This morning the air at home does not smell of sheep. My eyes are bleary and perhaps this means my sense of smell has not yet awakened, but the first thing I am noticing is what’s not there. And that is the scent of sheep in fields on a farm. Having spent the weekend at a lovely B and B just outside Builth Wells in the beautiful countryside maybe it is just my brain reminding me that I am now back home with a new set of memories made.
Alt text says this week’s photo is “two women smiling at the…” and I am guessing it was going to say camera but instead there are those three little dots. So perhaps it is waiting for me to say: the joy of readying for a yarn show, or the thought that this year while Wonderwool Wales celebrated its twentieth anniversary I was celebrating the fact that this was my third time there being with Kath on her stand, or the way you know you are going to find conversations that make you smile when you spend time with people in a showground. I would say it is all of that, and also the recognition that taking things one step at a time brings elements of calm and satisfaction.
The same stand space for each of the three years enables us to be reliably right there for our regular visitors. It also helps me to know which way I am driving the car and which way I need to walk to get to the things I need. It’s a large site and my sense of direction is a little askew at times so knowing where I am going is super reassuring for me! And as I type this I realise how lucky I am that Kath draws up the plan, gets everything ready, and knows how to pack the cars so that it all fits in. I can copy this once I have seen it, but I would struggle to do this from scratch.
We have developed the art of being steady in our set up and we both know that we will be physically tired that evening. We also know there is likely to be a time when it feels like hard work and we need to pause to drink more water and stand still to stretch our backs out before completing the job. Last year I was training to walk up Snowdon and I realise I haven’t been quite so determined with my walking since then. I don’t need another mountain to climb at the moment, but I think I have just reminded myself that my goal could be to walk myself to better fitness that will hold me in good stead for everyday things! If you’ve ever noticed that your favourite jeans feel a little too tight or tying your shoes seems a little bit too much of a bending effort then you will probably empathise!
Being at a yarn show with hundreds of people is a complete contrast to my one-to-one coaching or the times when it’s just me writing poetry, but there is also a lovely cross over with my values of being helpful, listening to people and taking time for reflection. And this week while simply being in a show ground I have felt the lovely tingle of tears of happiness in my eyes when recounting moments that have brought me pure joy in my life and listening to other people tell me theirs. I have laughed a lot and remembered to stay in the moment because after all it is the moment that counts. Oh, and I remembered to still myself and say thank you when complimented by a stranger so that I actually got to feel the complete glow of how that feels.
Here’s to finding the ways we laugh with others, supporting those we love and being ourselves in the moment.
Graphene, from my first collection Magnifying Glass, is shining in my mind as a great poem with which to end this blog…for the wonder of celebrating the shine and the marvel of being human.
Graphene
Perhaps, before their pencil, in that building
it was in me – that flat form carbon atom;
hexagonally honeycombed
undiscovered and waiting.
And before that, did it come from a star?
Maybe it was once inside you.
You are a study in graphene:
cleaved graphite, harder than diamond,
stronger than steel.
Exceptional.
Sue Finch 