Curious Stops and Tea Shops

I last visited Curious Stops and Tea Shops and posted over two years ago. The past two and a half years have seen a global pandemic; for many, life has changed an awful lot. I am one of those people. I don’t get out and about as much as I used to. Living by myself means I have been able to finally know what it’s like to have very little or no anxiety; that is, once the fear of Covid had eased off. I’ve realised that being out around people causes me so much anxiety and stress, which I thought was ‘normal’, but now I know that isn’t the case.

So, as I’m slowly learning how far I can push myself (or not) in re-engaging with the world outside my home, I need to think about this blog and where to take it going forward.

There are many ways to travel, and many curious stops can be made. Travel isn’t always physical; it can be intellectual, philosophical, emotional and spiritual.

I am inquisitive, and I often spelunk my way through some subject that has caught my attention, often with lots of mugs of tea to accompany me on my journey of discovery.

Books, novels and fiction are another way to travel, learn more about the world and experience things through other people’s eyes and circumstances.

Then there’s cooking. The easy-ish availability of foods, spices and herbs from around the world means that a journey through new recipes can be taken too.

I hope this will get me out more often for gentle local walks to learn more about my area’s history, nature, and much more. I hope this will get me to use my digital SLR more and journal more about what I discover, notice, feel and experience. I look forward to visiting places in different seasons, times of day and weather. There’s always a different story to be told, a different experience.

During the last two years, not rushing here and there has given me time to take courses in art and illustration, hand lettering and typography, and writing and journaling. In addition, I’ve watched documentaries and films, listened to podcasts and audiobooks, read books and taken journeys of discovery through blogs, websites and YouTube videos, to name a few. All these are journeys, in my opinion, as they have all led to a richer life experience.

This blog was always meant to be one about journeys of discovery. It’s taken a while for the penny to drop that some of the most meaningful personal journeys we take in life aren’t physical ones but ones that lead to inner growth on one level or another.

So, going forward, I’m likely to do blog posts here on all kinds of journeys that I undertake periodically. I hope these will be surprising and interesting, both for myself and you.