Durham City Hockey festival

This weekend was something different for me. I spent two days at a hockey festival, which was the first time I’ve ever done anything like that. We joined a team in need of some extra players, and one of the best bits was getting to play alongside my daughter. If I’m honest, I was mainly there to make up the numbers so there were enough female players for the mixed team rules. As still very much a hockey novice, I wasn’t exactly arriving with sporting ambitions, but I think I did ok, despite nearly melting in the heat. My legs are definitely complaining now though snd stairs are a challenge today! As someone with AuDHD, any big event is a funny mix. My ADHD brain loves the novelty, fun and movement. My autistic brain is quietly horrified by the change, unpredictability, new people and not knowing what to expect. Both parts of me are always there, this weekend, the more daring side won out because I know I always feel better when I’ve done some exercise. One unexpected highlight? A fancy dress BBQ on Saturday night. I can’t remember the last time I went to a fancy dress party — very much outside my comfort zone. But I want my daughter to see that it’s ok to do things even when they feel scary or uncomfortable, so we had fun choosing Roman-themed outfits and accessories together. In the hockey tournament, our team came third overall. It really wasn’t about the winning… although it was nice to do well. And the biggest proud-mum moment of the weekend was seeing my daughter awarded junior player of the tournament. Weekends like this remind me that health often looks a lot more ordinary than we sometimes give it credit for: moving your body, spending time with people, trying something new.  And having fun.