I felt a little bit of freedom recently – you know that kind of feeling you might have had as a kid when you weren’t in school on a school day - bad example, this only happened for me if I was sick!

Anyway, it was simply due to going to a shop in town!

Cancer, not Covid, has kept me from doing this. After my diagnosis in October I’ve barely driven due to a combination of stress and surgery.

On this shopping trip I visited just one shop, Mother Earth, where I took my washing-up liquid and laundry bottles to be refilled, bought unpackaged soap and plastic-free dishwasher tablets.

The joy of this independence and shopping in a way I value is hard to describe but you might, unfortunately, relate to this if you have suffered ill-health, self-isolation or been shielding.

Above and beyond this was the kindness I was shown by the owners of this independent business.

Cancer, for me, has been a huge mental challenge. That has been the hardest bit.

While in Mother Earth a beautiful space was created in which my feelings were acknowledged and my difficult current situation validated.

This is something that does not happen shopping online with the big national and multinational companies.

My mental health was boosted by being heard. It’s something we can all do for others but it can feel uncomfortable as most people feel they need to ‘fix’ the problem – however so often we need to sit with the difficulty of our situation to be able to later get into the light.

All very deep for simply shopping in an eco-friendly way!

So, please consider refilling those washing-up bottles.

Recycling is good but plastic cannot be recycled forever.

Instead, it gets downcycled for example, into a fleece jacket which then sheds microplastic into the water when washed.

Plus please hold space for others’ feelings, they’re real and for many very difficult right now.

That way we will heal each other, the planet and make our way into the light once more.

www.rhubarbandrunnerbeans.co.uk