Fingringhoe

When I was a child, I could never see the point of bird watching. My Mum was dead keen though and signed me and my brother up for the Young Ornitholigists Club and took us off to a place called Fingringhoe every now and then where we would sit in a shed all day and peer through binoculars. Well, they did. I got bored within the first 10 minutes and spent most of the time drawing pictures and moaning.



It's a distant memory now but yesterday I read something that made me think of Fingringhoe. And those seemingly pointless days of waiting for aaaaaaaaaaages for something feathered to flit by.

These past 2 weeks I've been helping lead some sessions called "Awakening Creativity" at the Phnom Penh House of Prayer. As ever, I started with eyes bigger than belly and prepared too much stuff. Wasn't quite clued into the fact that most people need time to get going creatively. And it's a process that can't be rushed.

Yesterday I realised that I'm not that much different if I'm honest. I've just got used to going into creative-mode cos it's been my job for years. And maintaining a certain level just to preserve energy and keep going.

So reading this book, it was good to have a stop and a think. And appreciate that sometimes it's worth giving things time. And being patient and still enough for that deeper level of creativity to rise. And for the soul to begin to fly. Just like those days in Fingringhoe. And waiting in a shed with binoculars.

"The soul is like a wild animal – tough, resilient, savvy, and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of the eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek".
Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer, p7-8