SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
All over the place feelings Don’t know what to do next or what the future will hold Tire easily Brain burning energy to fast Can’t seem to focus Prefrontal cortex temporarily shut down Juggling complex tasks Anxiety responses Creatively blocked Flight-or-fight Slow burn Resignation … no goals, dreams or plans Short-sightedness is safer Emotions a motivational yo-yo You need to be extremely adaptive Breathe … Trust your body It will get you through this if you listen and obey Inspired by Alexis Rockley (A positive psychology certified coach) JUST READING
Scribbles on a page drew me in To where I did not know I opened up a reading book Not knowing where I’d go But go I did On adventure and on quest My role was simply passive Observing was for the best I didn’t want to feel for characters To care as too their plight I just wanted to pass a few hours On a cold and dreary night But once I was in I couldn’t get out And no one seemed to care I cried at the deaths And as to the good bits came I whooped along with joy You see I would never now be free For this new enchanting world Was to for ever live on inside of me Surviving Extraordinary Events
May we never again take for granted … Handshakes with strangers Conversations Socialising Rush hour Congregations, festivals and theatres Coffee mornings Communal groups and activities Shopping The freedom to see friends and family Hugs and kisses In years to come May glory not be laid on those in power As is the want of historians But at the feet of ordinary people Doing extraordinary things That was the real key to survival OUTBURSTS
Storms will come Not all can be calmed So … stop trying Calm yourself Be patient Stay safe … and learn to dance in the rain They will eventually pass MOVING-ON
We are all separated from others We miss … The conversations The laughter The fun and the friendship Sometimes contact simply becomes rare Days, weeks, months … Maybe years will pass Then one day A photo will surface Or a name will be spoken Out of the blue Fight the tears Remember just the good times And smile 60TH CELEBRATIONS 2020
The older you get the birthdays come fast As if the year is not meant to last When you were young you counted the days To rack up the numbers in so many ways Parties and outings and games galore You would always be longing for so much more Then the big ones start with 21 The coming of age brings different kinds of fun After that they rack up faster 30, 40 then 50 achieved without major disaster But as you got older you appreciated the dates In quiet celebrations with just a few mates Now comes the big Six-O An OAP with nowhere to go A viral pandemic has us locked in our home No pub-crawls or outings … we’re not free to roam But that’s not it Don’t sit and feel sorry for an opportunity missed Put the music up high Laugh till you cry Raise a glass to the sky And toast the fact That today Another year of your life has just gone whizzing by Abuse
What does it really mean to survive? Continuing to exist Staying alive Thwarting disaster Maybe … But avoidance is more the key Anticipation Watching for a sign Changes in moods Certain looks Tone of voice Compliance Toe the line Don’t make waves or rock the boat Staying safe Keeps you alive That’s what it takes to survive STOLEN
We have a knicker thief amongst us She knows we know just who she is She slides into the bathroom Where discarded clothes lay on the floor And when she thinks she’s not been seen She grabs a trophy Then scurries for the door Through the bedroom Down the stairs Across the lounge And out into the morning air Where she thinks she’s free Safe from prying eyes and the wroth of me But whilst her dad laughs I fear the neighbours might be watching So, no dog of mine will ever get away With so publicly displaying next week’s washing COVID-19
Bureaucracy and double standards Are turning me into an old and bitter woman Once I ran with a ‘live-and-let-live’ attitude Accepting that life was not fair But that was the norm And we all just got on with things as best we could Those that knew how to play the system … worked it Some seemed to have everything handed to them Other had to fight hard to make ends meet Good law-abiding people suffered Criminals lost their freedom But gained so much more than some honest folk would Now the ‘one law for the rich and one for the rest’ Plays out in full view We are not all equal We are not all in this together Money talks Privilege talks Fame talks The rest of the society may shout … but they are rarely heard |
2023 - edit The Emporium
Add drawings for each weekly chapter ready for publication this year. Update ... this is ongoing. 2022 - The Emporium
A place of magic. Post one story every week about the adventures of Professor Edward Urvaine Thrumpus. (Unedited first drafts) 2021 - Flash Fiction
Post a story or reflection written in exactly 100 words every day to a list of prompts. 2020
The goal is to write and post a new poem every day. 2018 - A Year to clear what is holding you back (online course)
2016/17
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