Excuse me Miss, are you a shop lifter??

Imagine you are in a busy department store. Your friend says she’ll be back in a sec. You are stood next to a clothes rail, fumbling about feeling the pretty dresses, doing your best to seem busy and not draw attention to yourself. As you slowly move from one hanger to another, you bump elbows with a not soo impressed shopper. You feel their eyes looking at you with intense suspicion.

Oh damn, there is no sign of your friend, you’ve forgotten your caine at home. how do you explain your blindness without sounding like a complete tit?

This is how some of my shopping experiences used to be before little laura came along. Being left alone, unable to move around safely, not having a clue what to do, especially in busy environments  was a nervous feeling. I often refused to take my caine with me for fear of being judged, appearing vulnerable and I just disliked using the damn thing as it made me look different. It took me many years to finally accept that learning how to use the caine was an essential first step towards regaining my independence and ultimately realising that being different is an asset.

We live in an era where we feel pressure to look a certain way, worry about what people may think of us, compare ourselves to others, the list could go on and on. Your eyes see what you feel to be true, but the answer actually is within you.  let me explain…

Think of a box of chocolates. One is filled with identical pieces, and the other is a brilliant selection of flavours, shapes, textures, colours. Which would you rather have?

Just like a delightful box of chocolate, Choose to be your sweet unique self, embrace your strengths and individuality with pride and passion. Always remind yourself of the following,“The things that make me different are the things that make me me” wise words from my fav Pooh character, Piglet

And as for my shopping experiences these days…Having Laura by my side means that I don’t need to worry about explaining myself. Knocking an elbow, brushing past someone not a big deal. People are often understanding and curious to learn more about the role of a guide dog. With the unmistakable image of the furry little miricles in uniform recognised by many, we stand out in a crowd and walk with confidence everywhere we go. peoples attitude and willingness to help is far different to the stick experience these days!

Kindness is the new "Kool"

The Bus this morning was full of passengers. Most of the seats were taken.

A lovely lady saw we were looking for a front seat. She kindly gave up her place so we could sit down. My heart lit up with such gratitude. Her thoughtfulness set a beautiful tone for the rest of our day.

Its the simple everyday kind gestures that can uplift a strangers day. Courtesy does not cost a thing but has the power to light up someone elses heart and your own too! Be kind to be cool! Much love

Forever Young Lady

At the bus stop In Syston we get talking to a lovely Little lady. Laura curious as always edges in for a fuss as something about this lady has caught her attention .

The first thing this sweet lady says is,”I’ve just had the best horse riding session ever!” she’s been riding for years but had to put her passion on hold after having babies and caring for her poorly husband.

Now in her prine she’s finally dedicating time every week to do what she loves. Learning to ride horses with skill, nailing challenging jumps and developing her confidence.

The passion and enthusiasm in her voice just radiated with a happy glow. And the beautiful part…This little lady was 78 years young! Much love

Story of the Fragrant Rose

For the last few days I had been shopping around for a beautiful pink rose hair accessory for a special occasion. using my inner vision, I had an image of what I wanted in all its beautiful detail.

On this particular day I experienced a quality magic moment! A beautiful series of events followed that could only be explained in one word…So let me share what happened.

Laura and I arrive at the gym for our sweat sess. A lovely fragrance of rose catches my attention. Turns out it’s a yankee candle. Nothing odd right? On the bus ride home, we’re sat talking to a sweet lady. As we get up to leave I felt inspired to ask her name. “rose” she replied. Oh could this be coincidence? Later I am browsing through insta. I notice someone left a comment with the surname Rose. Now I’m thinking whoa!

A strong realisation hit. Where your focus goes, energy flows. Positive or negative. You have the power to choose. So choose wisely!

And the one word I feel best sums this series of coincidences up…serendipity. Something we can all experience more of with awareness, gratitude and being in the moment, much love

Whoa! How a 7 year old made my heart melt

If someone asked me, “what do you enjoy most about being a speaker?” I’d say, the empowering feeling you get from sharing a unique insight into your story to help people to see, think and do things differently that will benefit their lives and others. Yes it takes balls of courage to speak in front of an audience, but the outcome of facing the fear is worth it as I recently discovered after an unexpected encounter…

One of the most rewarding and fun things Laura and I love to do is supporting the Guide Dogs charity. So we joined in with a Christmas collection day at our local Sainsbury’s dressed in festive style of course! With a sparkly red tinsel collar and festive head band Laura looked like a furry Christmas tree and as for me, a Santa hat which was not as cool. But hey ho ho ho the outfits were worth it!

We drew in very merry shoppers who kindly opened up their purses, loved fussing adorable Laura and most importantly raised lots of awareness about the work of guide dogs. If I had a penny for every time someone called her a good boy I bet we could have raised like a million quid in 90mins. Thought I just told you her name was Laura?! Lol.

And then I heard an excited little voice behind me say, “Hello I remember you and Laura! You came to speak about guide dogs at my beavers group!”

As soon as I turned around to face the little girl, she enthusiastically went on to explain every detail she remembered from the talk and how she still uses the puppy book mark we handed out…almost 8 months ago!

Whoa I thought! Listening to her share what she had learnt just made my heart melt like a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a warm apple crumble. Simply sweet!

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As I spoke to her, I remember how enthusiastic and excited the kids were that day to hear all about Laura and why she is a special doggy and how she helps me.

We were sat at the front of the room with rows of little eyes on us. My initial thought was, “oh damn there’s no way these kids are going to sit still for 15mins listening to me blabbering on!”

To my surprise I was proved wrong! Each and every child sat quietly, fully engaged and payed close attention as I shared stories on the role of a guide dog, how Laura has changed my life and a few funny stories about the mischief she gets up too! Not surprisingly they were curious to learn more raising their little hands eager to ask a question or two or three…”can Labradors only become guide dogs, how old is Laura, and.. My doggy likes to eat carrots too!”

Every second of our visit was so rewarding and fun. These smart little grownups showed such enthusiasm, a genuine interest and were able to demonstrate what they had learnt too!

I remember a moment at the end of the talk when all 25 kids lined up in single file to stroke Laura and receive a sticker and book mark. One little boy made me smile. Before he reached out to pet Laura in harnace he introduced himself to me and politely asked, “Is it ok to stroke Laura.”

One of the things I’d mentioned to the kids was to always ask the guide dog owner first before fussing the dog as a dog in harnace is a working dog and must not be distracted. The same little boy left the session super excited telling his dad all about what he’d learnt.

This is what makes doing what I do so fun and rewarding

The experience of helping these little ones to learn about the life changing work of guide dogs is such an empowering feeling. The impression you could make on a person, even a 7 year old as I realised from simply speaking from the heart is a feeling that lights me up inside. So no matter how nervous it feels this is what truly makes it so worthwhile.

Today’s kids are our future generation of influencers and thought leaders. I believe if we can begin teaching them about the positive impact they can make even on the tiniest level just imagine what an empowering world we could create!