Summer Detox

I feel like I need to detox my life, strip everything back to basics. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm a natural hoarder of emotions, memories and random crap that I reassure myself I will use one day for a fantastically huge collage of my life or for novel inspiration. I keep clothes that I promise to wear when my midriff shrinks and my thighs no longer touch, which, let's face it, is never really going to happen in my lifetime. I have clippings from newspapers and letters, cards and signed programmes that I read late at night when my irrational, hormonal self is convinced that nobody cares and is at risk of writing and publishing terribly self-indulgent blog posts about how living alone and surrendering to the single life of a crazy cat lady really is the meaning of life.

I leave Bristol on Friday and what follows is a three week stint of being skint in Bracknell. This translates as 21 days to clear out all the emotional and material junk stored up in my drawers both physical and metaphorical. I'm going to tidy, donate, pray and meditate. I'm going to read books that expand my mind and books that articulate my feelings. I'm going to get rid of 1/3 of my wardrobe (I WILL BE RUTHLESS!) and actually make those dresses with my free patterns from Burdastyle. I'm going to clear my schedule and possibly delete my Facebook for a while, just to give myself absolute peace and remove the temptation of procrastination. My summer holiday on a budget, or indeed no budget for there is no dollar to constitute a budget, will be productive and it will be cleansing and it will be DEEPLY relaxing. Once again this blog will serve as self-inflicted accountability (or should that be self-donated, for indeed accountability, although annoying, is undeniably useful and necessary!)

So, ladies and gentleman, would you kindly raise your glasses to the summer of the Zen-Ellie. May she ooze calm, tranquillity and the aura of tidiness from this day forth.

Basically by the end of the Summer I want to be like this partially faceless girl, twirling in a sea of floating red mushrooms.