I was right when I said that the butterflies were gentling warning me to take care. I had a wonderful day at my grandparents with family, but on Monday morning, tiredness and anxiety hit me all over again like a brick. And I felt devastated because if you were paying attention you’ll remember, Monday was Taylor Swift Eras tour day!
Dave got me out the door and in the car with hugs and moral support and my friend got me to the concert with tea, pizza and a wrist full of friendship bracelets. I’m still in disbelief that I was actually there – what. a. privilege! I have a whole new level of admiration for Taylor. She is one incredibly talented woman and she put on a show like no other. And I’m so grateful for the memories my friend and I made, which I’ll treasure for a lifetime.
If you haven’t been and you’re here looking for some insight and wondering if the show is worth all of the hype… It absolutely is. The effort put into the whole production, from costume to set design to choreography is incredible. If you’ve got Disney +, I definitely recommend checking out the recording. It’s like lots of mini shows – a whole new staging, set of costumes and dance style for every Taylor album. Not easily achieved and yet Taylor, her band and the dancers around her give it a thousand percent for over three hours straight!
Me on the other hand? Tuesday, I felt the impact of just pushing through and making it to the concert at all. I collapsed on the sofa the minute I got home, moving only to shower when I started to feel icky.
Wednesday I felt more energised. I spent a day at the office, joined work colleagues for sunny drinks and met another one of my best friends for dinner. We caught up outside Rosa’s Thai in Soho, sharing a carafe of wine and eating noodles as the sun went down and the streets around us became increasingly buzzy.
I cried on and off through Thursday and Friday, managing to get my head down at work and somehow tie things up before the bank holiday weekend.
Friday night we spent with friends, eating chilli, drinking and playing cards until the early hours of the morning, without even noticing the time going by.
And then yesterday, on a cosy, rainy Saturday afternoon, I finally found peace. I found myself curled up in my arm chair, Avril Lavigne T-Shirt and baggy trousers on, breathing deep and tearing up as relief hit me like an avalanche. I had Cat Burns’ latest album playing, but quietly enough that I could hear the rain pouring down outside the windows. I’d curled up with the intention of reading my book, but I kept putting my book down just to rest my head on the back of the chair, look out the window and watch the trees swaying in the wind.
And today, I feel like I’m on the way to ok again. I’ve been for a sunny walk and had an everything shower, whilst listening to my favourite Celine Dion album. I’ve watched a couple of very emotional episodes of Love is Blind UK and I had a very wholesome chicken and vegetable soup for lunch.
Part of me wonders whether the Monday morning crash could have been avoided… If I’d spent the previous Friday morning out walking or curled up in my armchair with my book, instead of binge watching Emily in Paris, would that have brought me the same peace sooner? Or was I just unavoidably run down and tired in a way that would only be solved by a rainy Saturday?
After all, I am an autumn girl at heart and there’s really nothing like a gloomy weather day to make me feel calm and relaxed. We’ve probably a few summery days still ahead of us, but we are headed for cosy season and I am so here for it.
Blogging Goodbye to Butterflies 