None of us like asking for help, do we. And I wouldn't be asking if there was an alternative. Well, I could give up on this or put it on the back burner until I've got enough money to fund it myself. But this is a community-building exercise as much as anything and a crowdfunding opportunity for an innovative and accessible wellbeing programme for everyone. And I'd like to invite you onboard.
As some of you know, last year I gave up my home in Liverpool and most of my belongings because I was called to be of service. I spent 8 or 9 months staying with friends and other people who needed some support in return for a roof over my head. I had no income, no savings and didn't claim benefits, putting my trust in something greater instead.
I've since returned to Lancaster, where I lived a while ago, and am currently staying in the home of a person who is abroad and needs someone to look after the cat in their absence. I'm incredibly fortunate to be living so simply. It's part of my training as a Vajrayana practitioner. I do bits of paid work where I can, cash in hand, to pay for food and other essentials.
So how does all that connect with Whole Health? Well, I'm here for the summer and possibly longer, giving me time to work on the programme, which I conceived around this time last year before I left Liverpool. There's increasing demand for things that improve health and build resilience, especially in these difficult times, and Whole Health can certainly do that.
I've got plans to put the programme online, which I can probably achieve in the time I'm here in Lancaster. In the meantime, I'm running it at community centres locally to help me develop the online version and put food on the table while I do. The cost is minimal but, to someone with no money, minimal may as well be millions. That's why I need your help!
Of course, I realise there's a 'cost-of-living crisis' and there are many more people worse off than me. I count myself extremely fortunate to have what I have - a roof over my head, good friends, strong faith and the resilience to withstand the difficulties. I don't have children to feed and a mortgage to pay. We all have our priorities and when times are hard we have to cut back. So if this request goes unanswered there's no judgement here.
That said, if you, like me, see the Whole Health programme as something worthwhile - helping people find good health and build resilience to life's ups and downs - I invite you to join me on this journey. There's lots of ways to get involved - there's a wishlist of things I need, various levels of membership so you can really be a part of it, or you can buy me a bite to eat while I work on the programme. However you choose to help you can be sure it will put it to good use.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Your help is hugely appreciated and the benefits incalculable. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have in the comments below and I'll try to answer them for you.