The Spanish can already relate to the concept of lucky pants, they do after all have a tradition of wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve. I think most of us have a pair of lucky pants somewhere in our past or even still in our cupboard and Bridget Jones famously had “magic stomach-sucking-in granny knickers” for her hot date with Daniel Cleaver in the book “Bridget Jones’ Diary” (they worked, just in case you were wondering). But we also pull on our big girl pants when we have to do something difficult.
Sarah Oakley, who I met this week for a chat for the Majorca Mallorca Podcast, has been living in Mallorca since the beginning of 2020. She set up home here with her husband and two children, having moved from Hertfordshire in an attempt to give them a healthier life with more chances to be outside all year round. Having settled in a little Sarah turned her mind to a project that she had in mind, the Brave Bird Club. The BBC grew out of a conversation that Sarah had had with a friend of hers.
“One of my best friends was in an abusive relationship. She’d been trapped in it for over five years and was barred by her partner from contacting me. We’d try our best to keep in touch in secret but it was difficult. For every message I sent, it came with the fear of real consequences on who may pick it up first. One day a ping on my phone came through. It said “I know I need to leave him”. I could feel the change in energy. I wrote back “What would you say to yourself if you were your best friend”. She replied “To put my brave girl pants on and get on with it” I replied. “Ok, so do that”. And she did.”
Sarah has set up a company where you can buy a pair of Brave Bird Pants for yourself or for someone who you want to send bravery or love or luck to. It could be for that first day at college, or a job interview, or chemo, or so many other moments in a person’s life that could be challenging. For each sale of a pair of knickers a pound is being donated to a women’s shelter called My Sister’s House in the UK.
“Gift them to yourself and wear them to ‘that’ family occasion, to an important pitch, to the gym as you train, to support you as you struggle with sadness, illness, grief or overwhelm, to remind yourself everything that you are, and all that you have conquered to be here today. Or gift them to a friend to remind them of who they are underneath, of their heart so big it could burst, of their compassion so strong it can heal, of their intelligence and fearlessness, of their strength when life seems against them, and of their downright awesomeness that the world needs more of.”
Sarah gave me a pair of these pants and I wore them the next day to the gym and got a new PR, it’s scientifically proven: Never underestimate the power of these pants.
You can buy the pants online here: https://www.bravebirdonthe.net/ Sarah and her friend Lucy have also started a podcast called Brave Bird Club so give that a listen as well! You can listen to the whole interview on the Majorca Mallorca podcast.
The Arts Society Exhibition
The Mallorca Arts Society cordially invites you to view this year’s exhibition which will be presented on Saturday January 29 from 12 noon to 5pm at Son Muntaner Golf Course. For more information visit https://theartssociety.org/mallorca The exhibition is curated by the Arts Society and features work from members and residents of the island.
The Book Hedgehog
I always wanted a book hedgehog from the Universal Bookshop. Kay Halley folds them herself, they are simply charming and unique. When she announced she was closing the bookshop I took the chance to ask if maybe I could have a hedgehog, and she very kindly made me one. We met at Capuccinos in Portals and pretended we were rich people whilst drinking overpriced coffee and said our goodbyes. Kay has now closed the bookshop permanently and is preparing to move back to the UK. The majority of the remaining stock has gone to the Calvia Lions shop in Palmanova where they have a big selection of second hand books in English.
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