Writing a blog is exciting, exhilarating and incredibly scary. I love words. I love their power to communicate, to tell a story, to change the world. I love the freedom of sitting in front of a computer and typing out who I am and what my views are. Yet that very act is the same […]
Islands, Bedbugs and Refugees: How to Achieve Growth
No man is an island entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, As well as if a promontory were, As well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were, […]
Are we going to Paradise on this Blogging Journey?
When starting on any journey, most people like to know where they’re going. Who wants to end up in the desert if they were expecting paradise, the shade of palm trees and a bathe in the sea?! Those who’ve experienced travelling with me will likely tell you, I may be very […]
Forgiveness and Platitudes
Have you ever wrestled with the area of forgiveness? I have. I know it’s not always the most popular word. There have been two situations in my life where forgiveness was particularly challenging for me. Neither of those are stories that I intend to publish on the World Wide Web! Suffice to say that […]
Hard Decisions
In my dramatherapy sessions, I sometimes explore with clients what I term as, “Inner conflict sculpts.” Through creating static images (musical statues style!) and perhaps later bringing these images to life, we explore their internal conflicts. The image that comes to mind for me is of a tug of war, with both sides […]
Sales Callers and Difficult Conversations
One good thing that I learnt from my Mum was how assertively to tell sales callers that, “We don’t do business on the phone.” The first time I said that, I was about five, and the caller laughed a lot! It was probably the emerging actress in me and my attempt at a grown […]
Whose Pain Hurts the Most?
Putting Pain and Stress on the Scales I hate scales of 1 to 10. Do you know the kind I mean? On a scale of 1 to 10 how stressful is this situation for you? On a scale of 1 to 10 how much does this impact your life? A couple of years ago, just […]
Listening to, and Learning from, Those who have Suffered
When I picked up the phone, it was with trepidation and a feeling of inadequacy. What could I possibly say in the light of such a sudden, inexplicable crisis that a loved one was facing? I was in shock but yet somehow I had to respond. There were no words. I felt impotent. About 15 […]
What Motivates us as we Respond to Someone’s Pain?
Platitudes and Painkillers We live in a society, and at a time in history, where we expect for pain to be dealt with quickly. Something hurts, and we reach for painkillers. If one doesn’t work, we try something stronger. We expect these medicines to help and if they don’t, we’re off to the doctors demanding more […]
Withdrawing from the Platitudes
One of the ways that many survive the platitudes is to withdraw from them, or rather from anyone who might be likely to use them. I know because of the conversations that I’ve had with some of these people and because of the friendships that have formed. When those who are going through a rough […]