Sadly, I have just heard of the passing of a young man, taken far too soon. The ache within me returned, stirring memories of my younger brother, whom I lost a few years ago at only 61. So untimely and terribly sad. He passed away doing what he loved, riding his motorbike. And now, more than ever, it feels as though loss and illness are drawing closer into the circles of people I know. Each time, I am reminded again of how fragile life is and how swiftly and unexpectedly it can slip away.
Yet, alongside that fragility comes a gentle invitation: to live fully in the moments we are given.
Today, I found myself listening to Dot Fisher-Smith, @reflectionsoflife on YouTube, a remarkable 96-year-old woman, sharing her reflections on longevity. Her message was striking in its simplicity. Sometimes we are here to be a light, something ineffable that we may never fully understand but which gives us purpose. Mine is Nettle Revolution, my way of taking the sting out of nettles, offering healing and well-being through nature.
Dot spoke of living playfully, like a child. Of harmlessness and harmony. Of singing, rejoicing, and being grateful. She reminded us that we are stardust, each made of the same elements, each the same yet different.
She quoted T.S. Eliot:
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And to know the place for the first time.
Beautiful words, followed by more of Eliot’s timeless truth:
We die with the dying
See, they depart, and we go with them
We are born with the dead
See, they return and bring us with them.
And then she offered her own wisdom for longevity:
Go slow
Then you’ll know
Where to seek the truth
When to speak your truth
From your heart
Go slow.
Wisdom is not found in rushing toward outcomes but in being present to the texture of life itself. There is such clarity in this: to slow down, to play, to live with purpose. Not tomorrow, not one day, but today.
As if to echo this truth, I came across beautiful white feathers this morning, scattered in unexpected places. In many cultures, white feathers are seen as a sign from loved ones who have passed, or as symbols of peace and protection. For me, they felt like a whisper from the unseen, a gentle nudge to keep noticing beauty even amid grief. To be present.
Life is brief, unpredictable, and at times unbearably fragile. Yet within each breath there is also spaciousness, joy, and the possibility to be fully awake. To walk a little slower. To laugh and play. To notice the white feathers at our feet and let them remind us that even in loss, there is still light, connection, and love.
Perhaps the greatest tribute we can offer to those who leave us too soon is to live as they no longer can. Not by rushing. Not by feeling overwhelmed with worry. But by being here, now, awake to the fleeting wonder of it all.
And so I return to nettles, to their quiet resilience. They teach me, as nature always does, that healing begins when we are present. Nettle Revolution is my way of sharing this truth, inviting us all to live more slowly, more fully, and more gratefully in the moment we are given. And as I weave, I feel connected to it all, the threads of life, the people I have loved, the earth beneath me, and the beauty that continues even in fragility. All of this goes into each handwoven scarf I create, to embrace you gently and to help ease the painful stings that life may have thrown your way.