Of Seeking Inner Peace

January has felt like a strong storm, bringing me many frustrating and inspiring challenges. I recognise this is a time of learning, acceptance, and letting go. Amid the bruised wintery grey skies and the few days of piercing winter sun, it also seems astonishing that I’ve not walked into the woods or stood to draw on the edge of the fields for an entire month. I long for spring and the gentle, warmer sun; my flat is filled with flowers to combat this need.

Has the new year started with a bang for everyone else, or is it just me?

To top off the list of what has consumed nearly all of January is the discovery that a rat infestation was the root of the noises I’ve been hearing in the attic and cavity walls of my 16th-century flat I rent in the little village of Wheathampstead. Like a good little tenant, I went straight to my landlord with the concern. I was told bluntly and rudely that I should “accept that this is a typical situation when living in a period property in the countryside and that if I don’t like it, I should move.”

I found this response from my landlord extremely stressful as I hadn’t intended to move so soon, having only just moved here under two years ago. So, instead, I began to read up on UK law and learned that I have the right to live in a flat that is not infested with rats. I contacted the Environmental Health Services and wrote an email detailing everything I’d experienced from the infestation and my landlord. I had a few days of anxious waiting, during which I studied more about UK laws concerning private tenants and situations similar to my predicament.

It was a relief when someone willing to help me responded to my email. It took a few days for me to arrange a free assessment of the infestation from a pest control service and then to forward this and various pictures and videos I’d captured to prove that I needed action. Last week, the Environmental Health Services contacted my estate agent, who in turn contacted my landlord, who is suddenly taking action and sending slightly friendlier messages, which is a relief. Still, there is a long way to go, but I feel better that action is finally happening. I can still hear the rats scampering about and gnawing in the attic, but at least there's a plan, and I have the law on my side. Hopefully, I can live here a little longer if all goes well. 

January has been a lesson in seeking inner peace and what “home” means to me in my heart rather than from a geographical location. I’ve been dipping my toes into Taoism or Daoism and realising that this way of thinking makes sense in nearly all aspects of my life. I recently listened to the audiobook “The Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff during the anxieties of dealing with my landlord and the scampering rats in the ceilings. Listening to the words brought a much-needed calm I hadn’t realised I needed. Since my cancer experience in 2021, I had thought that I’d learned to live in the moment. Still, when faced with stressful events, I seem to forget my spiritual awakening of that year, and I am often brought back to square one when facing challenges, as most people are.

I’m not afraid of rodents, which is part of the anxiety surrounding my stability in this flat. I feel very uncomfortable that pest control services must kill them to eliminate the infestation. I understand that an infestation of rats is not conducive to healthy living environments for humans. As my health is only just returning to some form of “normal” following cancer, I have to take action to remove the rats. I appreciate that the Universe is gifting me a learning experience here, which I accept, but wow, what a start to the new year! With my newly upgraded reiki skills, I’ve been sending reiki to the rats that have been poisoned and are suffering, which brings me some peace and makes me feel that I might be easing the pain and the passing of these little creatures.

Amid this January infestation, I’ve been trying to find time and peace to finish my level 5 qualification from my course at the Tobias School in East Grinstead. Over the Christmas holidays, I taught my three required workshops, and all that’s left to do is the essay I must submit by March. I’ve given myself an earlier deadline to submit this essay as I have so many other projects to work on. 

Photography by my friend, Wen-Xue

My Friday Lates Drawing class is going very well, with nearly twenty students for our first class of the year. I offer my students the convenience of purchasing an art packet from me on the day of the event, which is quite popular now. Though it is possible to buy art supplies from the V&A shop on the day of the event, my art packet offers more for less money and a handy canvas bag to carry everything in. These classes at the V&A are fun as they’re themed and nothing like a traditional drawing class, so I think people are booking because it’s different. I’m developing my classes on the concept of the “choose your own adventure” books of my childhood, in which each class is unlike the other, and each student becomes a character in their own visual story. 

My very talented friend, Wen-Xue, took the beautiful photos you see above. She and I attended Tobias School of Art & Therapy, so it was nice to have her join me for my January class at the V&A. It's even more incredible to have these photos of me in action! I’m excited, as I’ve just booked a lesson from her to teach me more about Chinese culture while touring the Chinese section of the Victoria & Albert Museum on the 14th of February.

I’m teaching a class at The Hub in St Albans starting in March. It’s slightly similar to my Friday Lates classes, except that we will not be referencing artwork in a museum to draw, and our subject is the mandala. I hope students might consider the class a lovely end to a day out in St Albans if they’re not local. I’m providing all materials for this class, which also takes the stress away from students just coming for the experience rather than adventuring like my Friday Lates classes. 

My project to help people experiencing homelessness is still very much at the forefront of my life and, at the moment, is represented by a slowly growing box in my studio of donations that I’ve purchased from my Amazon Wishlist to support donating to those impacted by homelessness. Though I had intended to donate every month on the 21st, I realised it wasn’t a realistic plan as the majority of my friends helping me are like me and work freelance, and either have a limited budget or have already cleaned out their wardrobes and cupboards and have nothing extra to give. So, instead, I’m in a “gathering” mode while I try to put aside a percentage of my income to support the items I want to buy, which I can then add to my donation box. I hope that once I’ve filled the box, I can deliver my donations to a shelter in London or St Albans, as many people also need help in my local area. I’m not sure how long it will take to fill up this box, but I will keep you updated and share it on my blog when I make another donation. If you happen to know a shelter in Hertfordshire or London that you think I should donate to, then please get in touch to let me know how I can help. 

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I am sending you all peace and love, and I hope your February is starting well.