Watermelon Monthly Wrap #2
It is so beautiful to watch the leaves turn, change colour and drop from the trees. The colours are astaunding and always captivating in their vibrancy and so many diverse shapes and tones…A metaphor for life, that everything is constantly in motion and things are always evolving and changing. This is why clinging to anything, makes no sense…
This was in Finsbury park on the 15th of October.
The last of the outdoor pic nics, until next year probably!
Hello Sweet WatermelonZ,Another month done, just as the leaves fall of the trees, we fall into fall.
October has been a month of change, working through physical pain, managing strong reactions and feeling the feelings that come with transitional times.
A lot of people I love are going through hard things. It felt like a challenging month in many ways but also a sort of rebirth.
LISTENING
As many of you know, I have been suffering with bad period pains. This podcast, has made me feel so seen.
I heard about Maise Hill’s book “Period Power” (which I haven’t read yet), a long time ago and I had no idea she also had a podcast by the same name, following on from her book. Her voice is grounding and wise. Everything she says helps. From making sense of the science behind periods to understanding the emotions that go with the hormonal changes. I was going to say, this is for the people who menstruate but actually, no, this is for everyone. If you’ve got someone in your life who menstruates then it is well worth understanding more. We don’t speak about it enough and I think we need to break through the stigma and the shame connected with it. Here are three of my favourite episodes. I couldn’t just pick one!
GRATITUDE
For October, I want to express gratitude toward my health and my body, for keeping going despite difficulty, hard workouts, sore periods and challenging work days. I am so happy and grateful to be able bodied and to able to do what I love every day.
READING
Last month I read Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn reccomended to me by many, it did not disappoint, loved it.
A beautiful tender, loving, raw representation of love.
Natasha does not just interview people about romantic love. This book includes so many different takes on what love is. Love for family, love for our friends, love for our work, love for life. I loved reading all the different perspectives from great therapists, love experts and writers like Susan Quilliam, Esther Perel, Dolly Alderton, Ariel Levy, Alain de Botton and many more enriching recounts, each bringing to the table their own singular and revelatory perspective.
TASTING
My food highlights from the month:
Homemade Ottolenghi auberigines with pomogranate, curried yogurt, caramelised onion & herbs
Bewliehill Bowl of goodness (currently bowl 6) with cabbage, pumpkin, lots of veg, boiled egg to top it off
Decaf oat Cappuccino with flour-less chocolate cake from the 31st of Oct (my last day eating sugar for a while!) I enjoyed every bite from Gail’s
Homemade oat and nut granola with Yogurt and raspberries, one of my favourite snacks in Oct for when I’m on the go
EVENT OF THE MONTH
Seeing Joanne McNally at the Apollo in Hammersmith. I have witnessed Joanne’s career soaring and my first time seeing her there was 60 people about 6 years ago, now she is filling 5,000 people venues! Incredible to watch her progress and work so hard. In Dublin she played 62 shows in one venue alone. Vicar Street. What an amazing woman!
I went with my friend Deborah who is also a fan of the pod and we laughed and laughed the whole way through!
PIECE OF THE WEEK
This piece above is from Jack Kornfield’s “A Path With Heart” a stunning book that for me represents a reminder be kind, compassionate and mindful. I like to remind myself of this metta meditation as often as I can and send love to those around me by re-framing “may I” to “may you”… I hope you find it helpful.
Thanks for reading. What do you feel grateful for? What did you enjoy last month?
Email me or DM me to let me know last week’s highlights.
Instagram @ Watermelon_Fitness_And_Yoga
Email @ watermelonfitness2020@gmail.com
Power to you,
Romana x
