7 years of Lovepda and some chatty stuff.

WordPress have notified me that my blog has been running for 7 years. 7 years! So, what better time to reflect on those 7 years and take a peek into the future and appreciate right now.

I started this blog because when I was given a private diagnosis of PDA for my then 12 year old beloved daughter, there was very slim pickings for positive information and support. Writing seemed like the best therapy for me and I hoped that by holding a candle in the darkness, I could shine light and love for those who felt lost and those who would come after me in their own personal journeys and discoveries of PDA. My life of Motherhood had taken a turn that I could never have envisaged, and our story unfolded. I confess, it is a miracle that I even managed to create this online book of us, but somehow, I fumbled my way along because the drive to share and find others like us overruled my fears and failures. It’s not a convenient blog because to read from the beginning, one has to scroll for hours! Maybe I need to get some help and re vamp, but life takes over and I seldom visit or put any energy onto this space anymore. We shall see.

I turned 50 this year. I am still processing how that feels, where I am on a personal level. I think forward more than back, but when I look in the mirror, I can see the lines the years have marked on me. Aging is a wonderous thing. But that linear line, it really doesn’t exist. I used to think that age brought wisdom, and to some extent it does, but some days, I think, God I was wise back then and now, some days I’m just blank! The world is changing fast. Reading this feels like a big demand, too long, too lengthy. Our minds, flick, flip, pass, move on. Today’s news will feel like last year’s tomorrow. So, is a blog even helpful to anyone anymore?

My girl will be 21 on her next birthday. She was just 12 when we got our diagnosis of PDA and OCD. Looking back, we have come a long way, and life is very steady for us these days. She is still at home and there are a lot of ‘normal’ things she cannot do, but as I always said from the very start, finding and encouraging the good things, the passions, running with spontaneity and resting when needed has done us well. It can be a big leap when first discovering PDA, to change ways, use non-confrontational language and strip back our own conditioning to make those things workable and natural. I like to think that we were on the leading edge of those discoveries and that the work myself and other PDA advocates have put forward over the years, have really helped to make the lives of PDAers more fluid and less judged. I’m sure there is still a long way to go and when I look at the chaos that is coming from all areas of life right now, I am aware that being able to really focus down on one topic is being ever watered down. Attention is scattered as a collective, mirrors of what’s inside are everywhere and I think its more crucial than ever, to try and take stock on individual levels of we are to find any kind of peace with just being on planet Earth right now.

My constant throughout our last 7 years has been Lindsay who created Peace with PDA. We met because I started this blog and she soon after set up her support group, offering a wealth of support and bringing together likeminded souls. Lindsay has been there for me every day since we first met, and I will forever be grateful to her. One of life’s true Angels, she has taught me so much, just by being herself. Her example, her just being her, never judging, always seeing others in their best and highest form, means that she creates a way of helping you to step up into your best version too, just because she is who she is. This is the way forward for parents of PDA and all humans. It is a skill, it is something we can all work on, strive for. Lindsay Guttridge’s, new YouTube channel is a space where we can drop in and make a time that suits us to have a break and a reflection, a little chat. I love her idea and it really does feel as though you have been transported to her kitchen for a coffee break and a chat with a good friend. I will be sharing her videos on my Lovepda Facebook page, so please do hop along and take advantage of the wisdom and love that Lindsay brings.

I confess, I do not belong to any other groups for PDA. It is with sadness that I witnessed stuff behind the scenes over the years that haven’t been the best. I guess that’s life, that there will always be disagreements, so I made the choice a long while ago, to not go there anymore. It wasn’t helpful to me once I had learned what I needed to learn, shared what I needed to share. I think people can be a lot more brutal with opinions these days, that’s not an energy I like. I am still grieving for the loss of Harry, but I cannot comment on any more than that because I really do not know what went on. He will always have a place in my heart.

So, in closing, thanks to anyone who reads this. I do hope it finds someone and is helpful. Please do ask if there is anything you would like to know or me to write about. Thank you to my beloved family and my friends who have my back and love me.

Me writing this tonight, I don’t like having my picture taken, but here I am!

The future is ours to make. Keep on keeping on everyone, but most of all, LOVEPDA xx