Hi Reader,

🍄 Just being with people can be the medicine

Sorry I didn’t get the newsletter out to you last week. I had a pretty full week of family and friends mixed with travel. Today’s newsletter is a bit more personal memoir but I’ll leave you with something to think about :)

First up, I went on a short cruise with my mum to Amsterdam. She’s responded well to her initial treatment and was given an all clear. She’d like to travel while she’s well enough, so we thought we’d go on a short cruise. We had a look at what was available between appointments and we landed on a four-night cruise from Southampton to Amsterdam.

I’ve been to the city many times before. First time as a tourist in my late teens to smoke weed with my friends in the coffee shops. And in more recent years for work — been over there many times for work trips, taking people to buy truffles in the centre before sitting with them for their journeys. I’ve even given someone a guided museum dose tour around the Van Gogh Museum, So I’m pretty familiar with the city.

So after a day at sea with mum — eating some good food, and enjoying the sea view, I showed mum around the city over two days. We walked by the canals, saw the flower market, and we went by Anne Frank’s house. In the centre, I even took her to a coffee shop to show her what it's about, and we sat together as I smoked a light joint.

She didn’t smoke anything herself, but we sat outside the shop together, watching the street scene over the canal with a drink. She saw what it’s about. It was a pretty beautiful moment.

Mum's favourite art in the city - quirky sculpture called “Het Oog” (The Eye) by Harmen Brethouwer

We came back — another day at sea, more good food, a visit to the sauna, and conversation with some other travellers. Wonderful memories were made.

Then after the Amsterdam trip, we arrived back on Saturday morning and after dropping Mum home, I went to see my old group of friends, the P5 (short for Power 5). It’s my oldest, closest friend group from school. As we’ve gotten older it’s gotten harder to keep up, especially with some of us living in different countries and wives and children coming into the mix. But this was the first time in a few years we got the full group together, I think since a wedding in the group.

I’ve shared many, many experiences with those guys. Including early experimentation in the realms of consciousness exploration. Last weekend, we had a casual MDMA session. Just a good old-fashioned hangout. Games. Chat. Music. A bit of a low-key party. Lots of fun. Even a couple of nitrous oxide balloons in the mix. That’s how you know it’s a special occasion.

And I’ve gotta say, it was another memory made.

With Mum, and with the boys. It was a good week for the soul, just connecting with loved ones.

It’s had me reflecting on the healing and medicinal power of that.

It’s not all about shadow work, biohacking, or morning routines. Sure, those things all have their place in my life, but sometimes just being present with loved ones is healing. The simple act of showing up and being in the company of others is an incredibly important thing.

I know last week will return to me as fond memories. Already there’s some funny moments to look back on. Me and mum have already been laughing about things on board.

I guess that brings me to a message for today…

Making memories. Being connected to others. That, to me, is part of living a meaningful life.

I’ve heard somewhere that the single biggest predictor of someone’s sense of well-being and happiness is the quality of their relationships. Even helps health and longevity. Apparently there’s even decent research to support that. Either way, I think it’s something to focus on.

It’s been a recurring theme for integration for me over the years, many times coming out of journeys, remembering the importance and thinking: How can I work on my relationships? How can I improve them? Even if it's something small.

So anyway, maybe have a think:
Is there someone who it would be good to just sit with and see for a while? Is there a memory you’d like to or could make?

Hope you find time for something nice this summer :)

Drop me a reply if something came to mind.