Comforting Thought: Keeping Together in Time

As I have always know intuitively: movement, dance and physicality of our bodies is the key to unlocking connection with other people and our connection to our inner feelings and true self. This was an incredibly powerful insight from ‘The Body Keeps the Score.’ This is why yoga feels good, cycling feels good, sex feelsContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Keeping Together in Time”

Comforting Thought: Soft Fascination

We pay attention differently when we are in nature. This is called ‘soft fascination’ The great 19th century thinker William James (brother of novelist Henry James) proposed that there are two ways of paying attention. The first is voluntary and directed, which is used for tasks that demand concentration. For example doing work, walking alongContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Soft Fascination”

Comforting Thought: Introverts mature more gracefully than extroverts

Some extraverted people can avoid being introverted and turning inwards, for years at a time. Later in life, self-reflection becomes important for everyone. In short, introverts may mature more gracefully. So you are in good company. Ignore the barbs about ‘lightening up’. Enjoy the levity of others and allow yourself your own specialty. If you’reContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Introverts mature more gracefully than extroverts”

Comforting Thought: The blue of distance, the green of time

“The colour of hills that recede layer upon layer into the horizon. Well this is the green of time. The green that grows from nothing, anything if left for long enough.” It comes at first as mildew and mould. A misting of green-grey, or mustard-green, the green of decay. But then it grows into a verdant palette of new life: leaf green, lime green, the green of fresh new shoots.

Comforting Thought: Viktor Frankl knew a lot about finding meaning even in the worst situations

Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. He was a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and in his famous book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ he describes how he was called upon to inspire his fellow prisoners, how he intuitively understood what they needed. He observed that under those awful circumstances,Continue reading “Comforting Thought: Viktor Frankl knew a lot about finding meaning even in the worst situations”

Comforting Thought: Hens are the goodness of the universe

This morning, a friend and I hung over the half door, watching a mother hen feeding her chickens. The hen bustled around breaking up the bread into crumbs small enough to feed her tiny, hungry offspring. The clucking sound she made was the essential sound of motherhood, the goodness of the universe was in thatContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Hens are the goodness of the universe”

Poignant Thought: The Wild Cows on the Island of Swona

In the mid-20th Century, on the remote island of Swona in Scotland, the Rosie family kept animals including a herd of cows. As the decades wore on, their children moved away and the elderly stalwarts of the family stayed on and eventually died there. Moving of the cattle from the island would have been tooContinue reading “Poignant Thought: The Wild Cows on the Island of Swona”

Comforting Thought: When fear melts, all that is left is love

Love has many identities. The love of parents, spouses, siblings. The heady love of youth, the mellow love of old age. The love of passion, all fiery and insatiable, the subtle love of maturity. The love one person has for another for no particular reason. When fear melts, all that is left is love. InContinue reading “Comforting Thought: When fear melts, all that is left is love”

Comforting Thought: A cat represents our shared humanity during the worst of times

A cat represents our shared humanity during the worst of times Readers of this blog will remember I reviewed the biographical book about the doomed Karluk and her crew in the enthralling book ‘The Ice Master’ by Jennifer Niven. That book briefly mentions but doesn’t highlight the plight of the plucky feline on board namedContinue reading “Comforting Thought: A cat represents our shared humanity during the worst of times”

Comforting Thought: Take a donkey’s kiss

Donkey kisses have to be taken. They are not given. But they are soft as cotton wool. They come with liquid brown eyes that look at you with mischief. Eyes that, inspite of it all forgive the wrongs done to them by human ignorance. So gently, and with great care, take a donkey kiss. AndContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Take a donkey’s kiss”