It’s all too easy to get down in the dumps these days, don’t you find? Every which way we turn, there seems to be a new challenge, a new pressure or a new problem to navigate. It’s really easy to become overwhelmed.
The easing of lockdown has meant many different things to me. I love my work and have enjoyed getting back into the swing of magazine production. Juggling that with a tireless 5 year old (seriously, she has the stamina of an Olympian) has, however, got me down from time to time. We recently took some time out as a family to escape in our caravan to mid-Wales. It wasn’t anything fancy and I couldn’t take a shower for 3 days, but as we sat together as a family beneath a canopy of stars, toasting marshmallows on our campfire, listening to the nighttime sounds of the countryside I thought: This is it. This is life. This is bloody wonderful. I’m so lucky.
That feeling lead me to wanting to inject some upbeat vibes and positivity into the experience of reading this month’s Focus. It’s easy to get sucked into the narrative of doom and gloom but when you stop and look closely, I’m pretty sure you’ll find there’s a lot to celebrate and there’s a lot to be thankful for. That’s why I’ve called this month’s feature ‘Life’s a Gift’ and invited our columnists, business owners and contributors to tell us what that means to them. Hopefully it will inspire you to evaluate your own life and celebrate those small (and large) aspects of it that bring joy and contentment.
There’s lots more to enjoy in August’s Focus, so get stuck in and enjoy the read!