Glad to be Alive?

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 "I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable…but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."

Agatha Christie

I can identify with Ms Christie's sentiments - can you? At those times when I feel thoroughly miserable there is usually something, or someone, to shake me out of it. Being out in nature helps, or sometimes it's just a kind word from a relative or friend. Often, it's a piece of music played very loudly. Today, when it was dull, damp and grey outside, it was catching sight of my beautiful Christmas cactus ( Schlumbergera russelliana) in full flower in the corner of my loft. The plant seemed to be shouting, "I'm just glad to be alive!"

Writing prompts:

• Write about a time when you have been "wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable." How did it feel in your body and in your mind? Write about those feelings for six minutes. 
• Do you agree that just to be alive is 'a grand thing'? Make a list of all those things that make you feel this way. 
• What or who shakes you out of your misery? Write about it in any way you choose.
  

Put on a Trinket

  Autumn

    By Emily Elizabeth Dickinson

    The morns are meeker than they were,
    The nuts are getting brown;
    The berry's cheek is plumper,
    The rose is out of town.

    The maple wears a gayer scarf,
    The field a scarlet gown.
    Lest I should be old-fashioned,
    I'll put a trinket on.

Autumn is a time of change. Emily Dickinson knew this and, not to be outdone by nature, decided to put on a trinket. Good for her!

Writing prompts:

• When was the last time you put on a trinket? Perhaps you found a sparkly brooch you hadn't worn for years, or some brightly coloured earrings? Write about your 'trinket'.
• As summer has changed to autumn and the leaves have begun to fall, what are you letting go of that you do not need any more? Talk about it in your writing.
• The pictures above were taken on my walk yesterday. Write about an autumn walk you have taken recently.
  

Flawed and Beautiful

 

 

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OR YOU COULD JUST LIVE

You are going to wish your body was more

you are going to wish your body was less

you are going to wish your body would change

you are going to wish your body would not.

 

You are going to wish your body was many things

between now

and the day you leave this mortal coil.

And one day

as is always the way

you will look back

and see

that your body was always as it should be

doing its best

to be you

for you.

And you are then going to wish that just once

you had told your body

I accept you, as you are, right now.

And that maybe had you done this

you would have spared yourself a lifetime

of wishing for something you didn’t really ever need.

That what it was you should have been wishing for in fact

was the courage to accept

the strength to embrace

the wisdom to really see

what you have.

You’re going to wish for many things

when it comes to your body.

Or you could just wish for health.

And live your life

flawed and beautiful.

 

by Donna Ashworth from her book 'I Wish I Knew'

ISBN 978-78530-379-1

In her book of poems 'to soothe your soul and strengthen you spirit'  Donna Ashworth  advises; 'Feed yourself well, physically, mentally and spiritually, and then enjoy your life with the vessel you inhabit.'

Click here to read about body image in adulthood.  

Click here to read about body image in younger people. 

Writing Prompts:

• Write about what, in the past, you have wished for your body. Set a timer for six minutes and write without stopping.
• Describe how you feel about your body right now, in this present moment? 
• Do you agree with the possibility posed in the last three lines of the poem? Are you 'flawed and beautiful'? Write about it. 
• Make three lists of how you feed yourself physically, mentally and spiritually? What else you could do to 'feed yourself'? Add these to your lists.
  

 

The Hunter's Moon

 

From the book When The Moon Is Full, A Lunar Year. By Penny Pollack, Illustrated by Mary Azarian

Look to the skies this evening (October 17th) and, if the clouds clear, you will see the Hunter's  Moon, the brightest of all the supermoons this year. Click here to find out more. It is sometimes called Travel Moon, the Dying Grass Moon, or the Sanguine or Blood Moon. Click here to learn more about the different names for this moon.

Writing prompts:

• If you can, go outside this evening and observe the Hunter's Moon, then return to the warmth, sit down and write for six minutes about whatever comes into your head.
• What 'dangers' fill your night? Set a timer for six minutes and write about them.
• What's your view on hunting? Click here to read what the RSPCA has to say then write for a few minutes.
  

Global Wave of Light

 

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"When you are sorrowful look again into your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."

The Prophet – Khalil Gibran

 

Today is Global Wave of Light 2024 - an annual observance that honours and remembers babies who have died during pregnancy, childbirth, or infancy. 

 

It is 41 years since I had a miscarriage - April 9th, 1983 - but the memory of that awful event is still with me. So profound was the effect of losing my first baby, that I afterwards spent ten years as a telephone contact for the Miscarriage Association, listening to other women's stories of baby loss, and trying to offer a sympathetic ear. I also set up a support group for parents at the Bradford Royal Infirmary.

 

At the time, miscarriage was still a taboo subject. Indeed, it wasn't until my own miscarriage that my mum revealed she too had experienced two, but had never felt able to talk about them with anyone.

I regard myself lucky to have lost only one baby. Many women experience multiple miscarriages. On the day I eventually had my first child, by Caesarean section, the women who went to surgery just before me had had 12. 

Last Wednesday (October 9th) the Government announced that everyone who has experienced pregnancy loss—regardless of when it occurred—can now apply for a certificate that formally acknowledges their loss. I'm thinking of applying for one. 

Click here to access help after miscarriage. Click here for help after stillbirth. Click here for help after the death of a baby.

Writing prompts:

• Have you experienced the loss of a baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or infancy? Set a timer for six minutes and write about it. Write quickly, without stopping or editing.
• All of us will experience grief at some point in our lives. If you can, write about someone you have grieved for. Set a timer for six minutes.
• When was the last time someone lent you a sympathetic ear? Write down what happened and how it helped you.
  

An Inky Surprise

 

Through thickets deep in dark

The spears of sunlight rush

On brown and yellow mushrooms

Under every bramblebush.

They hide among the stumps

Where birds alight to rest,

And when we lose ourselves,

The shadows guide our quest.

So brief these autumn days

And sunset solitudes,

The twilight has no chance

To linger in the woods.

from 'He's Gone "After Mushrooms"!' by Boris Pasternak 

(click here to read the rest of the poem)

I recently went for a brisk walk, because I was in a low mood, and found a moment of joy. I came upon this wonderful mushroom while coming back down the lane from Coley to Norwood Green. It surprised me, because I didn't notice it on the way up. Is it possible it poked its head up out of the ground when my back was turned?

It's a shaggy ink cap which is, apparently, delicious if picked and eaten straight away. I'll take the word of WildfoodUK for that. Click here to find out more and, (for all you fellow fountain pen addicts), how to use them to make your own ink.

Writing prompts:

• Write about a time when something surprised you and gave you a moment of joy.

• What do you do to try to shake yourself out of a low mood? Write about it. 

• I love foraging, especially for blackberries and crab apples. However, I've never felt confident enough to gather wild mushrooms. Have you? Write for a few minutes about your foraging experiences.

  Please do share some of your thoughts by posting a comment. If you're not sure how, just look on the right at 'Using the Blog'.

  I do get feedback on how many people look at my blog, but would really also like to know what you all think of it. Thanks.
  

 

 

World Postcard Day

Today is World Postcard Day. Click here to learn about the history of the postcard. 

I've been 'Postcrossing' for quite a while. So far, I've sent 298 to every corner of the globe and received 304 from almost every country you can think of. I love receiving the cards. Finding a postcard lying behind my front door is pure joy! From the carefully handwritten messages, to the colourful images and stamps, postcards are little surprises that delight, inspire and connect me with strangers.

Reading the handwritten messages brings me closer to people in other countries, even though I've never met them, and reminds me that essentially we are all the same, all trying to make connections, all wanting peace, security and happiness for our families and friends.

So why not send someone a postcard? Perhaps send a postcard to those family members who might live far away. The children in your life might have not yet had the pleasure of finding a postcard, just for them, in their letterbox, so you could be the first to surprise them!

Maybe you know an elderly person who could use some cheering up when perhaps they are feeling a bit lonely.

Postcards are a great way too to catch up with friends you haven’t seen in a while, letting them know how you’re doing and that you’re thinking about them.

You could even join 'Postcrossing' (it's free) and send a postcard to someone across the world. 

Writing Prompts:

• Write a postcard (by hand) to someone you have not seen for a while (living or dead), but who holds a special place in your heart. What would you really like to say to them? Write with honesty and passion. Post it if you can and if you want to. 

• Who in the world would you like to send you a postcard? What would you like them to say? Write about it.
  
• Choose a world figure (perhaps Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer, Joe Biden or Benjamin Netanyahu) and write them a postcard.