Self-Reflection
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A Path to Wellness
3 weeks ago I woke up with a pain in my abdomen. A sharp pain that stole my breath and fought my every move. And I did what I always do when faced with pain. I ignored it. I carried on with what I’d said I would do. I commuted, had meetings, client sessions, family commitments, housework and all the rest. Until I couldn’t. I shifted from ignoring the pain to denying it. It’s not so bad, I told my beloved. I told myself. The last time I went to the doctor was over a decade ago. I don’t get sick, I protested. When I finally relented, I was really…
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This Thing Called Life
Last night I danced with my beloved. His hand pressed tightly against the small of my back. The room blurred and unfocused as our spinning disorientated and thrilled me. Our feet moving in close rhythm – lightly, joyfully. The heat flushing my cheeks causing my hair to cling to my temples and neck. A beautiful memory of limb and muscle that reminded us of so many other dances where we have held one another close and shared our love for the music, our love for each other. Last night I remembered just how much I love dancing, how much I love my husband, how much I love this thing called…
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A Writer Who’s Not Writing
Is there any pain quite so poignant as the experience of not doing what you feel in your bones you were born to do? For the last month I’ve been so preoccupied with teaching a short course at university and trying to keep on top of my business commitments, that my writing practice has slipped. And yes, I tell myself that it’s ok. That these things happen. That sometimes life gets in the way. That all of life is a cycle and that my writing practice will return. Nothing is ever truly lost… But that doesn’t lessen the tug I’ve felt on my heart, or soothe the ruffled feathers of…
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Fierce Mamma Love
I first shared this story over at Roots of She when I was a tribe contributor, but I really wanted to share it with you today, Mothering Sunday. A tribute to fierce mamma love. In Scotland in the wintertime it gets really dark really early. You frequently find yourself hurrying through the gloom, trying not to fall on the slippy pavements coated with wet leaves illuminated only by yellow, fluorescent streetlights. The wind gusts past, whipping your damp hair around your head, and your hands turn red raw in the biting cold. It was on an evening such as this that I learned just what I was capable of. My…
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This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine
The sun came out. Just for a second. It burned its way through the heavy clouds pregnant with rain, momentarily blinding me with the sheer radiance of its light. I dipped my face away to the side and caught something in my peripheral vision that gave me a start. A figure walking a few paces behind me, but way down at the water’s edge. The place where no-one walks for fear of the treacherous green algae that covers the rocks, the slimy surface refreshed with every wave’s kiss. My pulse had not even settled when I recognised who it was, and I laughed silently. It was me. My shadow. My…
