Sky

Sky,

Your memory will always stay with me - the bright moments you brought to my life, the way you lived so genuinely. You were always full of spirit, fun and virtue. Stubborn in the best possible way, and always pushing me to be better and to care more deeply.

Everything feels darker without you. Yet somehow, your brightness still manages to shine through when I think about you, the adventures we had, I laugh remembering your cheeky ways, then tears come as I realise all over again that you're gone.

We all go through hard times. You knew that well. When things seemed hopeless and we felt alone, you showed me that together, we could get through even the toughest moments. The darkness I'm facing now you're gone is bringing up old wounds. But you taught me that we're stronger when we stand together. This lesson from you, Sky, I'll never forget. "One becomes many, many become whole" - I will get through by connecting, and caring as deeply as you always did.

Your loving heart continues to teach me, even though you're gone I can almost feel you nudging me forward, encouraging me to find light even in these darkest days. You are truly loved and will always be remembered with a smile.

Maggie 

Pippy Longstocking One and Two

Pippy Longstocking standing alone,

Without Pippy two to wander and roam.

Your laughter echoed up mountain trails,

Your spirit soared where wild wind prevails.

From roadside cafes to seaside shores,

Our adventures, sweet memories, 

I absolutely adore.

We've splashed in waves with childlike glee,

Two souls connected, wild and free.

Hours of talking that just seemed to fly

My wonderful, vibrant friend named Sky.

Your energy lingers,

You are loved through and through 

Wonderful magical, 

Pippy Number Two.

Love isn’t blind

I don't believe in love at first sight,

For me that's a fantasy, 

too shallow, 

too slight.

I believe we found love after our first debate,  

When our minds combined and our thoughts relate.  

And after our first argument, passionate, true,  

When I saw the true substance that makes you, you.

I felt love deeper with our first inside joke,  

The laughter that bonded us, 

The language our heart spoke, 

It grew futher through genuine joy,  

breaking through the grey , 

Healing the sorrows 

that have clouded our yesterdays.

It grew roots within deep discourse,  

When our souls reconnected,

without wanting remorse.  

And in our comfortable silence, 

with no need to fill,

the space between us, 

just being still.

In supporting each other,

through life's dark nights,  

Knowing burdens can be halved,

when they are shared right.  

In pain divided, 

and joy multiplied,  

In walking together, 

side by side.

Its wasn't just falling for your physical embrace, 

your body, and your beautiful face, 

You're my kindred soul, 

And that's rare to find.

I'd stake my life on your brilliant mind,  

This is love beyond what eyes perceive,

This is the love in which I believe.

Dance

Inspired by Rumi

Dance, when you're broken open,

Like the first light of dawn upon flames.

Dance, if you've torn the bandage off,

Revealing wounds that need the air to mend.

Dance in the middle of the fighting,

As leaves swirl round and round.

Dance in your blood, in your essence,

Where in true courage a honest laugh is found.

Dance when you're perfectly free,

 Like mist rising from Scottish highlands.

For in movement, we discover healing

In surrender, strength to understand.

The broken vessel catches more light

Through its cracks than perfect porcelain ever shall.

So dance, dear heart, through pain and joy alike...

For it's in your dancing, you become whole.

Solitude

Sometimes I wish I didn't notice everything. I wish I didn't feel the shift in someone's tone, a hesitation in their smile, the way words sometimes don't match the eyes. I wish I could exist in a room without noticing every unspoken thought, every tiny crack in a conversation.

But I do. And it can be exhausting.

My brain is always running, always analysing, always bracing for something to go wrong. Thinking to myself... Did I say the wrong thing? Did I miss something? Is everyone okay? Am I okay? It's like living in a constant state of fight or flight, even when nothing's actually happening.

My body doesn't understand that the war I'm preparing for is just life. Sometimes, I envy people who don't think this hard. The ones who don't replay conversations in their heads like a broken record. The ones who can walk away from a bad moment without carrying it like extra weight in their chest. I wonder what it's like to just be, to just exist without processing and dissecting every feeling, every glance, every silence. Perhaps life is easier when you don't feel everything all the time. But I don't know how to be that person. And part of me wonders if, deep down, I even want to be, it is how I connect with others. It's how I notice if someone needs help even if they don't ask. It's how I make space for people to feel seen and heard and valued. As draining as it can be, it's also my superpower.

As I'm getting older, I've learned to recognise more when I need solitude, to step back, have me time, be completely on my own to reset and recharge. I've learned the art of noticing without absorbing, acknowledging without owning emotions that aren't mine to carry. I protect my energy and tell myself often... that's not my stuff.

Some days are harder than others. Some days, I still find myself lying awake at night, replaying conversations, searching for hidden meanings in casual remarks. But I'm kinder with myself now. I understand that my heightened awareness isn't a flaw to fix, it's the way I'm wired. 

I know from the Wild Women group there are others like me and we're the ones who make the world a little happier, and a little more connected. For me that's worth all the exhaustion in the world. 

Watching from behind the glass

I often think about what George Orwell said about loneliness. It's not simply being alone that hurts the most, it's that gut-wrenching feeling of being misunderstood even when you're in a crowded room.

I've felt it countless times. Standing there, surrounded by friends chatting away, yet feeling completely invisible. My lips form the right words, I nod at the right moments, but inside, there's this vast, empty space that no one seems to notice. It's as if I'm behind glass, watching life happen around me whilst remaining untouchable.

This isn't about merely wanting company. God knows I've plenty of that. It's about that soul-deep yearning for genuine connection, someone to see beyond my carefully constructed facade, someone to notice the quirks, to understand the dreams I rarely speak of, to recognise the complexities I carry within.

The worst bit? When you're misunderstood for so long, you start questioning yourself. Should I change? Should I become what everyone expects me to be? Would that finally bring me the acceptance I crave? Yet even when I've tried to reshape myself to fit other people's expectations, the loneliness only deepens. Because in those moments, I'm not just isolated from others, more becoming estranged from myself.

I've realised that what I was truly longing for wasn't just to be loved, more to be properly known and loved because of it, not despite it. Someone to look at all my messy, complicated, occasionally brilliant, sometimes broken parts and say, "I see you. I understand. And I'm here."

Even in moments of terrible isolation, I've found an unexpected strength. There's something powerful about holding onto your essence when the world doesn't see or value it. There's courage in keeping your light burning, even when no one notices its glow. My uniqueness, is what makes me who I am. And that's worth preserving.

The journey through being misunderstood has, ironically, led me to understand myself better. It's taught me to embrace who I am, even when others aren't ready to. It's pushed me to find peace in my own company and to nurture those parts of myself that feel most unacknowledged.

And then it happened, I found someone who truly sees me. In their eyes, I discovered what it means to be known, to be understood without explanation. They notice the subtle shift in my voice when I'm holding back, they laugh at the jokes no one else gets, they understand my silences as much as my words. With them, I don't need to translate my soul, they already speak its language.

To feel truly known and understood is to finally exhale after holding your breath for years. It's the profound relief of laying down a weight you've carried for so long that you'd forgotten it was there. It's finding home in another person's understanding. The glass wall shatters, and suddenly, you're not just visible... you're actually celebrated for exactly who you are.

This connection doesn't erase all loneliness, life will always have its solitary moments. But knowing there's someone who holds the map to your inner world makes even those moments feel less desolate. I'm no longer a ghost in crowded rooms because I carry their understanding with me wherever I go.