Today's mindfulness practice was a bodyscan and Adrienne introduced it with this poem:
Between
by Bev Schofield
What is the heartbeat without the silence
between the thudding pump of our life organ?
What is day if there is no night into which it can dawn?
What is spring if there be no winter out of which to bud,
and what is winter’s respite without summer’s
punishing expectation of achievement?
Rest now, in the place that you thought was dark;
in the silence where you feared the heart
would never beat again. Heal
in the spaces between your breaths.
Embrace the exquisite stillness of that quiet
till you care no more what’s to be done with the breath to come
nor what was said by the breath before.
Bev offered several writing prompts inspired by the poem "These Days" by Giovanna McKenna:
waiting
waiting quietly
moving silently invisible
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And now for some of
YOUR WRITING:
inspired by ‘These Days’ by Giovanna Mackenna
by Kay Ritche
like waiting for Godot
I topple off the edge of each day
burn up dead time
return with the night
to blackbird blues which
croon a crease into the boredom &
wait a burstingness in my heart for
what will be
untitled
by Bex Woodsford
So just wait
still silent sitting
Not twisting
Not turning
Body breathing
surrounded by space
Expanding to embrace
the chance of a new possibility
Not a race
No striving
And new steps may emerge in the dance
Moving silently, invisible
by Candyce Reynolds
Walking the streets,
I am barely noticed
Or so it seems
My mind, which is still young and pert thinks..
I must move silently
Not heard, so not seen
The truth I know
is within me
It is
My body
It registers a void --
Invisible, Invisible
Grey hair transparent; my creases fold onto each other
Nothing there to respond to
I worry that my gaze will start to mimic theirs
That I’ll become more and more see-through,
Quieter, smaller
Eventually impossible to be seen or heard
I want to jump up and down, yell and push them
To be noticed
To be notable like I used to be
A head nod in passing
Perhaps a hello
That’s all I ask.
I want to remind them:
Grey is a color and creases have dimensions
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Thanks to you all ...
... for your heartening feedback as always!
Amber: Hello, sorry that I'm late! Very happy to be here.
Catherine: I am sitting in a park with children so will keep audio and camera mainly of as on holiday
Kay: as always wonderful thanks adrienne
Kay: lovely to see you catrice
Joyce: that was fabulous Adrienne thankyou xxx
Karen: Sorry I haven’t been able to participate properly- I’ll take the theme and write something later. Visitors still here…
Bev: No prob Karen
Catrice: Here listening today. Camera off.
Nichole: Lovely Bex
Catrice: Beautiful
Joyce Nicholson: I love I gap the mind
Giovanna: “that period when you are arriving somewhere but still elsewhere”
Annan: Yes!
Giovanna: “my creases fold on to each toher
Nichole: Wonderful Candice
Giovanna: each other” “I am not invisibel”
Candyce Reynolds: thanks
Giovanna: “where has the ground gone? / where is my next breath?”
Nichole: Thank you Giovanna, that was so moving
Joyce Nicholson: amazing Giovanna thank you
Giovanna: thank you ❤️
Nichole: Beautiful and powerful Amber, thank you.
Giovanna: “I lived through the mess / the political unrest” “for friends on the edge of hope / and for those who’ve already chosen to leave us”
Bex Woodsford: So powerful
Giovanna: I loved that Amber, and maybe it’s my poet’s mind but it certainly felt like poetry to me. I’d love to read it again
Doreen Kelly: I agree
Giovanna: “golden fresh dampness / the joy of petals up-stretched” “intentfully making space”
Nichole: Thank you
Giovanna: Thank you Bev, Adrienne and everyone, I feel so lifted for being with you all tonight
Doreen Kelly: Thanks. Night night,
Kay: thankyou thankyou thankyou
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Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership via the Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund managed by Impact Funding Partners