Today I thought I might share a little story with you, which might help you see a lighter side to things that happen in your life that go beyond a simple upset. The disturbing things in life that can leave us feeling unsafe or vulnerable...

When I was in my teens, my parents discovered unexplained footprints outside their bedroom window. They raked it over & avoided it and the footprints reappeared. So, my adorable Step-Dad set up camp one night just round the corner from that window and waited.... Sure enough in through the garden creeps our neighbour, Ted. My Step-Dad waited for a bit then charged around the corner, large torch blaring, yelling "WADDA YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!!!???" Well, Ted freaked out and tried to run up our driveway which was gravel. He spun a few times, made it out onto the street where my Step-Dad threw the torch and got the perv right in the back. He was reported to the police and it never happened again. Anyway, the punchline to the story is this limerick which my Step-Dad wrote afterwards:

There was a young fella named Ted,

Who listened to people in bed,

One day at the blind,

He was caught from behind,

By a torch that was aimed at his head!

So, sometimes humour can be a great way to diffuse the intensity of how a situation made you feel. It can help to heal and bring you back from the fear to a place where you regain your personal strength, and it can reduce the perpetrator from any position of power over you to one of lowly pity and sharp dismissal of their impact on you.

So, I hope you find some solace (and a bit of a laugh) from my post.

Cheers

Dayle

Arty Therapy ....

Heya peeps of cyber realm...

I've been really busy of late. Too busy, and not just physically. By that I mean my mind has been dogged by angst over all the things I need to do, may have to do, have forgotten to do for others, or those that I haven't remembered to do yet but that I know sit in the ether, waiting for me to walk through their vapour and re-remember them.

So, amongst this frenzy of emotions, besides being really tired and embarrassingly emotional most of the time, I sat down for 2 days recently to make these...


They're around 10cm tall, with crocheted bodies and hand made outfits. I put a lot of work into both of these ladies, and now I have to send them off to their respective new owners. I had a deadline of today to send them away to their new owners, so this was adding to my pressures and worry. But that's okay, as I'm part of an craft swap group and I will receive two in return. My two art dolls were a labour of love and I'm sad to let them go but then it's also lovely to send them to others who enjoy similar crafts.

Anything arty or crafty is a real life saver for me when I'm harbouring more negativity than usual. If anxiety's not at the fore of my thoughts, it's sitting in the background waiting to pounce on any happiness I may be having. Of late I have deteriorated in mental health, which is very disconcerting for me so to bury myself in crafty pursuits lifts me up and helps me keep afloat, not get consumed by my thoughts.

I hope you too can find something that keeps you afloat, or even lifts you up so high that you can easily soar with spirits. Remember to keep it simple, do it with kindness and care, and remember to enjoy what you have made.

Kind, gentle hugs to you all.
Dayle