As well as a lover of crap TV, I will confess as a 9-13 year old I was also a lover of some truly cheesy books; think Sweet Valley High and the Babysitters club. They are not high brow works of literature…and I slightly cringe at the thought…I did also read some great classics but yeah I have always loved a bit of cheese…which may be why I watched a film called ‘the Kissing booth’ the other day-which was surely made for 15 year olds to watch at a sleepover, where afterwards they would no doubt discuss at length if they had a kissing booth at their school fayre (I mean really what school allows anything more crazy than whack-a-rat?!!) who they may get to smooch.

It’s a debate guys.

I mean the struggle is real… As my first kiss was in my tutor room in Year 7, as a dare, full of my peers watching me (what a romantic set up) maybe a booth would have been preferable? Or you know just a kiss which I had chosen myself and not one I just couldn’t get out of.

Anyway going back to these books..I have been thinking about them because a friend has just asked for book recommendations to inspire her daughters.

And as naff, and frankly pretty shallow and sexist (SVH I’m talking about you!) these books were, they definitely got me thinking of what I could do.

I started a secret club in my shed when I was 9-Inspired by the ‘secret 7’-I think we may have had 2 meetings, but i did minute them, there was a changing password and I always provided good refreshments (Jazzies and strawberry laces fyi). There may have only been 2 members though?

I made a pretty awesome den in my friends old pig sty (She lived on a farm)-it was very good-we even made an impressive door hanger-which would have been more use if there had been a door.

I started a babysitting business, I even made business cards by sellotaping my dads business cards back to back (resourceful and eco at such a young age!) This was probably the most successful of my endeavours as it did provide me with some vague income until I was 16 and Tesco came along and gave me and half of the 16 year olds in our neighbourhood a job!

Obviously Anne of Green Gables reminded me that sometimes you need to fight back when someone pulls your hair and  to get your friend drunk on your parents secret stash of alcohol! No-not just that, it was inspiring to watch Anne rise and to kick some seriously patriarchal butt.

Jo from Little Women…made me desperate to write and act like she did, and ice skate on a frozen lake (except I can’t ice skate but maybe I could if I lived near a frozen lake?) and to have sisters (I was gutted to be the only girl and have made it my lifes ambition to try and be adopted into some sisterhoods).

And now…who makes me want to adventure now. I love to laugh at Catlin Moran’s brilliance with words and cry at Hollie McNish’s poetry which is just so raw.

I am inspired to try and make things because of the unbelievable creativity I see around me. Sadly, I have yet to find my calling and I am not sure how much more clothing/jewellery/furniture I can sacrifice to the worlds of upcycling and craft. Haha!

Today I watched friends and a husband do the dragon boat race, with tea cosies on their heads and it was amazing. They were just trying and adventuring and why the heck not.

So lets open our eyes, and our naff books, and look around and be a bit inspired…small adventures can become life changing moments and they can start by noticing the opportunities.

However, I do want to acknowledge some stuff not-so inspirational. some books, articles, and programmes are just a bit well at best escapism and I think that is fine at times (Love Island definitely falls into this category-and yes I watch it) and at worst just not good for you. The not good for you stuff stifles you, it leaves you feeling trapped and overwhelmed, and sometimes well written programmes and clever podcasts can do this. That is the stuff you are better off leaving where it is…nothing is that necessary.

And you don’t have time for that when you have dens to build, and secret clubs to form!!