A time to write and a time to mend

This time last week I relocated into my seldom used dining room for a change of scene and an excellent online Zoom writing workshop led by Natalie Scott - you can find out more from her website Pen Power.

I was definitely in need of a change of pace, a change to the monotony of this lock down life, it's getting dull staring at the same walls all the time. This workshop gave me permission to both write and reflect. In many ways it was also a spiritual experience, as I spent time reassessing and getting my thoughts in order.

To be honest I didn't get a great deal of writing done, for most of the afternoon I read over my old story about the girl in the yellow dress - maybe someday soon I will continue the story, I feel we all need a bit of escapism,

The highlight of the day was connecting with new people and listening to the work they had produced, some about the wildlife spotted in this season and a charming piece about falling in love with a Swiss cheese plant and watching it's new leaf unfurl.

Right at the start we were set 3 short free writing exercises, basically you take the prompt and just keep scribbling away whether your words make sense or not for a set time, we did 3 minutes on each.

The three prompts were

• For me today is...
• I notice...
• So I will...

As I read back over my thoughts I took the ideas and wrote this poem.

Today is…

Mine – all mine!

Time to indulge my passions.

Remember;

plans on hold

will one day

become plans released -

set free!

Scribbling relentlessly,

I notice…

I am reaching,

stretching

for a colourful future,

sunflower bright and golden.

So I will… sew!

Stitch by stitch,

a jigsaw, mosaic, collage of scraps

and lost words emerges.

It’s all about mending!

These are unprecedented times, as the news keeps reminding us, and we are beginning to imagine what the world could look like when we have recovered.

The thought the occupies me the most is that there will be a lot of brokenness, lives shattered that need piecing back together and I hope that is reflected in my writing.

After all I know what it is to be broken, being widowed at 42 and then having bowel cancer at 50 has not only left me with inevitable scars both visible and unseen, but hopefully a resilience that maybe I can use to help people mend when this is over.

It's a tall order and an immense task to heal the world, but as ever we start with the smaller pieces. Some have found comfort during the lockdown by doing jigsaws, many people sew, knit or bake - it's all creative, making something new for something smaller.

Let's all make something beautiful in words, music, wool or flour (if you can get hold of any!)

Stitch by stitch we will recover...

A joint effort - my mum knitted the squares, I arranged them and sewed them together!