I’m writing after a blustery, showery North Yorkshire weekend. Despite attractive options to stay cosy indoors with live music, dance, and more, I chose to be on the clifftops in multiple layers of clothing. There is self-kindness in this story.

So how did I arrive at this choice? The live music event was a monthly one I hadn’t attended before, featuring some musician friends I love to hear. It would have been a full afternoon in a village hall a forty-minute drive away, a new adventure. It clashed with a local movement and dance event, which I also enjoy and always find nourishing.

On the day, I woke relatively late and gave myself a short while to tune into how I was feeling and consider what I most wanted to do. It had been a demanding week, and I realised I felt tired and in need of stillness. When a dolphin alert pinged on my phone, clarity arrived. What I most wanted and needed was quiet time in Nature. Seeing the dolphins would be a bonus.

And so I ended up on the clifftops, slightly surprised, as I had been in the exact same spot the day before, also after a dolphin alert.

Two days running, the dolphins had been moving north towards Filey Brigg, a favourite spot about twenty minutes’ drive away. I was lucky enough to see them both days. Sightings are never guaranteed and never the same. Sometimes it is just glimpses of fins amidst the waves. Other times, up-close views of these magnificent creatures gliding gracefully, rising in synchrony, performing acrobatics, or sending sunlit “blows” into the air. Just being in their presence, even for a moment, is always a thrill.

On the first day at Filey, my arrival coincided with their passage. Spread out in singles or pairs, they took over an hour to pass. It was wonderful to spend this time with them, moving slowly and gracefully, no leaps, just sheer beauty. On the second day, I arrived to find one distant group had already passed. I waited, hoping for them to return, and was rewarded an hour later with another group of around ten, closer in, moving fast and tightly together. Exhilarating to witness. I ended the day on Filey beach, finishing with a café visit. Perfect. I felt nourished and refreshed at all levels.

This week’s self-kindness invitation is to give yourself time to tune into your deeper needs and, where possible, make choices to meet them. Place self-kindness at the forefront.