I’ve rejoined my path at Galashiels. A town that was crowned the happiest in Scotland in 2022. I was living there at the time and I had a big hand in making it so 😉.

As a home, it offers a lot, not least the hills. Its easy to get out in nature there – walking, cycling, camping – which can be a perfect antidote for any pent up anxiety from the day.

Sadly, my arrival into Gala wasn’t on foot through those hills as I had hoped. After a sudden sickness early in my journey, I took refuge back in Edinburgh to recover.

Feeling like a feather

Whilst I’ve more or less recovered physically, I’ve taken a hit emotionally and the last days have been a mix of disappointment, sadness, and frustration.

I’ve lost a lot of confidence. Or at least that’s one way of seeing it. One friend suggested I see it not as lost confidence, but as ‘a new beautiful sensitivity to the holding of love – like a feather feeling – being – moving.’ I like that. And I know that behind all these emotions there is gratitude. Whatever is to come on this journey will happen because of what came before. 

Leaving amidst my fears and my sadness

And so here I am now, a couple of days back on my path. Leaving the second time was much harder than the first. I had a deep dark fear in the pit of my belly at the thought. I didnt want to leave, not again, not like this. But it’s been dissipating through connection with those I meet and their words of reassurance.

In Gala I stopped by my old neighbour for a blether and some food. After a short walk to the next town, I checked in on some good friends from when I lived in the area, even getting a bed for the night. I’ve met many walkers already, all with their stories and advice.

There is, however, still an air of sadness about my daily actions. At first glance it stems from seeing myself as having somehow failed. But actually the sadness is deeper than that, and has more to do with my readiness to consider my life in terms of success and failure. It’s enough just to be, isn’t it? A good home should make us feel that way.

Still, my hopes for the journey are building as I gently make my way to Kirk Yetholm and the start of the Pennine Way. The Pennine Way taught me to understand home as absence of manipulation (read this for more about that), I wonder what it’ll show me this time…

***I’m on a journey from Edinburgh to Croydon on foot. For more about the purpose behind the Journey About Home, see this page, where I provide updates and links for the curious.