I have not been able to write my blog for the last two weeks, which is strange for me, as the words usually come quite easily. However, my life has been in a very uncertain state of change. My old home was sold, I didn’t know where I was going to be moving to, and…
Last week I had a lesson in mindful listening. It was half term. I noticed that it transformed the usual places I inhabit and the activities I do from one of relative calm and spaciousness, to one of noise and busyness. I observed the chatter of children of all ages, some happy, some not so…
Dublin I’d never thought of myself as a writer, yet there I was, at a book launch at the notorious Irish Writers Centre in the centre of Dublin. I was to give a short talk and read from the chapter I had written for the book Mindful Heroes. It was one of those surreal occasions…
You know when words slip out of your mouth and cause chaos? They cause an argument or some disruption. The words are often spoken without thinking, without consideration. You seem to hear them as if someone else said them. Then afterwards, the turmoil it has caused to yourself and others subsides. And there are no…
On Monday I went for my routine hygienist and check-up appointments at the dentist. Having suffered trauma as a little girl from intense, sometimes unnecessary and sometimes brutal, dental treatment, going to the dental surgery for any type of treatment is not exactly fun. It became worse when a trusted dentist completely wrecked my teeth…
Yesterday I took my daughter back to University. Last night I experienced a scary and quite gruesome dream. This morning I woke up feeling sad. My body felt heavy, there was a pain in my heart and a heavy and pre-tear feeling in my eyes. So when I woke up, my inclination was to stay…
For some reason an old song by the band Texas has suddenly and randomly kept playing in my head. I have no idea why. The lyric that is popping through is “And when I get that feeling I can no longer slide, I can no longer run And when I get that feeling I can…
If you were in the UK last weekend – August Bank Holiday – you will likely have experienced the amazingly hot and beautiful sunny weather. The good weather certainly brings people out and they all aim for hotspots like the seaside, or areas of interest. Usually I avoid the long queues of traffic, the hoards…
Firstly, I have to thank everyone who sent me kind wishes in response to my blog last week. I feel truly blessed by the love and support I have received. Secondly, I want to tell you about an exciting retreat I am leading in Scarborough, Londesborough Lodge, YO11 2PW next summer. It is a compassion…