‘Sharing stories is what makes us human.’ (Zeus)

 Do you remember as a child feeling the joyous comfort and escapism of being told a bedtime story? I always remember sitting on my dad’s knee as a little girl while he read story after story from the old worn copy of Brother Grimm Fairy Tales. My imagination would go wild and I really treasured that quality time with my dad. One thing I started doing is listening to audiobooks. I do this to try and help me fall asleep. I have suffered from bad insomnia for many years and some nights it is frustrating and upsetting. The audiobooks I download are stories that I have physically read many times before. They are stories that are part of me, stories I love that have I taken with me throughout my life journey so far. I listen to them to help me fall asleep. They take my mind away from any stresses and because I know what happens I do not need to fully engage with the story or try to stay awake to hear what happens. The stories I listen to are gentle and reflective. I do not to listen to anything that has violence or murder etc in it. Instead, I listen to wholesome, classics such as Black Beauty, Little Women, The Secret Garden (and the short stories of Oscar Wilde are also firm favourites.) Often before I know it I am sound asleep! If any of you have problems with sleeping I would highly recommend listening to audiobooks.

I have started making a conscious effort recently to write letters to people. I feel letter writing is a dying art. Composing a meaningful letter, spending the time writing it and sending it is almost becoming a thing of the past. Texts, emails, skype chats and face timing are good things at keeping people in contact but I really believe that taking the time, care and love to hand write and post a letter to a friend can mean a great deal more.