Reflections in the sun
Freelancing in a pickle, pear-shaped brains and the spring sun.
It turns out ‘it can’t rain all the time’, which is a line from the 1994 film, The Crow. And it’s true, it can’t. Though the first part of 2026 was met with a lot of rain here In the UK. By a lot, I mean it rained every day since New Year’s Day. Now it’s March and the warm sun has shown its face for the first time and I kind of feel reborn and awake again.
Spring = new start
Spring always heralds a new start for me anyway, but in particular my mental health took a severe nose dive over the past couple of weeks. I was in a pickle. Various factors contributed to it all and it all got a bit much. Even freelance life, with all it’s freedoms comes with it’s ups and downs. I always feel that there’s a lot resting on my shoulders and never really have time off to think and feel. I’m very guilty of not turning off. My brain is always on, which is always a problem. But sometimes I recognise I do need to take my foot of the accelerator.
This time around, I retreated as best I could from life’s stresses, to get myself ok and I’m pleased to say I’m feeling more Pete again. It’s obviously a good feeling. As spring brings an awakening to the world with the sun, as does getting out the other side of a mental health episode. It’s like coming up for air from a murky depth of water to bask in the suns rays again.
Free at last
Still, when you’re stuck in a mental health funk it’s hard to see a way out. So much so I nearly cancelled an event I was guest speaking at because I didn’t think I would be able to do it. The talk and mini workshop was held at the Arts University here in Plymouth. It was there I originally cut my teeth in the world of creativity, though when I went there it was still a college. Deep down, I didn’t want to miss it. To go back and give a talk as an alumni and help inspire students would obviously be an amazing and rewarding feat. So, I gave myself some time and thankfully I was well enough to do the talk in the end.
The day was warm and I sat in a window with the sun literally on my shoulders as I gave a talk. After the talk had finished I left room feeling super energised, mainly because my presentation went well, but also because the sun was beaming on my face. On my walk back to the bus stop home, I felt well and truly free. Free from worry and free from the confusion of what was bothering me these past couple of weeks.
Reflecting on the sun
Reflecting on this now, a day on from my talk and two weeks since my brain went pair shaped, I’m reminded with the call of spring, that it can’t rain all the time.
Whether it’s metaphorical rain that exists in your head or physical rain from the sky, it’s important to keep little spots of sunshine close by when you need them most, particularly for the metaphorical. Friends and family can be a great tonic of vitamin D for the soul, and certainly helped me out massively this time round. Time to myself also contributed. Just enough to clear my head and get my brain firing right again. Time is a great healer, as they say.
Thanks for reading. Pete :)