Two years ago I didn't
know anything about Mallorca. It was just that Spanish island which was colder
than Tenerife. I've no memory of it but
my parents took me on holiday to the island when I was 18 months old and it
snowed! I've got a picture of me looking like a Sherpa.
As for the notorious beach
resort, Magaluf, which every Brit seems to have heard of, I genuinely thought
it was in Greece.
It was quite something then, to see myself in the Majorca Daily Bulletin. A whole page, no less,
talking about my writing journey.
I mean, I knew it was going to be in there,
I'd had an interview with writer and photographer, Vicki Mcleod, but still...
from not knowing anything about Mallorca to being in the local paper introducing my new book set on the same island, well, it felt like quite a leap! You can read the article, Growing up a Writer, on Mallorca Matters.
Another funny thing is
that before we decided to move to Mallorca I'd googled bloggers on the island.
I'd come across Vicki's blog and had written to her, hungry for insight.
'I hope you're well. This is
a random email from a London-based (half Spanish, half Welsh!) blogger
and author, thinking of moving to Mallorca! Do you get many of these emails?!'
She had replied that she
got at least one mail like that a week. It made me laugh when I found it in my inbox. I also felt
pleased, and proud, that it hadn't just ended up being another wishful thinking query; that we had actually thrown caution to the wind and moved.
As I often do, in my
quest for balance and happiness, I've started a new routine. I think it might
just be my best yet. Although the papers talk of 'packed beaches and gridlock',
I've discovered that at 8.30 in the morning my local beach is virtually empty. There are just some happy looking older people
who walk up and down in the shallow water, gossiping together.
I walk down to the
beach, with pillow marks still on my face, put my snorkel mask on and submerge
myself in the cool water. I swim with the fish for half an hour. I don't try to
carve out lengths, I just swim wherever I fancy. I also do what one of my
characters does in The Hen Party - if I see rubbish, I'll dive for it. After
that, I'll scribble in a notebook while I dry up, and then I head home to work.
The other day I landed
on someone's Instagram profile and his description said: There's nothing wrong with Monday, it's your life that sucks. It definitely
feels like half the world spends a lot of time dreading the coming week, which
seems pretty sad!
Not everyone has been
so lucky in where they were born and what choices they have as I have been. But
then there are other times, when you can't even imagine that your life could be
different. If you aren't happy, you could start by formulating what it is you
think might make you happy. Though I
only got to know Mallorca very recently, I know this outdoor lifestyle was the
one I had my heart set on since I was a little girl.
Perhaps life change can
only happen when you take a moment to visualise it. A little change to your morning
routine might make a world of difference.
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