This session was a lovely excuse to engage in some nice peaceful gardening.

As a typical city dweller, it can be easy to overlook simple yet impactful acts of garden preservation such as weeding or socialising with people from diverse aspects of life. This mission offered the perfect excuse to do both by gifting us a loving and vibrant atmosphere where people could momentarily escape their hectic routines and dwell upon the peacefulness of reconnection with nature and other humans.

In the end, all we are, are creations of nature meant to connect while helping each other grow like a tall and magnificent sunflower.

On Wednesday evening we gathered at Charlton House, in an unusually negative spin for us at GoodGym - sharing our pet peeves. This evening we were joined by Sunaima and Lisa for their first group runs with us! WE ran to Prince Philip Maritime Collection Centre where Khursheed had a load of tasks for us, including weeding, watering, propping up a giant sunflower, giving the bug hotel a makeover and throwing some rubbish out. Jobs complete some of us ran and some of us walked back to base for a stretch.

Great work everyone!

On Saturday we have gardening at St Richard's and next Wednesday we're back for a Charlton House start to help with the garden at Hervey Road.

Until next time!

I'd woken up groggy, with less energy than a sleepy sloth as I laced up my running shoes and headed to the Parkrun. I hadn't been expecting anything, but ever since my last Parkrun event, I'd been skeptical about whether I'd be of any help, seeing as to how terribly I believed I performed as a Marshal whose cheers were quieter than a jellyfish underwater. But I quickly realised that my presence was enough.

Simply smiling and being present — acknowledging the runners — was enough to motivate them to continue on with their tiresome laps. It was the small moments in between: the simple conversations exchanged between volunteers who'd just met each other for the first time or the ones who knew each other too well; the awkward yet endearing 'Thank you, Marshal!'; the amount of 'cheers!'s and 'have a great weekend!'s said; the quiet recognition that everyone was fully present, running and walking alongside each other on the same pathway in order to keep this event going. It felt like community: a home where you didn't need to be perfect — you just needed to be there. I wouldn't call this experience 'life-changing', as I believe it would ruin its truth. No, it was something more beautiful. It was peace.