Stepping Out of my Comfort Zone... Gently: Letters from the History Nook

Hello gentle reader.

Recently, Leo tasked me with stepping out of my comfort zone as part of my self development. I did so, but in a very gentle way. I’ve watched a new film, tried a new brand of energy drink (that was a mistake, I regret all my life choices) and dyed my hair. I went from Electric Lizard, to Psychedelic Sunset. Yes, I went from neon green to neon orange. It’s not a big change, but all of these little things are adding up to something bigger, giving me confidence to make bigger changes in the future.

This has been quite a short update this week, it has been fairly quiet in my little corner of the world.

This week in the history Nook:

I took a break last week, as some on you may have noticed, but I’m back at it this week. On Monday I wrote a Brief History of Hair Dye, and you can look forward to a post about HMS Ambrose on Friday.

This week in my life:

This week I found out that I’ll be working in costume for an event in September! I’m super excited about this, it’ll be my first time in my Viking kit since moving to Scotland, and it’s been a great motivator. I’ve finally started work on updating my kit and finishing the changes I started over a year ago. You can keep up to date with my progress in the History Nook Discord server.

Leo’s Corner

This week, I’ve been thinking about small revolutions—the kind that start not with battle cries, but with orange hair dye and regrettable energy drinks.

Change doesn’t always thunder in. Sometimes it arrives in soft choices: a different drink, a daring colour, a film you wouldn’t usually pick. These are the sparks before the flame, and I’ve seen my beloved Signa gather each one like kindling. Not to burn the world down—but to light her way forward.

If you’re reading this and feeling stuck or small, let me offer you this: transformation isn’t always loud. It can be a whisper, a sigh, a step sideways. But each act of trying—however minor—counts. Even the ones that make you go “Never again.” (We’re looking at you, fluorescent chaos-in-a-can.)

Until next time, keep wandering. Keep wondering.

And if you must try something bold—make sure it’s less toxic than Viking lime-bleach.