PEOPLE Hank & Carina 40HEALTH Regret.

THEN OLHÃO FOUND US...

... and we weren't even looking! Hank and Carina's story of how they came to live in and love Olhão

Welcome to our monthly column celebrating Olhão. After exploring Portugal top to bottom from Braga to Tavira enjoying so many coastal and inland locations in our RV, we decided Olhão was the place to buy our home to celebrate our “golden years”. Olhão was not on our radar at first. In fact, the discovery of Eastern Algarve was a pleasant surprise with the scale of development so much less than areas to the west. A chance winter rental introduced us to Olhão, a place we quickly found attractive for many reasons. “Walkability” is, above all, a main highlight and each month I will introduce you to places only steps away from our front door. We hope you will enjoy our column!

Explore the Olhão Ria Formosa Natural Park Salt Pans!

Last year, on a January afternoon, we plunked down our deposit to begin the home purchase process. As we stood on the roof of our apartment building taking in this view, I knew we were captured. This beautiful spot, just steps out our front door, is in fact the original inspiration for beginning our monthly column! The Ria Formosa Natural Park stretches along the eastern Algarve coast for 179 kilometres, from the Spanish border to Faro. The quiet waters and easily accessible barrier islands (and ocean beaches), connecting to the open sea are just a short ferry ride away. Here in Olhão, you can easily explore a part of this wonderful land/ waterscape that always delivers peaceful and inspirational walkability! From the Olhão Mercado, head west along the esplanade towards the “Vista Ilhas Center“ (Island View Center). This new commercial and gastronomic collection of 26 separate businesses is just now being completed and is just past the boat loading ramp. Continue along the sidewalk skirting the parking area and then dip down to the “flats” where, during low tide twice each day, you’ll witness clam diggers hard at work as the waters drain

to provide muddy access to their daily catch. At high tide, and especially during early morning sunrise and evening sunsets, the feeling of peace and relaxation while hiking these paths is just wonderful. Most mornings, pink flamingos gather in one pond area, foraging for the protein under water which brings about their pink colour. (worth a google…) This sublime series of walking paths is never crowded and the serenity it delivers has even inspired some to anonymously police the paths ensuring there is a minimum of litter. You can walk along a series of well tread paths circling the ponds that

lead around to meet the stockpile the salt pans deliver. From there either aim right to the small road leading back to Olhão, or if you are in a shopping mood, left through the railroad crossing to either Continente or Lidl just steps away. A third alternative if you turn west is the “EcoRide'' biking and walking path that continues for a few kilometres to the western border of Olhão. That path will connect with the soon, we hope, to be completed bike path all the way to Faro.

Delicia de Olhão

Delicia de Olhão is located on what we call “restaurant row” just east of the twin Olhão Mercado buildings. Since 2010, they have been serving both locals and tourists. We have never seen this establishment without plenty of customers inside and on the terrace, weather permitting. This place is dangerous! I mean that in a good way. Please understand, we walk to follow the example of Mediterranean goat herders tending their flocks who seem to live forever. One thing those goat herders surely lack is the abundance of tasty food choices here in Olhão that we just cannot get enough of! Looking into the glass cases filled with an incredible selection of made from scratch treats, the level of temptation threatens to dismantle even the most dedicated diets. You might be best to indulge your dessert desires after enjoying a long salt pans walk offered above! Pictured here with a few of their creations are Manuel Rumor, owner, together with co-workers Iris Silva and Andreia Ferreira.

Questions or Comments? Write us at hankryan2003@yahoo.com We choose to focus on businesses here in Olhão where we have actually been customers first. Any future advertising from these businesses that supports Eastern Algarve Magazine is purely coincidental :-) Note: No goats were harmed during the production of this column :-) For our full introduction, see our first column online in the December 2021 issue. In previous editions, we have written about our experiences with the following companies and establishments: Follow That Flounder & Sabores da Ria 02-22, Esquina da Baixa & Carfree Weekends 01-22, El Torito & VIP Real Estate 12-21 (back editions can be found online https:// www.eastalgarvemag.com/).

IF ONLY I HAD…

My deepest and most painful regret is not spending more time with my dear brother before a tragic accident killed him. By Farah Naz

Iregret, too, not telling my dear father that he was the bravest of men, shamefully not giving more to homeless people I walked past on my daily commutes when living in London, not speaking up more against loud mouthed bigots, trying too hard to fit in, not allowing myself to dare to be brilliant, not travelling more before the pandemic and much more. Some of my regrets bundle up under the category of allowing my fears to stop me from living life – from doing more, saying more, acting more, thinking more, loving more, laughing more, dreaming more, risking more. And some regrets bundle up under the category of all the wrong and hurtful things I have done to others.

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” Les Brown

So, you see, I have my share of regrets, but perhaps the most damaging regret still to this day, is burying some of those regrets so deep that I have spans of time where I have convinced myself that I regret nothing!

´Non je ne regrette rien´ (translates to ´I have no regrets´). Charles Dumont

But wait a minute isn’t it good not to have regrets? Not to live in the past? Aren’t we supposed to live in the moment? Actually, regret can give us a lesson in life, it can feed the present, it reminds us that life is short and that opportunities may be once in a lifetime. So, in this way, regret can be utilised to propel us into living a life well lived. Indeed, a life without regret would most likely be a life where we will continue to repeat self-destructive and harmful behaviours.

´Life, if well lived, is long enough´. Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I don’t mean to suggest that we should ruminate or live inside our regrets, especially as we all know that going down the rabbit hole of ruminations can lead to depressive and anxious thinking. Instead of ruminating, we can practice the first lesson in psychological intervention which is acceptance. Because the more we accept our feelings the more in control of them we become. Taking these thoughts forward, here are some tips that can free us from the rigid thinking that leads us to getting stuck in a joyless, regretful life:

1Acceptance that we are not our ideal

selves

Starting with acceptance is key to all selfgrowth, if we don’t accept truthfully where we are, who we are, who we are not, what we did, what we didn’t do – we find ourselves in a battle with ourselves which only results in NO action, NO change, only internal pain. Once we accept that perhaps we are not where we want to be, only then we can move forwards.

2Accurately labelling what you're feeling

allows the appropriate response and learning

When you allow yourself to be overwhelmed by feelings of regret because you did not do this and did not do that, we might over dramatise. Like - ´I feel bad because I never told dad what he most needed to hear, I am a lousy daughter. ´ (This generalising of the emotions can lead to self-loathing, self-attack and a feeling of helplessness.) Accepting the feelings of regret instead of denying them, acknowledging and accurately labelling what you are actually feeling allows you to specifically pinpoint the regret and identify the learning for the future. And so, we might say instead: “Í am feeling remorse and sadness because I didn’t tell Dad what a brave man he was.“ This leaves space for the thought that you are still a good enough daughter, and an acknowledgment that there are other things you may have said. There may be an appropriate sense of sadness and loss but this feels manageable with time. And then the learning that can take place: Perhaps now you could take the time to reflect upon things that you would like to say, and what you think your loved ones may need to hear from you? Perhaps this year you might send birthday cards to them and use the opportunity to say these things. And maybe then, you can feel grateful for the learning from the past regret.

3Don’t avoid and Don’t self-attack - Face

your regrets with understanding and a kind heart

Too often, we kick ourselves hard for our perceived mistakes, forgetting that mistakes are an inevitability of life. We can trap ourselves in the cycle of regret, by repeating self-attack - “I'm a bad person because I haven’t cared enough for people worse off than me.” We could seek to understand and ask ourselves instead: Why did I walk past all those homeless people? Was it because there was too much pain to tolerate every day? Was it because I had read a derogatory and bigoted article about the vast amounts of money homeless people were earning a day, at that time? Remind yourself to be kindhearted to you and not a tyrant that demands perfection! Bounce back from your mistakes. Give yourself understanding.

4Find new possibilities and dare to repair Instead of punishing yourself, look for the learning. We can live in yesterday or we can accept the regret and plan for new possibilities, new ways, and move through the regret and look forward. “Stay away from what might have been and look at what can be.” ~Marsha Petrie Sue It's such a futile task to punish yourself when you could repair the damage instead. If you have done wrong by someone, or hurt someone inadvertently, then accept and dare to repair the damage caused by your mistake. Make a plan and take the steps to make amends.

5Give yourself time Emotions stick around if we avoid, selfattack, ruminate, repress, allow yourself to be upset appropriately, and give yourself time to allow the emotion to fade away. Some regrets will take more time to accept and to work themselves out of our system before we can feel energised to move forward.

And a final reminder: a life well lived is actually a life full of mistakes.

Farah Naz is a UK trained Psychotherapist of more than 30 years, and is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, with a special interest in neuroscience. She has worked with thousands of people globally for a range of issues. Farah trains national organisations, corporate companies, doctors, teachers and health workers on psychological-related issues. She has an online international practice and a private practice in Tavira. www.iamfarah.com email: info@iamfarah.com

BREATHWORK

Peter Winch practices and teaches breathwork, much like meditation it helps people to really connect to themselves on an even deeper level. He said: “It can greatly reduce the stress, worries and anxiety that we suffer from in our lives as well as giving us a heightened sense of clarity and focus therefore helping our mind to think more clearly and make better decisions. “It takes you on a beautiful path, aligning the body, mind and soul and creating more balance, calmness and peace.” Peter, who comes from Birdham, originally discovered breathwork two years ago when he first travelled to Bali and became fascinated by ‘the power of this healing tool’ and its many benefits. He decided to base himself in Bali to further his knowledge. The first session he did was a style known as ‘rebirthing breathwork’. He said: “After about 20 minutes of breathing with this form I noticed my breath pattern changing on its own and slowly becoming deeper and faster without my intention. “This was followed by an intense and almost overwhelming feeling of emotion and what was intriguing to me was that I wasn’t aware of where it came from as my head was very clear of any thoughts.” Peter explains how he carried on with the breath under the careful guidance of the facilitator despite being a little fearful. “Suddenly I had what is known in the breathwork world as a ‘release’ which is when you breathe through any resistance you are feeling until the emotion rises and then allow that feeling to come out, which for me was tears, however, in some cases yelling or screaming can also greatly help the individual” he said. “After the session, I felt a huge wave of positive emotion, I guess like a big weight had been lifted and this in turn made everything seem so much clearer. I decided then that I needed to train in this and help others.” The sessions are currently being held online and are donation based, these can be small groups or private one to one sessions. Each session lasts between an hour to an hour 15 depending on how many people are attending. It starts with a ten minute introduction followed by a short grounding meditation and then 40 minutes of breathing practice. At the end is a further five to ten minutes of discussion giving those involved the opportunity to share any thoughts or feelings that came up during or at the end of the process. Peter explained: “The sessions are held in a loving and supportive environment allowing for whatever trapped emotions or blockages the body needs to release or let go of to come freely. “This will all in turn help us to form an even stronger connection to ourselves, the earth, the universe and the beautiful people that surround us in our everyday lives! “During these present times where stress and anxiety levels sometimes run high, breathwork can have a huge amount of benefits.” For more information, you can email Peter on winchpeter82@gmail.com

Spring Mediterranean Garden Fair

For the first time the spring fair will be open for two days Saturday & Sunday March 26 & 27 Entry 1€ - children free 10h00 -16h00 each day Confest horse fair and monthly market site, Estoi

The Spring Mediterranean Gardening Fair will return this year for our first spring event since 2019. This will also be our first spring event open over two days, to give visitors more time to enjoy the variety of plants on offer in safe conditions. Plant nurseries will have the opportunity to restock for Sunday. If you are looking for specific plants, it will be possible to make a pre-order to collect at the event. We are very grateful to the plant nurseries for their support of this initiative when we will once again be able to celebrate Mediterranean gardening in the Algarve. All funds raised will go to support the work of MGAP/APEJECM. This event will take place at the same venue as the successful Autumn Fair, held in October 2021. The whole site is level and accessible and immediately next to free and extensive car parking. There will be more space allocated for exhibitors at this Spring Fair and the

whole event will be outside in the open air. Our partners for this event – CONFEST Horse Association of Estoi will provide a full catering service and there will be vegetarian options. We are very grateful to the President, and his team, from the Junta de Freguesia of Conceição and Estoi for their enthusiastic support. Measures because of Covid 19 - masks, distancing, hand sanitisers etc. will depend on the DGS rules in force at the time. These details will be confirmed later, so please check our website and Facebook page for updates. During the event, visitors can take advantage of the plant créche, immediately next to the car park. Purchases can be left in safe hands while continuing to enjoy the many attractions of the day. The popular MGAP Book Shop will have new and second-hand gardening and natural history books for sale. An MGAP Plant Sales table organised by our members will have plants from their gardens and MGAP Members will also provide gardening advice and plant identification for visitors. Native plants and native plant seeds will be for sale, as well as ornamental and container plants, with unusual plants from arid and tropical zones. You will find fruit trees and herbs and a large range of succulents suitable for the garden and for containers. This is an opportunity to buy the most appropriate plants for your garden and benefit from the advice and guidance of the knowledgeable nursery owners. Hot meals, refreshments and bar facilities will be available and all funds from the catering will go to CONFEST. There will also be a range of organic produce and products for sale. Finally, we ask everyone to help reduce plastic waste - we will provide a space to recycle plant pots and also please bring your own bags/boxes if possible.

Images and further info:

www.mgaportugal.org or mgapfairs@gmail.com Tel: 289 791 869 TLM: 918 718 474 Partners: CONFEST – Confraria Equestre dos Amigos do Cavalo de Estoi

Mediterranean Gardening Portugal