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Soul Steps with Ciele:, Putaruru (2025)

22/09/2025

When Inspiration Meets AI (and My ADHD Brain)
So here’s how it started: my ADHD brain went, “Ooooh, I know! Let’s make some kind of oracle cards card deck !” ✨🙏✨️

Cue instant excitement. Out cames the scraps piece of paper, and I started scribbling down mantras, quotes, and inspirational little sparks. Themes came tumbling out: earth, wind, fire, water ect...
And then the realization hit: wait a second… how exactly am I going to physically draw and paint 40-plus cards, over the weekend?

Brain fireworks. Ideas firing off like it’s the 4th of July.
Solution: “I’ll get AI to help me! Surely it can whip up some beautiful images for me.”
Because let’s be real, we’ve all tried getting AI to do the silly stuff.... The cat riding a unicorn, eating pizza, at the Wiggles concert!!. So how hard could oracle cards be?
Turns out… VERY.
Two weeks. Two. Whole. Weeks. Of a full-blown argument between me and the fricken computer. I swear it was actually doing it on purpose. I’d write instructions eg a border around the edges with a small creek flowing from left to right of the card, pretty straight forward right? No words, no extras, clear and simple, but NO the computer would come back with:
1, either no border or half a border,
2, change the creek to a waterfall,
3, one time to top it off, it made up its own words and added them !!!
Then it would say ...
“I’m sorry, I changed your instructions. I was just trying to be helpful.”

At one point I was ready to delete ChatGPT , and bin the whole thing!

But here’s the thing: sometimes inspiration doesn’t follow the path you thought it would. Sometimes computers just sux, and sometimes ADHD takes you on a angry, messy, chaotic, spark-filled ride, and sometimes the universe just has other plans, and maybe, just maybe, i can calm down and try again next week 🤣🤣🤣

10/09/2025

Can i just finish something, and Potatoes 🥔✨

Here’s the thing… I’ve been putting off all my started tasks.

My first book about my childhood (Mummy Please Let Me Go to School) is sitting at over 20,000 words. I made it all the way to age five, but then I hit the “not so good bits”… and I abandoned it for now.

My second book (40 Days and 40 Beds), my Camino adventures, has also been pushed aside. (Yes, I spun the title 😅)

Instead, I’ve been distracting myself with… everything else.... Back to my wood burning art, then thought, “Why not sell it?” But because I’m not confident enough, I decided ill add crystals to sell aswell.
Then I thought, “Well, if I’m selling crystals, I’ll make information sheets for them.” Then incense holders appeared on my to-do list… which of course means selling incense too. And then for good measure: I also started making a set of oracle cards. (their's a whole story about that to come)

All of these little “extra” tasks? They’re just avoidance for life.

Because here’s my truth: when you walk 800 km to find clarity and peace and to fill your bucket, you eventually come home. And when you do, the issues you tried to leave behind? They didn’t disappear. They simply packed their bags and came on the walk with me!.

So now, armed with my full buckets, I’m standing here reminding myself: stop adding more and more (and MORE)… and just finish one fricken task.

P.S. I stopped in the middle of peeling my potatoes to write this. 🤣

30/08/2025

🌿 Winter Bliss & Peanut Brownies 🌿

Soooo… how do I pull myself out of winter bliss? The snuggly blankets, hot chocolates, and my HGTV “house porn” have had me in their grip for weeks. 🤣

Truth time: I haven’t walked or done much of anything in the last 5 weeks, unless you count putting on 2kg. (I’m blaming the cat, of course. He sits on my lap, and it would just be mean to move him. 🐈)

I haven’t visited many people, I haven’t seen my grandbabies in ages, my legs are winter-wild and furry, the vacuum hasn’t seen the light of day, and I’m still not fully back to myself after a little hospital stay three weeks ago.

But here’s the thing: I actually feel good about all of that.

Instead of sitting in guilt and shame, I’ve been choosing kindness, reminding myself to forgive myself for slowing down. Sometimes rest and retreat are exactly what the soul needs.

And to celebrate this gentler way of being? I’m making peanut brownies. I’ll eat them all (without apology), watch a movie, maybe do some of my artwork, and most of all, just be thankful that I can. 💖

Here’s to winter days, soft self-compassion, and sweet treats that feed more than just the belly. ✨

17/08/2025

August Reflections 🌿
It’s been just 8 weeks since I returned home, and still I feel a constant yearning for that simple rhythm of walking, eating, sleeping, and repeat.

The tan on my arms and legs has already faded back to the familiar New Zealand shade of snow, and though my joints are slowly forgiving me, the longing hasn’t eased.

Yesterday we were in town, and I spotted those Osprey backpacks. I tried one on, and the moment it settled onto my shoulders , it all came rushing back, the excitement, the freedom, the belonging.
A good backpack really does feel like a warm hug, one of those ones you never want to let go of. I almost cried with excitement, right there in the shop.
So today I sat down and tried to do the math. How many paydays of savings, until we can go back. Yep that right i am going back and this time Richard is coming with! The budget says 3 years and even though that feels like forever, it’s a plan. And a plan means hope.
I don’t think the Camino ever leaves you. It just sits inside of you, pushing you forward 💖✨️💖

09/08/2025

Sooooo i sent a review into creeper socks, and well, I thought i gave them a pretty good 10/10 and my ego was definitely expecting at least a reply! But expiations vs reality... crickets that what I got.... not even an auto reply. ego -1 sock still a 10 🤣🤣🤣

FYI... said review...

I want to let you know that i have just returned for doing the Camino- the pilgrimage walk across Spain, and your sock were tryed and tested. After walking over 800km on the Camino de Santiago, I can honestly say my only two pairs of socks were yours and they were absolute champions. I rotated them every 5 days or so, and despite all the walking, sweating, hills, rain, these socks held up like seasoned pilgrims. No holes. No fraying. No weird smells (okay… maybe just a little by day five 🤣). They cushioned my toes, prevented blisters, and somehow still felt comfy even after the hundredth hill. Honestly, I wasn’t sure , but they just kept going. If these socks were people, I’d buy them a beer and give them a Compostela certificate too. Highly recommend for long-distance walkers, toe wigglers, and anyone serious about foot comfort. 10/10 would walk across Spain in them again.

Thanks heaps Ciele Everson

14/07/2025

Returning Home
What is it like coming home after 60 days away on a life-changing pilgrimage?
It’s overwhelming, in the most beautiful, soul-stretching way.
I don’t think I have truly understood how lucky I am. This journey gave me more than blisters and stories, it gave me confidence, self-worth, and a deeper knowing of who I am.
And coming home? It was like being wrapped in the arms of love itself.
At the airport, I was met by my family, my whole heart standing there, waiting for me to walk through the airport doors.
Tears poured freely. The love was too big for words, and it filled every part of me.

Since being home, I’ve cried almost every single day. Not from sadness.
They are for the pain I’ve carried, the strength I’ve discovered, and the truth I’m learning to own.
But mostly… they are for love.
For the love that held me together when I wanted to fall apart.
For the love waiting for me here at home.
For the love i am so grateful for.

I am so blessed, so deeply held by the most incredible people in my life. This return is the beginning of a new chapter, and maybe a book ✨️👣🙏

01/07/2025

One Small Step... is how it began.
Change the small things, and over time, they become something great.
That’s where it starts.
Not with a grand plan.
Not with perfection.
Just… the first step.
That’s where everything changed for me.

Looking back now, it was subtle.
I remember standing in my bedroom, feeling deeply sad, yet just ten minutes earlier, I’d felt fine. And in that moment, I saw it.
I was stuck.
Looping.Spinning in and out of emotions that seemed to come from nowhere and take over everything.
They were controlling me, and I wasn’t in the driver’s seat anymore.
I remember thinking to myself, “Is this what the rest of my life is going to feel like?”

Then a coffee catch-up with a dear friend. A chance comment.
A long, soul-stirring conversation.
And suddenly, something lit my mind up!

The universe had opened a door, and this time, I was ready to step through.

So it began. With one step.👣👣👣

19/06/2025

The Unexpected Silence
Before I began this journey, I imagined I’d fill the days with music, audiobooks and podcasts. I thought I’d have songs filling my head to pass the time or counting steps to keep focused. I even tried once, to count how many steps were in 4km. I got to 25… then forgot what I was doing entirely. I only remembered when someone nearby said, “3km to go!” and I realised, Oh right... that! 🤦‍♀️

But here’s what I now understand:
I didn’t need the noise.
My mind wasn’t seeking distraction.
Instead, I was fully here.
Breathing it all in, not just through my nose and lungs, but through my eyes, heart, skin, and soul.
And breathing it all back out through my sweat, my pores, and my tears.

What I thought I’d need to fill the silence became completely unnecessary.
Because the silence was never empty.
It was full, of presence, of healing, of me.
When my body hurt, I responded with kindness.
When tension crept in, I softened.
When my mind became unkind, I gave it space. I gave it permission to let go.
And when I needed more, I reached out.
To my family. My friends. My village of love.
So with every step, I nursed myself back to health.
This wasn’t just a walk.
It was a quiet revolution.
To the true healing of my inner heart.
But the Camino doesn't start until the Camino finishes 💖🙏💖

15/06/2025

Chapter One:
As the horizon swallowed the last light of day, I was met with a feeling I hadn’t quite known before, something deep in my heart and soul. It’s taken a few days to name it, to give it shape. But now I know what it is.

True Happiness.
True, deep happiness. The kind that is deep in your bones. The kind I felt when I held each of my three babies for the very first time.
In a strange way, this pilgrimage felt like labour, the pain, the stretch, the surrender. A birthing of something ancient and something entirely new.
A re-birthing of me. Of my mother’s journey through pain to bring me into this world. Of my own journey, this time walking myself forward into a new life.
Only now, I carry both old knowledge and new wisdom. A stronger heart. A quieter mind. A spirit humbled by the road and strengthened by the steps.

In the ancient embrace of Finisterre, where the land ends and the ocean begins, I stood at the lighthouse and gave thanks, to my guardian angels, to those who came before me, and to those yet to come.
And as I watched the sun set, I knew it was more than the end of a day.
It was the closing of a chapter, and the promise of joy in the one that now begins. 🙏💖🙏

11/06/2025

The end of the world and the end of this Camino adventure ✨️🙏✨️

10/06/2025

Tomorrow marks our final day of walking two Caminos, this adventure has carried us 809 km not counting the winding detours, spontaneous town adventures, and ohhh, don’t forget the joyful food hunts that kept us happy every mile.

Along this path, I’ve felt a profound happiness and deep gratitude that can only be described as magic. My body still aches with every step, and, if I’m honest, 95% of this journey has been a test of spirit and resolve. Yet, 100% of it has been worth every single step, every blister, every new twist and turn, and the eagerness for what's ahead............

Day 44 tomorrow,
🌟🙏💖🌎

10/06/2025

Toilet Lights: Omg. I can’t believe that toilet lights deserve their own blog post, but here we are!
Honestly, it’s not just me. We’ve reached the point where we’re warning the next person heading in, to brace themselves!!!

Some toilets give you a couple of minutes of normal lighting, but most of the time you’re just trying to have a quiet moment when suddenly… darkness. And there you are, flapping your hands around trying to find the switch and the paper (if there is any!)

Or my favourite: you’re frantically arm-flapping every 10 seconds, like a lonely blow-up spaghetti man outside a used car yard, just trying to keep those motion sensors happy.

And then sometimes the light goes full-on disco, strobing so fast you’re not sure if you’re about to wet your pants or have an epileptic fit.

So here’s to the next brave soul heading in:
May your bladder be strong and your arm-flapping game even stronger.
🤣💖🤣

Soul Steps with Ciele:

22/09/2025

10/09/2025

30/08/2025

17/08/2025

09/08/2025

14/07/2025

01/07/2025

19/06/2025

15/06/2025

11/06/2025

10/06/2025

10/06/2025

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