I'm having one of those days. I'm wrung out, everything feels like too much trouble and there's a low level anger bubbling resentfully in the background. My creative muse has fled and I don't feel like I could string a rhyme together if someone paid me (they won't). Inclement weather has invaded my brain and … Continue reading Beating the Overwhelm with Turtle Steps
Personal Growth
Personal growth and self-development articles
Roller Skating as a Microcosm of Life
So my kids have taken up roller skating, which means I have also taken up roller skating. My daughter actually showed an interest in it a few years ago. We went out and bought skates, went to the local rink a few times, she grew out of her skates not long after she fell out … Continue reading Roller Skating as a Microcosm of Life
Passing judgement or passing on judgement: when it’s time to take a closer look
Photo by Shane on Pexels.com It is in my nature to try to look for the best in others. It's one of the reasons I became a Probation Officer. If someone cuts me up in traffic I'll reason that maybe they are on the way to the birth of their first child, or if someone … Continue reading Passing judgement or passing on judgement: when it’s time to take a closer look
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
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
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
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
Meaning: keep it simple
For a couple of years I felt well and truly stuck... I was well educated and thought that would automatically translate to ‘success’ in life (success was pretty narrowly defined in terms of paid employment, so perhaps I wasn’t that well educated after all). I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but knew I … Continue reading Meaning: keep it simple
Journaling for my future self
Journaling can be very therapeutic, but it turns out it’s even more useful when you have a shocking memory. I found an old paper and pen journal which my daughter bought me a couple of years ago. I’d almost entirely forgotten about it, but reading back through the entries has been eye opening. Up until … Continue reading Journaling for my future self
The Comparison Trap
We’ve all been there haven’t we? You see a picture of a beautiful, smiling family on Instagram, then look around at your children, their wild screams exceeding the noise pollution level, as they catapult around the living room, exhaling a defeated sigh as you wonder where you’re going wrong. (Just me?) Comparisons are part of … Continue reading The Comparison Trap
Rae Cod’s Writing 