I think we can say a million things without even opening our mouths and the real special souls on this earth are the ones that understand. I've a particular interest in Psychology and how the mind works, how/why individuals behave in the way they do. I find myself "people watching" when out and about and sometimes "tune in" to there emotions. The same vice versa, I would say I'm an easy person to read, I'm not good at pretending and so what you see, quite literally, is what you get. Energy is a very real thing to me and I like to pay attention, sure I've made a few wrong judgement calls and mistakes along the way, but those are one of our greatest teachers. I now know exactly what I stand for and what I don't, and I believe that what we go through shapes us as individuals. I've had a lot of trauma in my life (I'm sure I'm not the only one here who has) and over the years have learned many lessons from this, and one of the greatest of all is developing emotional maturity.

A big thank you to @jaynie for introducing me to this contest organised by @sduttaskitchen. I am excited to be taking part and look forward to reading lots more entries! You can find all the details on how to participate in this contest

As a child I was always shy until you got to know me, in some ways that's still true today. Though I wouldn't say I'm shy, perhaps just a little reserved until I feel comfortable, and then I'm well and truly out of my shell lol. I've always been a private person, I'd wait until I was alone to "have my moment" and "rejuvenate myself", ok, that sounds like a euphemism but I assure you it's not! Haha! There's just a tiny insight into my sense of humour! What was I saying about emotional maturity? Haha! ;)

I have since developed healthier ways to express myself, rather than let things eat away at me and have internal battles, though I'm not completely rid of those, I try and treat them like that game of whack-a-mole, knock them on the head quite literally, if circumstance allows of course! So, here's some of my picks on how I rejuvenate myself...

I definitely do this more now than I ever have, I'm sure some would complain at that lol. The best kind of conversations for me are the ones that go on late into the night, and these ones are usually about things that are beyond our own comprehension, i.e "the greater Gods", anything spiritual, or things that are personal to our lives (half the time this is beyond my own comprehension haha!!). I wonder why these conversations seem to happen at the end of the day and not a little earlier! I find this to be very enjoyable and is always interesting hearing other people's perspective on different matters. Well, that depends on the topic of conversation (there's certain things that'll put me to sleep instantly lol).

I find being by the sea very cleansing and a place where my mind really opens up. I love being amongst Mother Nature and all her glory, it absolutely puts things into perspective! I love watching people come and go, children playing and excitable dogs running and splashing about (I LOVE dogs, there's nothing like canine therapy!). It's a happy place. The roars of the waves like thunder, dancing with the water as it runs along the sand, almost making contact with my toes, and the child like laughter that comes with it. I enjoy going for beach walks when in South Africa with my partner, it's a fair walk all along the coast from one end to the other, especially on dry sand - that makes for a real work out! (Something I've been slacking with for a while lol). Ok, neeeeeext! ;)

I like to consider myself a healthy pyromaniac! ;) I could sit by a fire all day long and not get bored. The sound of the cracking, popping wood, playing with and adding to the burn, watching the flames dance like it's a perfectly choreographed routine, the warmth on my face, it's all good! Whether it's a fire for simply the enjoyment of having one or one to cook, it's always a great experience. Some of the best conversations have been had sat around the fire (and on the beach), it sure does create a certain type of atmosphere, and of course the company is a big factor too.

Of course, sat by the fire! I'm not usually one for an autobiography, however I knew this one would be special. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea (which by the way I'm a great lover of) as I'm sure F.R.I.E.N.D.S isn't either, though it is my favourite. I did learn a lot reading this book, about Matthew Perry's struggle with addiction, who he is as a person, and mostly that all is not as it seems on the outside, which I guess we could all relate to on some level. Learning about other people and what they've gone through to get to where they are/who they are is refreshing and eye opening, and comes packed with a heap load of lessons for us.

Whether it's reading, writing or drawing, I find all these creative outlets to be a good way to release emotions. I'd like to make more time to read as I do enjoy it, I just tend to gravitate toward writing, usually poetry (by no means a pro!), perhaps I'll share more of that going forward. As for reading, I enjoy something that gets me thinking, inspires me or keeps me on edge, so I tend to go for either motivational books or crime thrillers (Chris Carter is my favourite and would highly recommend if that's your thing).

Life without music would simply suck! That's my opinion anyway. Whether I'm feeling happy, sad or anything in-between, there's always something for me to channel my emotions into. I don't really have a favourite artist as my music taste is so vast, from Bon Jovi, Abba, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Angus and Julia Stone, UB40, anything from the 50's era upwards, anything from the series Nashville soundtrack (that's also another favourite of mine and I'm so excited to be going to the reunion tour in London very soon!!) I'm ready to dance ya'll ;) the list could go on. With music comes dancing! Something that I absolutely love, especially with my partner.

I don't think anything lifts my mood and replenishes my soul like a good boogie! Whether it's in the kitchen (myself, my mum and sister usually have our own kitchen parties that consist of the most ludicrous dancing but we love it!). I'm always the one at family parties that tries to get people up dancing and then ultimately end up dancing on my own, get those violins out! Lol. It's ok, I don't mind doing my own thing! I've danced since I was about 3 years old, mostly as a Majorette, and then my interest in other forms of dance came later and now it's just a case of taming my inner party animal ;) I will leave you with this track, it's definitely a favourite of mine and I have only recently realised that the famous Robin Williams (also a favourite of mine) is in the music video! That man was just magic wasn't he?! Enjoy!