Firstly, hello! I feel the need to reintroduce myself after ten years of growth, lived experiences and meaningful introspection that has reshaped who I am today. The version of me who published her first blog in 2016 was simply an earlier chapter of a much longer, beautiful story.
Returning to my previous posts both seen and unseen fills me with a quiet tenderness for who I once was and the vulnerability and bravery that she held. The thought of experiencing amnesia today feels me with fear.
But, so much has happened in a decade.
For starters, I am nearly 30. A fact that feels mildly unjust when I’m only able to recall ten years (this was somehow both expected and completely unfair in my opinion)!!! But here we are….
Eventually, somewhere along the way, I finally married my best friend Rich (third time was a charm - thanks Covid!) and we’re trying (trying being the key word!!) to raise our two precious boys - our amazing Hughie who made me a mum and our wonderful Ralphie who is growing with me as a mum. I feel blessed to be able to experience the world as it’s narrated through their eyes; as though the childhood memories I lost are being gently restored through them.
I spend much of my time wrapped up in my family, loving them beyond what words allow. They carry me through life’s challenges, and I feel deeply fortunate to have my brothers, nieces and nephew, mum and dad, and the wider family I do.
My health remains a quiet companion, steadied by medication and sometimes sensitive to stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol or just to remind me my brain still flies in different directions. Pregnancy brought a few worrying moments that meant A&E resus visits and emergency medication, but they are now another part of the story we made it through.
If you passed me on the street, I’d likely look like any other mum, a little overstimulated and doing her best to stay afloat. But beneath that ordinary surface are the moments that have quietly formed who I am today.
There have been hard days, heavy days, and days filled with “why me?” But I’ve learned that living in the unanswered questions only keeps you stuck.
Ten years ago, I wrote to release what I was feeling. Today, I write with perspective and more confidence in who I’ve become.
So this is me ten years later. A little older, wrinklier and tired, but enjoying every second of the life I’ve made. Let’s turn over the page and see what the next chapter has in store…
As always, thanks for reading x
