I’m leaving my job at the end of this week after a tough year, and will have a break before finding a new role. I’ve been anxious about whether I will be able to let go of responsibility and wondered what will fill the space.
I’ve just spent the weekend with some friends in the wood, introducing them to the joy of chopping down trees. It was just what I needed.
We brought to the wood the burden of work
the taste of sour relationships
the relentlessness of mothering
fractures from the pandemic
the uncertainty of recovery
the tyranny of cancer
our grief, our hesitancy, our sense of adventure
We found the welcome of the woodland
the embrace of sisterhood
the safest spaces for deep conversation
the solace of hard work
the grounding of aching muscles
a different perspective
good food, muddy streams, space to breathe deeply
We left surprised by our strength
astonished by art
nurtured by friendship
touched by god
with wedges of hope
and memories of green
ready for tomorrow
Time well spent!