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
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Same Old Story
My husband found these crumpled and torn bits of newspaper from 1979 under a floorboard today. The words that jumped out at me were ‘torture,’ ‘attack’ and ‘terrorists.’ It seems some things really don’t change, unfortunately.
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
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
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
Football: love it or hate it, it serves a purpose
I’ve been a sports widow since I met my husband almost 19 years ago (with the exception of our first few weeks together, when he was trying to make a good impression). True story: he dumped me on our first wedding anniversary to go and play in a golf tournament with his Dad. I suppose … Continue reading Football: love it or hate it, it serves a purpose
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
Out With The Old Ways: What I’m Leaving Behind After Lockdown
The Pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have highlighted what truly matters to us most, as well as what really doesn’t. Here’s a list of a few things I’m determined to live without, as life begins to return to some sort of normality. 1). A regular hairdresser. I used to spend a small fortune every four to … Continue reading Out With The Old Ways: What I’m Leaving Behind After Lockdown
Rae Cod’s Writing 