#9 This Caregiver's Watchlist: 'Giving Yourself Permission to...'
Find a little lightness, a few giggles and inspiration from the comfort of your home.
Hello, dear Readers. I’m Victoria (She/her/hers). I cared for my Dad through to his passing (the hellish dark days with grains of joy), and now I look after Mum (calmer waters, with moments of joy and several giggles). You can read more about why I’m publishing Carer Mentor here: Who Started Carer Mentor and Why?’
This is the ninth Caregiver’s Watchlist article. You can browse through the others in the ComfortZone here. I shared the premise for the Caregiver’s Watchlist series here.
If you’re having ‘Summer holiday’ envy, or feeling fed up because it’s too hot to sleep, or you're just too tired from caregiving, I hope this watchlist offers a portal to elsewhere or offers some on-demand distractions.
‘Giving yourself the permission to…’
…reframe life through the lens of the cutest dogs and the dulcet Scottish tones of Andrew Cotter.
mrandrewcotter: Olive and Mabel
Mr Andrew Cotter. During the pandemic, sports commentator Andrew Cotter started a YouTube Channel about Olive and Mabel. It has 203’000 subscribers now. Dare you not to melt inside when you watch this.
…or melt into the awe-inspiring sunrise and sunset views at the beach.
There are lots of videos and some stunning views and scenery like this one: Olive and Mabel - Sunrise, Sunset
…revel in the Proms 2025 (July 18, 2025)
The world's greatest classical music festival - live from the Royal Albert Hall. Stunning concerts, unique collaborations and the sheer joy of music bringing people together.
BBC iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b007v097/bbc-proms
YouTube First Night at the Proms
The world’s greatest classical music festival gets under way live from the Royal Albert Hall, with works by Mendelssohn, Vaughan Williams and Sibelius.
Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann present the spectacular concert which kicks off the summer’s Proms season. The music includes Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, Bliss’s Birthday Fanfare and Sibelius’s majestic Violin Concerto performed by world-class soloist Lisa Batiashvili. A world premiere by Errollyn Wallen - The Elements - starts the second half, followed by Vaughan Williams’s powerful Sancta Civitas with tenor Caspar Singh, baritone Gerald Finley, and the BBC Singers and Symphony Chorus.
Give yourself permission to be creative | Ethan Hawke | TED (August 11, 2020)
Reflecting on moments that shaped his life, actor Ethan Hawke examines how courageous expression promotes healing and connection with one another -- and invites you to discover your own unabashed creativity. "There is no path till you walk it," he says.
There are a few of his reflections that struck a chord. I recommend watching to the very end. This is one of my favourite pieces within his talk:
(Timestamp 7mins42)
So, if you want to help your community, if you want to help your family, if you want to help your friends, you have to express yourself. And to express yourself, you have to know yourself. It's actually super easy. You just have to follow your love. There is no path. There's no path till you walk it, and you have to be willing to play the fool.
…Be inspired by women reclaiming their voice.
In this funny, heartfelt film. An American-Indian, ‘Crazy-Rich-Asians’ vibe, but with a feminist plot.
India Sweets and Spices Duration 1hr 41mins Available on Amazon Prime
When Alia returns home from university, she challenges her parents' elitist lifestyle; expensive jewellery, lavish dinner parties, and gossiping aunties. But when she invites the son of a local shopkeeper to her mother's upcoming soiree, family secrets begin to surface.
…be lit up by a little love…a belated Valentine’s ‘First Dates’ episode
Heart lifting moments and giggles, are bubbles of lightness for any day.
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