I’ve been making an effort to try new things and get out to meet new people. This hasn’t been easy with that little voice of anxiety chattering away but I’m determined not to let that stop me.
Sunday 21 August was one of the days for something new – a trip to see the seals in Chichester Harbour. There was an added layer of anxiety since I’d appeared on BBC South Today and the worry of what people may think of me. Over the last four and a bit years I’ve been working hard to unlearn some old beliefs and to not over analyse or over think situations. Putting lots of that learning into practice in preparing to meet the people I’ll meet on the harbour trip.
It was an early-ish start for me. Up at 8:00 to leave by 10:00 to give me enough time to get parked and Amani sorted before meeting the group. Before even leaving the parking lot I met one lady who was part of the trip. Super lovely and she made a fuss of Amani. She also happened to be a cat lover. There was a group of about 20 of us and we were on 2 boats. The skippers were great and were more than happy to have Amani aboard. A first for them. And it so happens that they aren’t allowed to take dogs on trips to see the seals as dogs have communicable diseases they can share with the seals but cats are most welcome. That made a nice change especially as I didn’t have to explain and fight to get on board.
The seals were being helpful today. I joked with our skipper that it was having Amani on board. There were quite a few of them relaxing on the shore and some playing in the water.
Amani was so well behaved as usual with everyone commenting on how chilled out she is. I got to share more about accessibility and emotional support animals which is always good.
I got home around 15:30 and crashed. I was absolutely exhausted and had a 2-3 hour snooze. Social events or any type of outing really drains me of energy which is why pacing is so important so this coming week will be as slow as possible with just my regular Pilates classes and work being the priorities and taking afternoon naps when needed.