The Art of Compassionate Arguing I recently returned from a week’s holiday with eighteen relatives and friends to celebrate a family birthday. The trip was filled with love and laughter, but there were also some lively discussions (arguments, if you want to get technical) between me and another family member who we’ll call ‘Stevie.’ I … Continue reading The Art of Compassionate Arguing
Blog
Weekly articles full of musings and observations on topics that are capturing my curiosity.
Ten days of silence: My Vipassana Meditation Experience
The first question most people ask is, why? Why would you want to spend ten days meditating in complete silence: no phone, no books, no distractions? I still don’t have a good answer, I only know that I did, and that’s a good enough reason for me these days. I had a few last-minute nerves … Continue reading Ten days of silence: My Vipassana Meditation Experience
Parenting in Hindsight: the toddler years
Surrounded by toddlers and pre-schoolers at my nephew’s fourth birthday party, I looked on with empathetic amusement as the parents of these bundles of energy did their best to mitigate destruction and injury, and realised I have a lot to reflect on about parenting in the toddler years. I miss the sweetness of my kids, … Continue reading Parenting in Hindsight: the toddler years
Tea, biscuits and self-sabotage: a writer’s reflections on procrastination
Each day I wake up with one intent: to write as much as I can. In the morning I’ll start off with some journaling and a poem. I can often find time for a blog post here and there, but my sticking point is stories. Short stories come easier than longer ones, but the hardest … Continue reading Tea, biscuits and self-sabotage: a writer’s reflections on procrastination
Screw-ups: the school of life’s most successful teacher
I’ve been working hard over the years to cultivate a state of being that sweats the small stuff less. I’ve been more successful than I dared hope, but just when I think I’ve got it all figured out, a curve ball reminds me there’s always more work to do. I’ve just returned from a week’s … Continue reading Screw-ups: the school of life’s most successful teacher
Write it out
I used to be a great sleeper. If you asked me what my superpower was, it would be sleep. I was a sleep ninja, adept at drifting to the land of nod and staying cocooned there until morning (discounting those years when my children were young and a solid night's sleep was a distant memory: … Continue reading Write it out
Change: incremental or monumental?
I’ve been writing a poem on the theme of change for my poetry group next month and it started me thinking about change in relation to personal growth (to be fair, it’s not very often I’m not thinking about this in some capacity, being a bit of a self-improvement junkie). But is got me wondering: … Continue reading Change: incremental or monumental?
Yogi Yoda
Our children are our teachers, mirrors deep as the sea Each trigger a new learning point, pushed relentlessly Lessons learned the hard way on the messy path to growth No route free of worry or strife, I’ve made my peace with both But the love they bring is infinite, burning brighter than the stars Unlocking … Continue reading Yogi Yoda
New Year, Same Worries: overcoming the merry-go-round of rumination
At the end of 2021 I found myself in the peculiar position of feeling like I was back to square one in terms of my overthinking and worrying ways. I've written before about the non-linear aspects of change, but there are some things you think you've just cracked, and for me overthinking and ruminating fell … Continue reading New Year, Same Worries: overcoming the merry-go-round of rumination
Be With What Is.
My brother and his lovely family visited us last weekend and I booked us a trip to some Christmas illuminations (pretty lights in pretty trees in the grounds of a pretty castle, I'm a sucker for sparkle and beautiful surroundings so it was a winner for me). I imagined our families getting into the Christmas … Continue reading Be With What Is.
Rae Cod’s Writing 