Glimmers

...or things holding me together at the moment

Hi again!

A short letter this week.

No profound musings from public transport journeys.

No deep thoughts on how to look after oneself.

Just a few things I’ve noticed lately that make life kind of easier.

Small things I’m noticing that I think all join together to make a full life.

See what you think.

In no particular order:

• the way the breeze blows through the net curtains in my bedroom, especially when the sun is streaming through the window

• the sound of the birds waking as I arrive at work. Somehow even though it’s still dark, the fact that some of the birds are up and twittering makes it feel not so bad that I got up so early.

• thick, warm socks on chilly winter nights.

• climbing into bed, weary from the day, looking forward to getting lost in a good book as my body eases into warmth and safety.

• the first sip of my first cup of tea of the day. Earl Grey during the week. English Breakfast on weekends. Watching the tendrils of steam reach up and dissipate in the air, breathing in the calming aroma.

• the way bees lazily bump from flower to flower, doing their thing at their own pace. There’s a message for us in that.

• fresh, still-warm home made bread, with lashings of salted butter. Biting it. Feeling the chewiness of the crust, the lightness of the dough, and the butter sliding all over the tongue. The satisfaction of knowing exactly what went into making it.

• friends. Absolute God-sends, and a joy to spend time with.

• the stars. I mean, do you ever look at them? If not, if it’s a clear night tonight, go outside and see the heavens. If the immensity of it all, the beauty, the wonder, and the mystery doesn’t move you, I don’t know what would.

• peaceful solitude. When you’re on your own, deliberately, and you’re okay with that. I think if you enjoy your own company, you’ll never be alone.

• ducks. Lol. They crack me up. Imagine saying ‘QUACK’ and being understood.

• the long streams of cars on the road in the mornings. On my journey to work I drive across two overpasses. I look out on the road underneath and there’s a stream of white headlights going one way, and a stream of red taillights going the other. Call me weird, but I always call out ‘good morning everyone!’. Civilisation. People going to work to (hopefully) make someone else’s day better. Awesome.

• writing. I’m still amazed at how inspiration finds me. How I sit at my computer, at my tiny, cramped desk in my bedroom, to think about fictional characters and their fictitious lives and what might happen next. Something always pops into my head. I still don’t understand where in the grey blob in that my skull of mine it comes from, but I’m thankful for it showing up.

• faith. Put plainly, I wouldn’t be here without it. It’s not a crutch. It’s not a get-out-of-jail-free pass. It’s not a lollop through the buttercups. It’s real, tangible, life-saving, and I’m grateful every day that I put my faith in Jesus to get me through.

That’s all for this week :0)

Catch you next Wednesday.

Maggie x