Me Day
I woke up today, (Sunday) with the realisation that this would be my first real day off in over 3 weeks. There was no to-do list for the day, or show to make it to, there wasn't even the need to leave the house, for once. This would be my first day since before Christmas, where I didnt have a relative or deadline to meet. It was time for a "Me day".
Over the holidays, I was joined in London by my Grandmother and cousin; catching up over red wine (not by the glass but by the carafe!), touring the city, and cooking multi-course meals for my guests! I wouldn't change a second of it - save for the fact that 2 days after their departure came the whirlwind that is Men's Fashion Week.
Coming off a busy holiday, and straight into fashion week with no downtime before or during was no easy feat. Add that to the subzero temperatures, London Tube Strike and my penchant for forgetting to eat during fashion week and you've got the recipe for the #FashionFlu. A unique strain of the Flu, which plagued most of the London Fashion community, and came with the added bonus of dehydration in my case.
Each season, I tell myself quality over quantity and this year I actually listened. For London Fashion Week Men (Which I covered in depth for Candid Magazine and will be covering *lightly* here) I was super selective about which shows I attended, and said no to my share of after-parties. There comes a time when hanging out with one's friends or alone in one's bed is more important than party #898475 in an abandoned warehouse with sponsored vodka. And yet, I found myself sicker than I've ever been on the final day of shows.
Out on my Me Day
The truth is, the run down had begun long before the shows. And it all stemmed from not listening to the voice in my head, intuition. Yes my own little Jiminy Crickett, was right there all along - telling me NOT to watch that 3rd episode of The Crown before bed. Telling me to zip up my coat. Telling me to swap out my G&T for a water. But I pushed on, ignoring the voice. My intuition and I used to get on just fine. My mind was clear, I would meditate and the right answer would always present itself. Lately under the hum (nb: constant noise) of the city, and with barely any downtime my intuition has been reduced to a quiet whisper. A whisper I barely listen to anymore.
As I lay in my bed with the flu for two days, I craved one thing ... chocolate. A chocolate craving is quite strange for me as I rarely eat anything sweet. I told myself no, surely chocolate would make this already dire situation worse. Later while googling "Get over the Flu Fast", I found that cocoa has been proven to cut a Cold/Flu's duration by two days. When I returned to work and recounted my tales to coworkers I was met with even more advocacy for the medicinal powers of chocolate. According to one of my coworker's doctors, "Whenever your body craves chocolate - you should have some. the body knows what it needs."
In the interests of keeping things light and not too far from fashion, chocolate is one of the more trivial (but very real!) examples of listening to one's intuition I can provide, there have of course been situations related to health, home life and work that could have been avoided altogether had I just listened to that voice. But that's as cryptic as we'll get :)
NOW enjoy this gorgeous instagram-worthy grid of pics I took on today's walk.
As a mid-Jan resolution, I am resolving to listen to my intuition more, and to slow down so I can hear it better, in the first place. This week was the first of my new resolve, and while the temptations (and offers) to go for drinks or head out over the weekend came fast and furious, I declined. This morning when I woke up (alarm clock less!), it felt good to not have squeezed in a photo shoot, or crazy adventure and just have a "Me day". There was much Netflix in the morning, and when I started feeling hungry I made my way towards Columbia Road Flower Market had a grilled cheese, bought a cotton/pussy willow bouquet and headed back home. Just a 7-minute walk from my house, it was a welcome respite from my usual frenetic pace. And of course, what did I do with all that extra time? sort my clothes, work on my editorial calendar, cook and write this post. Until next time.
