the sensation of life
But then comes the dawning comprehension of all that a writer's life implies: not easy day-dreaming, but hard work at turning the dream into reality without sacrificing all of its glamour; not the passive following of someone else's story, but the finding and finishing of a story of one's own; not writing a few pages … Continue reading The Slough of Despond
Whenever I walk in a London street, I'm ever so careful to watch my feet; And I keep in the squares, And the masses of bears, Who wait at the corners all ready to eat The sillies who tread on the lines of the street, Go back to they lairs, And I say to them, … Continue reading From resentment to recollection
The body holds deep sadness. The loss of people you love: those who have died; lovers and friends with whom you have fallen out, or lost touch; children who have moved away. The love you never received, that was not forthcoming; and the love you cannot give, your lack of capacity for loving. The loss … Continue reading Sadness
In prayer, when I attend to this body, there are two things I do. I remember and invoke sensations of God's presence that I experienced in the past. (See Where to start?). Ignatius calls this repetition.I feel into this body and attend to the body's sensations. The body tells me what I need to know … Continue reading Repetition
Writers all devise ways to approach that place where they expect to make the contact, where they become the conduit, or where they engage in this mysterious process. For me, light is the signal in the transaction. It’s not being in the light, it’s being there before it arrives. It enables me, in some sense.Toni … Continue reading Where is your “place”?
Show me the place Where you want your slave to go Show me the place I’ve forgotten, I don’t know Show me the place For my head is bending low Show me the place Where you want your slave to go Show me the place Help me roll away the stone Show me the place … Continue reading Show me the place
I am volunteering at Crisis for Christmas on 23, 24 & 25 December. I shall be a general volunteer and driver at the Link Rough Sleepers venue. I am excited by this and I should be grateful if you would contribute to Crisis by sponsoring me. Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor me and … Continue reading Crisis at Christmas
(Once in a while, as I am writing my morning pages, along come thoughts that emerge fully formed. Here is this morning's gift.) Yesterday evening, coming home on the tube, I tried to practise kindness towards the other commuters. In the midst of all our jostling for position and selfish desire to claim a space … Continue reading Kindness is Your presence
While making my porridge I practise gratitude – gratitude for the porridge, for being able to cook, for this body that can move and make, for being alive, being safe, and having food. I think about the importance of practising gratitude as a way to make explicit and grounded what is only implicit and theoretical. … Continue reading There is another world
I feel a little distant from You. I like to sit, to be quiet and still, to write, to ponder. I can do this without any memory of You, without reference to You. But I think You are inviting me into a deeper relationship. You are always present, so being fully present means being present … Continue reading The fear of God