Selfcare At Its Finest

As this email is winging its way to your collective inboxes I will be participating in a sort of milestone / landmark event.

It's virtual, participants are located all around the world, it's a strenuous workout for the mind, body and soul and I'm chuffed to bits to be invited to it!!!

Any ideas?

I'll give you a clue, it started with the pandemic and many others are holding similar events ....

I am attending a weekly quiz, held by a group of friends that have held this virtual event each and every week since this time last year, 2020. This group of friends have known each other for at least 30 years or so, if not longer in many cases. Some have children, some don't, some have been married or together since the early years, some have had seperations, some have dogs, cats and horses and some don't. Some are in IT, some are in marketing, some are entrepreneurs, some have part-time jobs, some are heading up billion dollar organizations, some are not.

But they've remained friends through it all.

I know one of them, initially through my old corporate life but we've remained friends since and I know this group of friends to a lesser and greater degree through various dinner parties etc when I lived in the UK.

Since lockdown went into effect in England March 2020 they've held a zoom quiz each Friday night at 8.00pm, taking it in turns to host the questions, some of them getting together when lockdown was lifted in the summer, but each week they've faithfully turned up. There are participants in England, The Hague and Australia and myself in States although I've been dipping in only occassionally by special invite :-)

This is their annual anniversary, celebration, landmark, whatever you want to call it. I call it self-care at its finest! Some members may think I'm talking twaddle by saying that, but my goodness during this dreadful, dreadful year just knowing that every Friday night you can see your lovely friends, not be forced to make conversation, because none is needed, but making a virtual, human connection with people you've known for centuries? Testing your brain on interesting and sometime not so interesting topics, getting your competitive juices fired up, having a wee cockatil or three? I'd say that could be a life-saver.

I think it's brilliant. 

To mark the occassion everyone has dressed up. I am wearing my dressing gown because a) it's 4.00pm for me and b) my dressing gown, as you well know is a silk and velvet confection and looks like I've "dressed up" anyway!

I am honoured to be invited and I will let you know how my friend and I do. The last time we got together for this I believe we won, the quiz gods were smiling on us that Friday. But wherever we place I shall raise my cup of tea in toast to friendship and self-care at its finest.

Stay Well, Stay Positive, Stay Safe - Sophie