moments of light and its those moments of light we have to find and when we do we need to embrace them!
Thank you to Laura Montgomery @lgmonties for support last night. Please be sure that whatever you are doing or that you take on in life to do so responsibly and take adequate precaution to prevent any harm coming to you or others!
Please if you are reading these blogs, use what I am doing to stay motivated. Keep active, get outdoors if you can and if you cant, open a window at the very least. The outdoors and exercise are great distractions from the world we are living through at the minute. I found a great resource that I think might be of interest to anyone who for some reason maybe cant get outdoors at the minute. Its called BBC Soundscape and you can listen to all sorts of sounds from the outdoors. Take a listen, it might be of use and or help during these times. https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/soundscapesforwellbeing/
Remember to look at yourself and those around you for signs that may be of concern. Here is a link to some of the things to look out for on the AWARE website....
Info - I am swimming a total of 100km through the darkness, in the darkest and coldest months of the year off the North Coast of Ireland. My aim...to inspire those who may be struggling in dark times to keep going. I also aim to raise awareness and funds for the depression Charity Aware. We all face dark times in life at some point and it can be extremely overwhelming.
Safety - Please don't think that because I am doing this that you too should do this or something similar. I am very experienced in the sea with knowledge that is only gained through many years of exposure to the sea in all her moods. I have a safety and location system in place including continual contact with people on land every time I swim.
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