I started to write this post in March! I was inspired by a friend’s grandson who was applying for a place on a teacher training programme in Scotland. It’s a competitive field, and he’d recently had a ‘no’ from his preferred university. He was, of course, disappointed. However, within a couple of days, he’d regrouped […]
It’s been a while since I’ve written a post – I’ve been bringing together a working draft of my next book. This has been harder than I’d imagined… and I was also rudely interrupted by a nasty bout of flu. The draft is now with some readers for comment and I’m taking a break from
For someone who’s written a book about pausing and breathing – albeit principally in the context of conversations – I recently realised that I wasn’t doing much of either! Without noticing, I’d become preoccupied with routine tasks and some self-imposed expectations around bigger projects – and got drawn into a tighter and tighter circle of
In the autumn of 2019, I was ‘reckoning’ with myself as I approached the threshold of my 60th birthday. It seemed to be a significant time, calling for new rhythms in the later stages of a working life. This led me to reappraise my identity and work, using the autumn season and the metaphor of