AS WE APPROACH THE SOLSTICE I AM REMINDED THAT THIS YEAR IS COMING TO A CLOSE THANK GOODNESS AND WE CAN ALL GET ON WITH THE NOBLE TASK OF HOPING FOR BETTER AND BRIGHTER THINGS IN 2021. BUT IF THERE IS ONE GOOD THING I AT LEAST CAN TAKE FROM THIS YEAR IS THE GIFT OF TIME. EVEN IF YOU HAD NEVER REALLY STOPPED WORKING DURING THE LOCKDOWN YOU WILL AT LEAST HAVE WITNESSED THE QUIETER STREETS, THE MORE LESIURLEY AMBLINGS AROUND AND GAGGLES OF FAMLIES OUT CYCLING AT LUNCH TIMES. EVEN AS I PASSSED THESE SCENES GOING ABOUT MY CHORES I WAS STRUCK BY THE IDEA OF SLOWING DOWN THE PACE. TAKING TIME FOR SIMPLE THINGS AND EVEN THE TIME TO REFLECT HAS BEEN A GIFT. AND IT LEFT ME WITH 2 REVEALATIONS
 
THE FIRST IS THAT GOOD HEALTHY PRACTICES ARE OUR BEST RESOURCE PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY & EMOTIONALLY. IF THE SCIENCE IS TO BE BELIEVED THEN KEEPING OURSELVES WELL AND IN GOOD CONDITION MAY BE THE BEST THING, THE MOST VALUABLE THING WE CAN DO.
 
AND SECONDLY I HAVE BEEN SURPISED ABOUT HOW MANY GOOD, GREAT AND DOWNRIGHT WONDERFUL THINGS ARE ACCESSIBLE LOCALLY. FARMSHOPS, HERBOLIGISTS, ARTISANS AND MORE BESIDES. THIS YEAR HAS SEEN SO MANY GREAT IDEAS AND PRACTICES COME TO LIGHT ITS CHANGED THE WAY I EVEN THINK ABOUT FINDING SOLUTIONS. TALKING TO PEOPLE MAKES THEIR WIDER KNOWLEDGE AND NETWORKS AVAILABLE TO ME. WHEREAS THE INTERNET NEEDS ME TO BE SPECIFIC, AND WE QUICKLY RELISE THE SEPERATION THAT OCCURS WHEN WE SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE OR WORSE TRY TO TRANSLATE AN IDEA. BUT A PERSON RESPONDS MORE DYNAMICALLY. INTUITIVELY, ITS IN THEIR NATURE.
 
THE NATURAL JUICE COMPANY ISNT NEW. THEY’VE BEEN AROUND FOR 10 YEARS GIVE OR TAKE. BUT ITS CLEAR FORM THE FIRST GLANCE THAT FOUNDER ROSIE IS SERIOUS ABOUT HIGH QUALITY AND KEEPING THINGS AS CLOSE TO NATURE AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE NEVER SPOKEN BEFORE BUT IT WAS IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS FROM HER FIRST EMAIL THAT WE WOULD GET ON. THEIR IS SO MUCH WE SHARE IT WAS CLEAR WE SIMPLY HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO BRING OUR WORK TOGETHER.

AND THEN THAT’S WHEN IT HAPPENED!

That moment, you know, that moment an idea takes hold. A new idea. So clear, so simple it’s almost embarrassing why I hadn’t seen it before. Then the voice. Oh come on, you know the voice! The one that says. I’ve been telling you that for years! And the realisation that I’ve allowed being busy to get in the way of being me. In the moment. It was clear. There are so many people I want to speak with. I see so many people in the course of my work. I hear so many inspiring stories of their lives, challenges, businesses and interests. The experiences and ideas that reside inside the minds of these people are the things that inspire. They inspire me to seek further. And in that moment the LIKE MINDS SERIES became a THING.

Right now I’m not sure where its going or what its for. Right now it exists because all the things that I experienced in 2020 gave rise to an idea. That like minded people also enjoy inspiration. And that inspiration can be found in doing good things to help people navigate the noise and connect with the things that really matter. Not just the things that matter to large and faceless industries or political movements but the things that make us inherently human.

Life itself is a mystery we are still trying to unravel. We stand at an opportunity to level up our thinking. Adjust our mindset. Is it really about earning a living, or are we already alive? If so what are we earning? Is value more richly saturated by living well? How are other people choosing to redress the balance of living life? We are already living in impossible times. The things we are experiencing right now have only existed in scary stories and estimated projections. We’ve never seen this before. But here it is. In the strangest way this gives me immense hope. Immense inspiration that our world can be a most beautiful, wondrous and joyful place to be. The only thing i see that makes a difference is choice.

In that moment I chose to find Like Minds.