The Hidden Cost of Discomfort

15 years ago I bought my first adult bike.  Thanks to injuries sustained in a motorbike accident several years earlier I included front suspension and at the suggestion of the sales assistant, a suspension seat post. 

I loved riding that bike and regularly rode around the local lakes and meadows, into town and took the children to the ‘ice-cream’ park!

And then one day, disaster struck; it broke.  (Overly) confident from my regular riding, I discovered it was almost as cheap to buy a replacement bike as it was to repair it; a quick test ride around the car park and I was the proud owner of a new bike.

12 months later I realised that the bike was hanging dormant in the garage, I had stopped riding; why?  It hurt! The height of the handle bars was too low and, combined with the angle, left me with significant wrist pain after 10 minutes of riding.  And let’s say the contribution of the suspension seat post, I’d forgotten to specify, was sorely missed!

We often say to clients that we will wear something 2 or 3 times before regularly overlooking it in the wardrobe in favour of something else if it’s not comfortable.  Unfortunately, that recognition doesn’t always filter up to the conscious mind and so those items that we liked and spent good money on, reside as squatters in our wardrobes under the illusion that they will be worn again, one day! 

If it is a relief to take your clothes off at night, be sure that something is wrong. Clothes should not be a burden. They should be a comfort and a protection.

Ellen Swallow Richards

How many times have we tried to replace a favourite item with little success?  I was so comfortable on my original bike, I hadn’t realised which bits of the specification were important. 

I used a recent activity holiday to test out some different specifications and realised that the fundamental mismatch between my architecture and this new bike meant that the sensible solution, if I wanted to return to riding, was to admit my mistake, cut my losses and purchase another new bike – this time paying attention to replicating the original specification which had clearly worked.

Frequently, with our clothes, we don’t recognise what it is about an outfit which makes it enjoyable to wear, (colour, style, pattern, fabric, texture, fit, flexibility, durability, quality etc) which is why the replacement is never quite the same.  I’ve often felt this is partly due to the fact that we’ve never learnt what we need or quite what the comfort gives us!

I've been quite a late developer on the clothes front, but I've suddenly realised it is one of life's joys.
Benedict Cumberbatch

With the onset of this glorious summer, so the inspiration to try a little more exercise gained momentum and I’ve ventured out on a few early mornings.  My body’s memory of painful riding is fading; the more I ride my new bike, the more inclined I am to go again.

My usual forays are either 30 minutes on my own, or a slow amble of not more than 1 hour with the children.  On seizing a rare opportunity to go for an hour a few months ago, I discovered my helmet was the wrong shape for my skull and gave me a painful headache L.  I don’t expect you’ll be surprised to learn that I’ve enjoyed experiencing the wind in my hair of late! 

BUT, I had a friend who once said ‘£10 head, £10 helmet’ and he had a point – it saved my life on the motorbike.  So, guess where I went today?  That’s right, to buy a new helmet!

I’ve long suggested to clients that they wear a new outfit, especially shoes, around the house for a few hours at a time to make sure they are comfortable before that important occasion. 

I have a clear memory of one client who, just prior to heading off to Cyprus for her dream wedding, fortunately took this advice.  Her dress and lace overcoat were finished but on collection, and one final try, she discovered she’d lost weight.  The dressmaker hastily altered the dress for her and sent her happily on her way.  On arriving home, she asked me around to help make sure everything was perfect and we discovered that in haste, the lace overcoat was not re-tried at collection and thus had not been altered to accommodate the weight loss.  With a few days to spare before departure, and an obliging local seamstress, she still had time to fix it.

More than that, on ‘test driving’ her shoes around the house she discovered that 30 minutes was the absolute limit before that the ankle strap became uncomfortably tight.  A quick visit to the local cobbler to fit an extension piece and all was well.  We often laughed about how different her experience of her wedding might have been, distracted by an ill-fitting coat and painful shoes.

So here I sit, tapping away on this blog entry, wearing my new bike helmet (mine is silver J). Do I feel stupid? Not really! The children are in bed, my husband is at work and I’m not expecting anyone to arrive. 

I’ve adjusted the tension 2-3 times - I won’t be stopping every 5 minutes to adjust and readjust.  I’ve also used a pair of scissors to trim an irritating piece of ribbon where it has been frayed near the stitching on the chin strap.  I don’t tend to carry scissors with me on bike rides - that would have been just a little annoying!  Time well spent.  And more than that – if after an hour it doesn’t feel good, I can take it back to the shop for a replacement or refund having thoroughly tested it.

I love this quote from George Harrison:

There is one thing I have learned and that is not to dress uncomfortably, in styles which hurt: winkle picker shoes that cripple your feet and tight pants that squash your balls. Indian clothes are better

My ‘Indian Clothes’ don’t look so ‘Indian’ but I’m with him all the way on the comfort, it's a false economy to ignore it!

How Many Hats Do You Wear?

There are periods in life when balls get dropped, some are more visible than others, and the regular readers among you have commented when it gets a bit quiet on the blog front – feel free to feedback any time - your views are always welcome!

 

My excuse is much the same as many - ‘too busy’, although given that some people manage to organise multi-million pound businesses and their families, it must be that my support structures are not sufficient or my organisational habits not up to scratch, as every now and then I drop a ball or two!

When your life is full to the brim, how many hats can you wear at once and who can you bring in to help you with a ‘hat’ which is maybe not your area of expertise?  

 

I’ve been heard to say that I can be 3 things, wife, mother and career woman.  But is that true?  Is it possible to do more than one thing at a time? 

 

The world of technology is clear that there is no such thing as multi-tasking – the concept of multi-tasking is merely an illusion created by the processors working so fast or in parallel that they appear to be able to do more than one thing at a time – a bit like an effective parent! 

But, when the systems get overloaded, the computer crashes!  When I try to take on more than my own capacity, something drops and nothing seems to get done effectively.   Bring in the cavalry – back up required!  This Blog gives some good ideas for reducing the number of hats you may be trying to juggle! Whether this is asking for help from a friend, hiring a PA, a team of staff or even outsourcing to a company, it’s possible, BUT a certain amount of organisation is required to get to that point!

Just as order and structure supports me in work, so it does in my home - everything in its place and a place for everything’ - thus, frustrations mount as the clutter increases with expanding work, school activities, birthday parties and the Christmas influx!  All the ‘places’ are full and ‘things’ start to pile up in the corners. 

Working mostly from home means my space needs to be organised and (subject to the limitations of having young children) relatively tidy; I walk around the ‘clutter’ and TRY to ignore it but notice how distracting it is.  I say ‘try’ because in reality mess has an adverse effect on me; tidiness leaves me feeling relaxed and able to breathe. 

But it’s more than tidiness - at a basic level, the areas of my home need to support ME, i.e. do the right job in the right way.

At House of Colour, we work to identify that your clothes do the right job in the right way, supporting you in your lifestyle.   Enter Rannveig (pronounced Ranvay), of Anna Stone Design, an interior designer who works with ‘space’.  Rannveig listened to what I was trying to achieve and my frustrations with it not seeming to come together.  Trained, professional and objective, her fresh eye, made my space work better for me just as I’ve helped people’s wardrobes work better for them.

My problem was reduced to about a quarter of its original size by reorganising 3 out of 4 of my downstairs rooms - space and energy is apparent!

After an exhausting but enjoyable day spent rearranging sofas, chairs, tables, toy storage and pictures, my home felt completely different.  With only Rannveig’s time as my cost, I was well on the way to solving a problem that had seemed insurmountable because it drained me of energy and I always had too many things to do.   I’m used to being brought in as the ‘cavalry’ but today I’d been the recipient!  

And the best bit?  Nobody noticed!  I’d say that’s because it’s right, it works - just as when someone is wearing the colours and styles which suit and flatter them, people notice the person not the clothes.

There’s no ‘best before’ date on style

The lady wore black……. almost unrelieved black.

An electric blue fairy danced gaily on her hat and a scatter of white polka dots, like a starling’s wing, graced the gauzy silk of her scarf. But, apart from that, she was in black; black hat, wide black belt nipping in a slender waist in a black winter coat, black gloves, black riding boots.

And she looked great!

We bonded over a stray shopping trolley which required escorting ‘home’, when she expressed admiration for my sartorial style (I, needless to say as a Spring, was not in black).

Well, right back atcha, sister!

The curls escaping from her hat may have been silver, the mischievous eyes set in a sea of fine wrinkles but this lady clearly showed that you don’t have to give up on looking spectacular just because a certain birthday has passed.

When I told her how fantastic she looked she giggled unashamedly and told me it was all done on a shoestring. The belt had come from Primark, the scarf from a charity shop, the hat from Claire’s Accessories. The dancing fairy had been made for her by her great grand-daughter. The coat and boots she laughed, well they had been in her wardrobe for ever!

Despite obviously being in her eighties, this lovely lady was subtly but exquisitely made up, with a vibrant raspberry coloured lipstick enhancing her bright blue eyes. Black was so obviously right for her, the neat but slightly dramatic style complementing her naughty personality.

I didn’t get her name but she was an inspiration. I think I want to be just like her when I grow up - only not in black - Chocolate or Geranium Red, maybe……..?