Be Strong. Have Courage. Don't lose hope.
Throughout my life I have collected a number of different mantras. Holding on to them, chewing them over, letting them sink in and become a familiar space I can return to when times are difficult. They have ranged from the ancient Persian adage “This too shall pass” to the not quite as ancient Yorkshire adage “It’ll be reyt”. I have a band on my arm that reads “It’s ok not to be ok. Have hope.” I even have ‘Romans 8:28’ as a tattoo on my arm, a reminder of hope and promises. These small soundbites have been markers on my journey, helping me to be grounded in times of chaos. They have been the words that have helped me to stop, collect myself, and carry on when everything else cries out to give up. You will all probably be aware of the second lockdown on the horizon in England, the unsettling uncertainty that it brings. I have done the very British thing of having it as one of the three key points of conversation with people I have spoken to this week (the other two being “Isn’t it