There’s no such thing as too many books.
Hellooooo, So sorry for the lack of posts life has been kind of crazy of late and I do have lots to update you on but all in good time 🙂
On Tuesday 27th October 2015 the Zumba class I attend was in aid of Breast Cancer. Our Wear It Pink party was just as fun as any other Zumba class, but it sure did have a bittersweet sentiment as we were raising money for a cause that means a lot to me.
Having fun, getting fit we raised £162 for Breast Cancer it sure was a fun evening and I love my Zumba top….
This blog as I stated before is mainly focussed on volunteering and Cancer Research. As it stands at the moment I am yet again doing some soul-searching. Back when I was blogging before I used to write inspirational Monday’s mainly to help motivate myself and I have been toying with the idea of doing something similar again. So here I am.
Although, I did mean to write this much earlier, but work and a fabulous book had got in the way earlier on. It seems that from in general we don’t like Monday’s. Bob Geldof even wrote a song about it but this morning as I travelled into work I kept on thinking…Monday’s don’t have to be full of doom and gloom. If you open your eyes and look past the clouds a glorious rainbow awaits you. Rather than stressing, worrying and dreading Monday’s instead make a point of doing something that your future self will be proud of.
Make Monday a day for motivation, write a to-do list – if you have to. It should be a day where we chase our dreams and let go of our fear, worry and anxiety
A little bit of sunshine goes a long way. I am nowhere near perfect at this but all day I have been toying with words for this piece and I have managed to cross off a few things on my to-do list. Before the evening is gone I hope to cross off a few more but I also hope to add a few more, because each day is a new chance to shine…
Firstly, I am so so sorry that this post has taken forever to be written. I did it I did it. I gave up tea and coffee for 30 days for Cancer Research UK and the after effects have been astounding. You can still donate if there are any last minute stragglers out there https://www.justgiving.com/Hayley-Thorpe-dryathlete2015/
Thank you so much to every single person who donated, not only for your cash but also your kind words and time for me. As you saw by my posts the very start of my challenge was by far the hardest, the headaches and hunger were immense. But what I have realised since then is that it is all in our minds. Once we get used to something it’s hard for us to get out of that mind frame but it isn’t impossible. IM-POSSIBLE see it states I’m possible. I cannot take credit for that quote as I read it somewhere, probably via my best friend as she may as well have written a positivity book.
What shocked me most was the fact that when I could have my morning cuppa tea, I didn’t get that amazing feeling that I was expecting. In some ways it was enlightening and now I don’t drink as much tea as I used to. Which is kind of good for me. Although today I have been having a lazy day with TV and tea so today has been the exception to the new rule. I am not saying I don’t drink tea, as obviously I just told you that today seemed like the old me, but now I know that I don’t NEED tea, which means I am drinking more water which is much better for my health. I may not have been here with you guys but I have been jotting down notes to share with you. I was sat thinking of how grateful and humbled I am for all the support I have had during September #Dryathlon, my mind drifts to my beloved Nan one of the main reasons that I decided to challenge myself in aid of Cancer Research. I start feeling emotional by my sadness and then I laugh out loud whilst tears are streaming down my face. My beautiful Nan June would never have given up a good ole cuppa. We shared so many over the years and I am so grateful of the times we sat in her house drinking tea and watching some of her favourite films. They really were old treasures and I will remember those times always. Whenever I would go over I could guarantee a feast to eat and if we were watching films the milk tray would come out. I miss my Nan always and that is why I volunteer for Cancer Research I want to see an end to this disease and to the sadness it brings to sufferers and their families.
Today is day fourteen of my #Dryathlon twist and in some ways not drinking tea and coffee is getting easier and in others it really isn’t. I have some Starbucks treats to look forward to come the 1st October. Having had a fair few donation free days today I received an additional £10 from my mate Amy. I have to say I am feeling very humbled by all my friends, some like Amy I don’t see that often these days but it is awesome to know they are still there to cheer me on and support me, and for that I am truly thankful to everyone who has donated and supported me in any and every way they can. Your kind words of encouragement really do mean a lot. Some days really are better than others, believe me, I work in retail.
I have wanted to and will start writing up my snapshots about my time at Cancer Research these will become Dear Readers….there are some lovely tales that I will share with you soon. So, I wanted to give you a bit of a back story explaining my reasons and motivations for not only volunteering but also to this blog.
I had already started writing a post that was named 2014 but as much as 2014 was the major changing point that is not where this post or where this story starts.
In December of 2013 I remember being told that Nan had a growth on her bladder. Every single member of my family tried to instantly think differently but deep down we were all thinking the worst. Each one of us broke down in one way or another. I remember thinking Ronan Keating sure was right Life is a bloody Rollercoaster. The one thing I was certain of during every moment of worry was that my Nan is a fighter and one of the strongest women I have ever known, she wouldn’t give up. I was so angry and extremely upset, I am an emotional person at the best of times but every little thing was making me teary. I knew that we had to be there for Nan and for Granddad during this emotional and tense time, so that is exactly what we did.
Onto 2014, in February of 2014 Sophie one of my beloved work colleagues lost her mother to Cancer. We were all deeply saddened for Sophie, and when she asked a number of us to attend her mum’s funeral we did just that. (I was not prepared for how this year would turn out and how many funerals that I would attend – that is later on) I like to think that me and my colleagues have well and truly been there for Sophie in her time of need. Since then she went onto organise an awesome event in memory of her mother where she raised a shed load of cash for Cancer Research. Well done Sophie.
Nan had her operation/treatment in March and was recovering well but then a series of events changed not only her life but that of every member of my family, In April 2014, my beloved Granddad Sam passed away – he had been unwell for a while having been diagnosed with COPD but he carried on with life to an extent. None of us were ready to lose Granddad and Nan was lost without him. What I will say is I did truly love the time I spent with them both, Granddad shared my love of books and I am still reading some of his books to this day, and a number of them live on his old book shelf. Last May I read an awesome intriguing book called We Were Liars and at the end I cried as it was exactly the sort of book I would have passed onto him and I couldn’t. Watching films with Nan will be a memory I treasure. I even got the chance to show her the video of me and my best mate swimming with Dolphins these memories are priceless.
In August 2014, a friend of mine Katherine Bones passed away from liver Cancer she had had a beautiful baby boy just over a month earlier. This was heartbreaking, Kat was a kind-hearted soul who I will remember as being my Shane buddy and Mummy Kat. She was a people person and she loved sharing her love for music and boy-bands with anyone and everyone. It makes me sad that she had just got the one thing she wanted and her life was cruelly taken away. The number of people who attended her funeral and swarmed to Facebook to post condolence messages really proved how many lives she touched in her life. When Shane Filan’s new album gets released next week I will be yet again thinking of Kat – who I won’t bump into any longer.
In October 2014, we received the news we never wanted Nan now had stomach cancer, we were told to make the most of our time with her which is exactly what we did. In January of this year my Nan passed away in front of me and my closest family members. It was by far one of the hardest things that I have ever witnessed in my life, but I am glad we could be with her before she returned to Granddad and was suffering no longer. In all honesty the last week or so was the hardest before that she was just Nan – same as ever. My brother and sister are both grateful that she met both of their daughters. Nan had two and a bit years with Pippa and a few weeks with Freya and those memories are once again priceless.
My Nan was a huge lover of a bargain from a charity shop and I started volunteering in the November of last year and every week I would visit her and she would ask me about the shop and if I was enjoying working there. She also had me on the hunt for a red scarf, I never did find one but this year I will and I will wear it with pride when I do.
So that is a little into why I volunteer, why I have given up tea and coffee argh! lack of caffeine lol and what inspired me to get back blogging.
Until next time 🙂
HayleyReviews10 
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