A simple “Small Things” post today. These are the posts where I write about the small things I’m thankful for. This week, my small things have been almost medicinal, like tonic for my tired body and mind: *Two hours at the beach on a sunny day, after a difficult morning. Even just driving towards the…
Category: Small Things
Where I reflect on the good things in the past week
Book Bingo
Summer would not be summer without a copious amount of reading time: from lazily extending morning coffee by reading a few more pages, to snatching a few minutes outside on a sunny afternoon, or extravagantly staying up all night to finish a particularly good novel. This summer, I’ve been taking part in a Book Bingo,…
Small Things
My offerings are small things. In the face of a huge, fragmenting world, sometimes all we have to give are small things. These tiny fragments of love, kindness and creativity can be a little bit healing. A little bit of the remaking of the world, little heart by little, lovely heart. Among my small offerings…
Small Things
I liked that it rained at the park today. It was meant to stay dry, but somehow the rain allowed me a little more room to be quiet and apart from the bigger, chattering groups that had gathered. I liked the way the rain felt as it soaked my hair and face on our walk…
Small Things: Music
This week, I am grateful for music. Music has always been there, a backdrop to all the comings and goings of my life. I remember, as a child, Dad giving me his old record player, with an eclectic selection of records, from Jason Donavon’s Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat, to ELO. As I got older,…
Tightrope
I’m guessing I’m not the only one walking a tightrope most of the time, teetering between exhaustion and joy, anxiety and exhilaration, overwhelm and peace. I think that it might just be that this tightrope is otherwise known as life as a human. I like the tightrope as a metaphor for life, though. Walking a…
Falling back in love
It has to be acknowledged that sometimes, we fall out of love with our lives. Sometimes, our daily grind just doesn’t feel all that captivating. Sometimes, it is bloody hard work. Sometimes, other people’s lives appear altogether more enthralling, more attractive, more colourful. Sometimes, though, it’s easier than you thought to fall back in love…
Forget-me-nots
The recent weekend saw my irritability hang around me like the clouds and the incessant rain we’ve been having. Couldn’t shake it. Except for when I ventured outside. A bit of weak Spring sun broke through the grey for a while, and the wind blew the growing green grass in the field. The dog was…
Bluebells and celandine
First day of Spring, and there were bluebells by the side of the road today. They reminded me of someone who died too soon, and then led me to think of the unnattained dreams of my own heart and how short is our time here. But in spite of my melancholic thoughts, it was good…
Comfort
We have needed comfort in our house lately, with long bouts of illness and fatigue getting the better of us for weeks. For the children, that means pyjama days, hot water bottles and chocolate. For me, it’s comfort reads and comfort foods, naps on the sofa whenever possible and plenty of fresh air. Four Comfort…
It’s the Small Things
“It’s the small, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay…small acts of kindness and love”, says Gandalf in Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Whatever our privileges, our lacks and losses, our talents and our flaws, we all experience darkness in our lives sometimes. This summer, as I look at other people’s social media…
Small Things
A few notes on the small things I’m thankful for this week: *Spotting: Butterflies and Moths In a week when the cool, rainy weather took its toll, and the children and I grew fractious through lack of routine, the few sunny spells were brimming with butterflies. In our garden, we saw peacocks, painted ladies, red…
Life Lived 