This time last year, life was good.
My son and his wife were expecting my first grandchild, the salon was thriving and juice orders were coming in thick and fast – locally as well as nationally. I’d also completed the Ride100 for a second time, beating my personal best and having an incredible experience.
The downside to normality, however, is that I was just plodding along. With such a hectic personal and professional schedule, I’d lost focus and motivation to do more.
Then lockdown happened, and it appeared life gave everyone a great big bunch of lemons!
At first, I was worried. Juicing was my passion, side-business and part of a bigger plan I had for a happier and heathier future for my clients, but the salon was my livelihood.
I’d also miss out on seeing my granddaughter during such a crucial stage in her life. Would she remember me? Would we bond?
And with just one hour per day to exercise, I wouldn’t be getting out on my bike as much as I used to.
But I soon realised this was not something I could control, which was a big thing for me as a perfectionist! So I took the big bunch of lemons and started making juice – literally and theoretically.
Time to focus
One thing that lockdown gave everyone is time to focus. Suddenly, every day life didn’t get in the way. There were no excuses.
Just prior to lockdown, I’d completed my Yoga teacher training in India and thankfully, I’d already booked a mentorship which enabled me to stay in the right head space. My teachers were doing four online Yoga classes a day as well, so I could keep developing my asanas and knowledge.
Feeling uplifted and reinvigorated, I decided to finally take the plunge and turn my dreams of hosting a JU-ICE-IT Retreat into action. After all, I now had the time to focus on it. And I’m thrilled to say the first one will take place in Majorca in April 2021!
While I couldn’t get out to ride much in the beginning, I was doing a lot of walking and thinking about my next personal challenge. Having done the London Marathon and Ride100 already, I found I would be eligible for a London Classics medal if I completed the two-mile Swim Serpentine. I’ve already done a little bit of open water swimming, but have set myself the goal of achieving this in 2021 as well.
As for the juicing, orders only increased during lockdown which kept me busy. I’m working on a couple of new recipes and also looking into a business development opportunity that will give me the support I need to grow the other healthy living aspects of the JU-ICE-IT brand like the Retreats and Yoga classes. Watch this space!
Most importantly, I’ve learnt that life is too short. After months of seeing my granddaughter on video, we’ve made sure we see her at least every six weeks – with either my son and his wife coming here, or us travelling to Sheffield.
So, fast forward 12-months, and life is even better than before. The pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together and I’m excited to see them through.