Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature.
It's quite cool up here on Dartmoor but the sun is out and I'm just watching the sheep graze all around me.
I've come up a hill and just enjoying the views and happy that it's not raining on me at the moment,
Which is always good news.
And today's reflection came about with a friend who asked me to read a draft of a book that she'd written.
And I respect this friend hugely and I was absolutely delighted to help her out.
As you know I've been writing up my pilgrimage book and I've just sent that off to somebody to help me edit and make sure it reads okay.
So I had a bit of space and time on my hands and I thought yeah I'd really like to read her book.
And as I was reading her book,
And she writes really well,
She's a clear writer,
Makes things very simple,
There was something niggling as I was reading it and I began to realise that there was something missing.
Now whilst I'm really keen to read a book and I'm really happy to give my opinion or reflections and feedback,
I'm not a skilled editor.
It's a real skill to be an editor to actually pinpoint how things might be shifted and changed to make them better.
So I'm not able to do that on a micro level.
And I had a conversation with my husband because he knows this friend as well and I said there's something not quite right with this book and I want to talk it through with you so I can give the best possible feedback I can to my friend.
And as we talked what became clear was that this friend who is quite unassuming,
She's an older woman,
Very wise,
Very knowledgeable,
Credible in her world of expertise.
I realised that there was very little in this book about her.
This was a book that she was sharing about a subject area she was passionate about.
And I also knew,
And the reader wouldn't know this,
But I knew that she had been involved in a huge number of projects,
Community projects,
Small projects,
Large projects,
She'd taken the lead,
She'd made them happen.
And the book would have really benefited from knowing about that,
Knowing about her life,
Knowing about the stories that she'd experienced in her life making things happen.
And that was kind of the subject area of the book,
So it would have fitted in beautifully,
Which is about taking action.
And I began to realise that probably what I was reading was something that was playing down,
Kind of covering up the skills,
The credibility,
Her involvement,
The actions she's taken in life.
And I wanted,
I just wanted as a reader to hear it.
It felt that if she had spoken about what she'd done,
How she'd done it,
How vulnerable she'd felt at different times,
I would be completely absorbed in her story.
But instead,
As the reader,
I wasn't really clear on the things that she'd done,
And it was almost like these were the vehicle to engage me to also take action.
And it just got me reflecting really,
And it was another conversation in the week.
I'm part of another group.
In this group,
We look at exploring the inside out,
Understanding in communities.
And there's been a request that one of the people speak about her work in community.
And I realised I needed to say to her,
Look,
Please do not underplay what you've done,
That you've got a huge amount of experience.
We can learn a lot from you.
This is about you stepping into what you've done.
It's not about showing off or blowing your trumpet or trying to be a hero or stepping into your ego.
It's nothing like that.
It's just about being honest with what you've accomplished,
What you've done,
And letting us know the journey you've travelled so we can learn from what you've done.
So today's five minutes in nature is all about honouring your journey,
Speaking about it with authenticity.
It's about challenging you if sometimes you hide what you do.
Sometimes I hear my friends say,
Oh,
I'm just a mother,
Or I'm just a carer,
Or I'm just this,
I'm just that.
It's like,
No,
That is an incredibly important role.
And sharing that can inspire others just because you are sharing your journey,
Your story,
Your challenges,
And how you take the next step in life.
So today is just a reminder to look at your life,
Be authentic,
To accept and step into that which you have done and are doing,
And to share it appropriately with people so that you shine your light into the world rather than cover it up.
I look forward to connecting with you again tomorrow for another Five Minutes in Nature.
