My first thought on seeing my daughter relaxing on my parents dining table was, 'Get off, we don't lie on the table!' Luckily, I'm now much more able to check my immediate thoughts before I voice them. I stopped and took in the view: Stuffed animal as a pillow, favourite soft toy to snuggle, a … Continue reading Relaxation is an Art Form
Author: Rae Cod
Best Laid Plans
Do you ever have those days that from the start just seem askew? You wake up late, you’ve lost your keys, can only find one shoe? It’s like the world conspired against you, to really piss you off As you’re about to curse the universe, you come down with a cough What about those days, … Continue reading Best Laid Plans
Trust Issues
I woke up this morning with an old story in my head about my daughter. It’s a story that’s never left me, because at the time it made me feel like a bad mother. In that drifting place between sleep and waking, it occurred to me that this story is part of a much bigger … Continue reading Trust Issues
The Squirrel and the Hawk
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com Mama come quick! Look at this! The young squirrel cried in delight His eyes lit wide as he pointed, at an exotic squirrel taking flight When I grow up Mama, I’ll fly like that, soaring from tree to tree She smiled as she gave him a nut, told him … Continue reading The Squirrel and the Hawk
You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take
This quote is attributed to hockey star Wayne Gretzky. The only ice hockey match I've ever seen was in Mighty Ducks the movie, but the man had a serious point that applies way beyond sport. I've only every had one story published before: a first person narrative which was published anonymously in an online magazine. … Continue reading You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take
Go With The Flow
The elusiveness of creativity For a while I’ve been studying creativity. In particular I’ve been trying to understand what makes it ebb and flow as it does. In the first lockdown, Spring sun shining, novelty abounding, family life felt creative. We did science experiments, made treasure maps, climbed trees, built dens, fashioned a zipwire out … Continue reading Go With The Flow
Busy Bee
She buzzed around the wildflowers, stripes of yellow and blackCollecting the pollen and nectar, like her comrades, taking it backTo the hive with an aura of frantic, each bee intent on filling their storesTo satisfy their resplendent queen, see their kin through the winter once moreBut this bee had a spark of idea, growing deep … Continue reading Busy Bee
Lacking direction? Try the death bed exercise
I’m feeling a bit unsettled at the moment. As life becomes increasingly normal, many of the aspirations and possibilities which lit me up during the first lockdown period are disappearing, and I can’t quite explain it. It's almost like the break in the norm gave rise to a feeling that anything was possible, and with … Continue reading Lacking direction? Try the death bed exercise
Runaway
Ash checked his watch. He estimated he had five minutes until the next curfew patrol. He turned his attention back to the wall. A train rumbled on the bridge overhead, drowning out the sound of the spray cans as he worked. His consciousness sank into the flow of the paint as the cans danced in … Continue reading Runaway
Work, Worth and the Value of the Ordinary
Two blog posts in two days, unheard of for me, but there’s something on my mind and I can’t let it go. Today I heard a conversation. A woman was contrasting her job (serving food), with that of her husband’s (he was a headmaster). She said that out of the two of them, he went … Continue reading Work, Worth and the Value of the Ordinary
Rae Cod’s Writing 